Overview
Bonawe Iron Furnace was built in 1753 to use Argyll's abundant charcoal. Imported ore and Highland woodlands fed pig-iron production for markets across Britain.
Why it was built
The Newland Company built the furnace where timber, water power and sea transport could support iron smelting.
People and work
Charcoal burners, carters, furnace workers and sailors linked remote woods to the works and carried iron outward.
How it changed
The furnace worked for a century before coke-fired mainland production made charcoal smelting uneconomic.
What survives
The stone furnace, charcoal sheds, water channels, machinery remains, workers' housing and quay survive.
Why it mattered
Bonawe shows how industrial Britain drew fuel and labour from Highland landscapes often imagined as untouched.
History checked 16 August 2026 against the named sources below.
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