Horsehay
Encyclopedia
Horsehay is a village on the western outskirts of Dawley
, which, along with several other towns and villages, now forms part of the new town
of Telford
in Shropshire
, England
. Horsehay lies in the Dawley Hamlets
parish, and on the northern edge of the Ironbridge Gorge
area.
Its name is Anglo Saxon for 'an enclosure for horses'. Horsehay has four pubs - The Station Inn, The Forester Arms, the All Labour In Vain and the Travellers Joy - a Methodist Chapel and a post office. Horsehay also has its very own golf course, complete with restaurant.
built a blast furnace next to what is now known as Horsehay Pool. Coalbrookdale Company further developed the area, constructing brickworks and later a pottery in 1838. Coalbrookdale
specialised in the smaller and more decorative ironwork pieces, whereas Horsehay produced many larger scale products, including the railway bridge in nearby Shifnal
. As the iron trade in the area began to slump in 1857 the railway arrived, and Horsehay is still home to the Telford Steam Railway
to this day. A.B. Cranes bought the site previously occupied by the ironworks to manufacture some of the largest cranes in Europe until it closed down in 1983. The site has been transformed into both a small factory estate and a housing estate. The houses which were kept for the ironworks
employees were clustered around Horsehay Pool in Spring Village, and they are still lived in today.
Formed in 1755 by Abraham Darby II it contributed to the birth of the industrial revolution through large scale production of iron.
Later it produced pre-fabricated bridges for export all over the world.
It was a major employer in the area until the mid 1980s when it closed under the ownership of Adamson Alliance.
The following is based on an article "Horsehay Works (1755 - 1986) - a history of a once dominating company") by J. L. Woolley (local artist and former employee of Horsehay Works):
Abraham Darby II, a Quaker, succeeded in smelting iron with coke as a fuel suitable for forges in 1709.
The Coalbrookdale Company needed additional furnaces and Horsehay (an easy walk to the north) provided a sufficient water supply and land for lease.
In addition, Dawley (adjacent to the east) provided mines.
The furnace at Horsehay came into blast successfully on 5 May 1755.
For this venture, Darby II enlisted the financial help of Thomas Goldney III (the main shareholder of the Coalbrookdale Company).
The new furnace ushered in a period of great activity when the East Shropshire Coalfield, for a time, became the area of greatest production of iron then known.
Such was the importance of the furnace that many people including dignitaries visited it.
A railway from Horsehay to the nearby Severn wharves was built and the first waggon of 'pigs' (iron) was sent down Jiggers bank through Coalbrookdale and on to the wharves almost within sight of the Ironbridge (built later by Abraham Darby III, completed in 1779).
. It holds various events throughout the year, including 'Day Out With Thomas', where at Christmas children get the chance to ride on a train hauled by Thomas the Tank Engine
to see Santa
, who wrote the popular Brother Cadfael novels under the pen name "Ellis Peters".
Country singer/songwriter, Raymond Froggatt
still lives and has his studio in the village.
Television personality Paul Hendy used to live in one of the cottages round Horsehay Pool.
Back in the early 19th century, a giant of a man called William Ball worked in the Horsehay Iron Works. At the time, he was the heaviest man in England, tipping the scales at 36 Stones. Following an eye injury, he finished work at the Iron Works and toured the country under the name of "John Bull".
Dawley
Dawley is a small town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. Today it forms part of the new town of Telford...
, which, along with several other towns and villages, now forms part of the new town
New town
A new town is a specific type of a planned community, or planned city, that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are uncommon in new...
of Telford
Telford
Telford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Horsehay lies in the Dawley Hamlets
Dawley Hamlets
Dawley Hamlets is a civil parish in Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire.The parish covers Horsehay, Doseley, Little Dawley and Aqueduct....
parish, and on the northern edge of the Ironbridge Gorge
Ironbridge Gorge
The Ironbridge Gorge is a deep gorge formed by the River Severn in Shropshire, England.Originally called the Severn Gorge, the gorge now takes its name from its famous Iron Bridge, the first iron bridge of its kind in the world, and a monument to the industry that began there...
area.
Its name is Anglo Saxon for 'an enclosure for horses'. Horsehay has four pubs - The Station Inn, The Forester Arms, the All Labour In Vain and the Travellers Joy - a Methodist Chapel and a post office. Horsehay also has its very own golf course, complete with restaurant.
