Forest Heritage Scotland webpages - Bonawe
Date 2009
Event ID 588120
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Publication Account
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/588120
The website text produced for Bonawe webpages on the Forest Heritage Scotland website (www.forestheritagescotland.com).
Introduction: From wood to iron
Muckairn Wood, which included the present day Glen Nant National Nature Reserve, supplied one of the most successful charcoal blast furnaces in the Scottish Highlands.
In the mid 18th century the location of a furnace to make iron was often not decided by where the iron could be found, but where there was a good supply of trees. Charcoal was the fuel for the furnace, made by burning trees in a special process. The oak and birch trees in Muckairn Woods were one of the main sources of charcoal for nearby Bonawe Furnace.
In 1752, an English iron company made an agreement with Duncan Campbell of Lochneill to lease land to build the furnace and to use his woods for making charcoal. The lease agreement lasted for 110 years.
The woods needed to be carefully managed so that the trees would not run out. The iron company achieved this by a system of rotation coppicing.
Lochneill may have been foolish to have agreed to a long contract. Nearby landowners provided extra charcoal on short lease agreements, making more money as the furnace became more successful. Sadly, many of these other woods were not managed as well by the landowners and have not survived.
Today you can enjoy a walk amongst the oaks of Muckairn woods, possibly thanks to the long contract allowing the iron company to plan its use of the trees to the fullest.
People Story: Jobs for the natives!
In 1836 Lord Teignmouth travelled and wrote about the coast of Scotland. His mention of Bonawe suggests that the iron industry did nothing for the Highland views.
"The scenery is yet more disfigured by the charring-mills (charcoal making), which are seen smoking amid the spreading sense of desolation"
Lord Teignmouth (1836) in "Sketches of the Coast"
He does suggest, however, that the industry was important for the locals. While staff brought in from England undertook the main furnace operations, locals undertook other jobs connected with the industry. This included the charcoal making and its transport to the furnace. He describes the leasing of the woods as
" ...a most profitable undertaking to the company, as well as advantageous to the natives of the country by affording them constant employment"
Same as above
Little is known, however, about the people who lived and worked in connection to the furnace over its long lifetime. The furnace finally closed in 1876.
Evidence Story: What's left behind? The evidence for charcoal making
Evidence for the making of charcoal still exists on the forest floor of Muckairn Wood if you can discover it.
Amazingly it takes 6 to 8 tons of trees to make only 1 ton of lump charcoal. It was therefore practical that the charcoal be made in the forest; the charcoal was easier to transport to the furnace than the trees. The charcoal was made in a kiln or charring mill, usually built on an oval or D-shaped platform made from earth and mud. The logs were stacked around a central wooden post and then covered in earth and vegetation. The central post was then removed and a fire placed in the gap. The burning process took between 2 to 10 days, slowly allowing oxygen in to the fire to create the charcoal.
The evidence mostly remaining of this process is the many earth platforms scattered over the forest floor. You can explore our Nant trail and see if you can discover any. Many are located beside the River Ant.
