Carew Cheriton Control Tower 2024
Pembrokeshire/Sir Benfro
The Pembrokeshire Coal & Ironworks Company opened the ironworks in 1849. The ore was obtained largely from levels driven in the cliffs between Saundersfoot and Amroth and transported by the branch line of the Saundersfoot Railway, which also carried pig iron to Saundersfoot for export. In its final stage the ironworks consisted of two blast furnaces, blowing engines, coke ovens, lime kilns and workshops, and the sites of refineries and ancillary structures together with evidence of the tramroad network that served them. The Works were only moderately successful: no pig iron was produced after 1874 and work ceased in 1877. The workshops were retained for service to local collieries until 1930.
Access at all times. Visit website for more details.
The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance and illustrate our knowledge and understanding of the development of the iron industry. The ironworks forms part of a larger industrial complex served by the Saundersfoot Railway which includes the associated Grove Colliery.
South Pembrokeshire once had a thriving coal and iron industry of which little evidence remains today but Stepaside Ironworks and the nearby Grove Colliery have been superbly restored to afford the visitor a glimpse into this rich heritage.
This links to a different website for several walks around Stepaside Ironworks:
https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/walking-pembrokeshire/stepaside-ironworks-circular