History
Originally Horsehay was nothing more than a farm, until the 1750s when Abraham Darby IIAbraham Darby II
Abraham Darby II was the second Abraham Darby in three generations of an English Quaker family that played a role in the period leading up to the Industrial Revolution....
built a blast furnace next to what is now known as Horsehay Pool. Coalbrookdale Company further developed the area, constructing brickworks and later a pottery in 1838. Coalbrookdale
Coalbrookdale
Coalbrookdale is a village in the Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire, England, containing a settlement of great significance in the history of iron ore smelting. This is where iron ore was first smelted by Abraham Darby using easily mined "coking coal". The coal was drawn from drift mines in the sides...
specialised in the smaller and more decorative ironwork pieces, whereas Horsehay produced many larger scale products, including the railway bridge in nearby Shifnal
Shifnal
Shifnal is a small market town in Shropshire, England. It forms part of The Wrekin constituency, and is about east of Telford. It has a railway station on the Shrewsbury-Wolverhampton Line and is near to the M54 motorway.-Early medieval time:...
. As the iron trade in the area began to slump in 1857 the railway arrived, and Horsehay is still home to the Telford Steam Railway
Telford Steam Railway
The Telford Steam Railway is a heritage railway located at Horsehay, Telford in Shropshire, England, formed in 1976.The railway is operated by volunteers on Sundays and Bank Holidays from Easter to the end of September, and at Christmas...
to this day. A.B. Cranes bought the site previously occupied by the ironworks to manufacture some of the largest cranes in Europe until it closed down in 1983. The site has been transformed into both a small factory estate and a housing estate. The houses which were kept for the ironworks
Ironworks
An ironworks or iron works is a building or site where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and/or steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e...
employees were clustered around Horsehay Pool in Spring Village, and they are still lived in today.
Horsehay Works
Horsehay works has a history of more than 230 years on the same site.Formed in 1755 by Abraham Darby II it contributed to the birth of the industrial revolution through large scale production of iron.
Later it produced pre-fabricated bridges for export all over the world.
It was a major employer in the area until the mid 1980s when it closed under the ownership of Adamson Alliance.
The following is based on an article "Horsehay Works (1755 - 1986) - a history of a once dominating company") by J. L. Woolley (local artist and former employee of Horsehay Works):
Abraham Darby II, a Quaker, succeeded in smelting iron with coke as a fuel suitable for forges in 1709.
The Coalbrookdale Company needed additional furnaces and Horsehay (an easy walk to the north) provided a sufficient water supply and land for lease.
In addition, Dawley (adjacent to the east) provided mines.
The furnace at Horsehay came into blast successfully on 5 May 1755.
For this venture, Darby II enlisted the financial help of Thomas Goldney III (the main shareholder of the Coalbrookdale Company).
The new furnace ushered in a period of great activity when the East Shropshire Coalfield, for a time, became the area of greatest production of iron then known.
Such was the importance of the furnace that many people including dignitaries visited it.
A railway from Horsehay to the nearby Severn wharves was built and the first waggon of 'pigs' (iron) was sent down Jiggers bank through Coalbrookdale and on to the wharves almost within sight of the Ironbridge (built later by Abraham Darby III, completed in 1779).
Telford Horsehay Steam Trust
Horsehay is home to the Telford Steam RailwayTelford Steam Railway
The Telford Steam Railway is a heritage railway located at Horsehay, Telford in Shropshire, England, formed in 1976.The railway is operated by volunteers on Sundays and Bank Holidays from Easter to the end of September, and at Christmas...
. It holds various events throughout the year, including 'Day Out With Thomas', where at Christmas children get the chance to ride on a train hauled by Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional steam locomotive in The Railway Series books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher. He became the most popular character in the series, and the accompanying television spin-off series, Thomas and Friends.Thomas is a tank engine, painted blue...
to see Santa
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
Famous residents
Horsehay was the birthplace of novelist Edith PargeterEdith Pargeter
Edith Mary Pargeter, OBE, BEM , also known by her nom de plume Ellis Peters, was a British author of works in many categories, especially history and historical fiction, and was also honoured for her translations of Czech classics; she is probably best known for her murder mysteries, both...
, who wrote the popular Brother Cadfael novels under the pen name "Ellis Peters".
Country singer/songwriter, Raymond Froggatt
Raymond Froggatt
Raymond William Froggatt was born in Bordesley Green, Birmingham, UK on 13 November 1941, and is a British songwriter and singer....
still lives and has his studio in the village.
Television personality Paul Hendy used to live in one of the cottages round Horsehay Pool.
Back in the early 19th century, a giant of a man called William Ball worked in the Horsehay Iron Works. At the time, he was the heaviest man in England, tipping the scales at 36 Stones. Following an eye injury, he finished work at the Iron Works and toured the country under the name of "John Bull".