Monument record MDR11161 - Bloomery (site of), Wingerworth Lido, Wingerworth

The name Smithy Pond, also known since 1934 as the Lido, suggests that a bloomery or bloomsmithy was sited below the artificial bank of this stretch of water. The outcrop of the Blackshale ironstone rake was conveniently near and, although it might be objected that the pond lay within Wingerworth Park, that park is thought not to have existed until the later 17th century. In the 1970s or 1980s ironworking slag was found embedded in the top surface of the bank of Smithy Pond, although this could have been deposited from one of the later blast furnaces in the area. Resurfacing has removed any such remains from view. Examination of the foot of the bank did not bring any relevant remains to light. The location of the works therefore remains an intelligent guess. (1)