Whitecliff Ironworks
| Whitecliff Ironworks | |
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 Whitecliff Ironworks
 Whitecliff Ironworks shown within Gloucestershire |
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| OS grid reference | SO56751005 |
| Coordinates | 51°47′18″N 2°37′36″W / 51.788373°N 2.626623°WCoordinates: 51°47′18″N 2°37′36″W / 51.788373°N 2.626623°W |
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Whitecliff Ironworks, sometimes referred to as Whitecliff Furnace, at Coleford, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, are industrial remains associated with the production of iron, using coke, in the Forest of Dean.
The first coke-fired blast furnace was constructed in 1709 at Coalbrookdale in Shropshire. With its huge iron-ore reserves and ready supply of timber, the Forest of Dean had been an area of national importance in the production of iron, using charcoal, for hundreds of years. Despite there also being extensive coal measures, Forest of Dean coal did not produce coke which was ideal for smelting and local ironmasters were reluctant to invest in the new technology. It was not until the last decade of the 18th century that coke-fired furnaces began to make an appearance in the Forest of Dean, with Cinderford, Whitecliff and Parkend Ironworks being built almost simultaneously.
In 1798, work commenced on Whitecliff Ironworks; the second coke-fired furnace to be constructed in the Forest of Dean. The main impetus behind its construction came from Shropshire, although the partnership responsible almost certainly included James Teague, an industrious entrepreneur from Coleford. The building phase was badly affected by flooding, but the furnace was 'blown in' in 1801 or 1802. By 1808 most of the original partners had sold their shares and Whitecliff was now owned by Thomas Halford, James Teague, Isaiah Birt and Wickenden. Teague was in charge of the day-to-day running of the site, but Halford, a London , was the majority shareholder and the driving force behind all the activities there. Halford was not satisfied with the output the ironworks were achieving and in 1808 he approached David Mushet, a noted Scottish metallurgist, offering to pay him for his advice on a major rebuilding of the works. Mushet designed and supervised the project, between 1808 and 1810, while at the same time managing the Alfreton Ironworks in Derbyshire.
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