Moira Furnace is a nineteenth-century iron-making blast furnace on the banks of the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal. Built by the Earl of Moira in 1804, the building has been preserved by North West Leicestershire District Council as a museum featuring lime kilns and craft workshops.
In 1804, the Earl of Moira had the furnace constructed to take advantage of the iron ore and abundant coal which were present underground in the surrounding Ashby Woulds area owned by him. The location was chosen for its proximity to the Ashby Canal for transport, and the lie of the land which allowed the furnace to be built low down so the raw materials did not need raising very high.
However, this was a period of development in blast furnace design and some of the features of Moira Furnace do not appear to have been successful. It was brought into blast in 1806, and used intermittently until 1811, though the foundry remained in use until after 1844 by utilising iron brought in from elsewhere
The main purpose of our visit to this area was to attend the Moira Furness Folk Festival - which was held in the grounds of the Furnace - see link for details Moira Furness Folk Festival. This festival attracted us because it had a balance of acts we had not seen before as well as some "old favourites".
Anna Shannon, Blackbeard's Tea Party, and Something Nasty in the Woodshed lived up to what we had seen and enjoyed before. Of the new acts (for us) Two Coats Colder, Kim Lowings and the Greenwood, Greg Russell and Ciaran Algar, and Barlow Cree were particularly good - I've added to my CD collection.
We had arrived a few days before the Festival started and took the opportunity to explore the local area - much of which was new to us. We visited Ashby de la Zouch - only 4 miles from Moira.
Ashby de la Zouch, often shortened to Ashby, is a small market town. The Norman French addition dates from the years after the Norman conquest of England, when the town became a possession of the La Zouche family (Alain de Parrhoet) during the reign of Henry III. St Helen's Parish Church was built in the 15th century on the site of an earlier 11th century church.
Ashby de-la Zouch Castle was built in the 12th century. The town and castle came into the possession of the Hastings family in 1464 and William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings enhanced its fortifications from 1473.
In the English Civil War the town was one of the Cavaliers' chief garrisons under the control of Colonel Henry Hastings, 1st Baron Loughborough and commander of the North Midlands Army. When the town fell after a long siege in March, 1646 it was counted a great relief to the surrounding towns and villages
Following the discovery of spring water at Moira in 1805, Ashby developed into a Victorian spa town. Walter Scott contributed to this by setting the tournament in his novel, "Ivanhoe", at Ashby Castle. The Ivanhoe Baths were built in 1822 adjacent to these grounds. The baths closed in the 1880s and the buildings were demolished in 1962
Ashby Cricket Club now play on the grounds
The Loudoun Monument, also known as Queen Eleanor Cross, is a memorial
to Edith Maud Rawdon-Hastings, 10th Countess of Loudoun (1833 – 1874). Built by
architect Sir G Gilbert Scott ,and unveiled here in July 1879 :
"In memory of Edith Maud, countess of
Loudoun, in her own right, Baroness Botreaux, Hungerford de Moleyns and
Hastings,who sprung from an illustrious ancestry herself possessed their noblest
qualities, the people of Ashby-de-la-Zouch and its neighbourhood have raised
this cross, a tribute of admiration and of love, 1874."
We also cycled to Gresley Wood ...
... and Albert Village Lake
... where we saw a charity Dragon race
The Moira West signal box on the Burton to Leicester line
The Ashby Canal at Snareston - the canal was 31-mile long and connected the mining district around Moira, with the Coventry Canal at Bedworth in Warwickshire. It was opened in 1804, and a number of tramways were constructed at its northern end, to service collieries.
The canal was taken over by the Midland Railway in 1846, but remained profitable until the 1890s, after which it steadily declined. Around 9 miles (14 km) passed through the Leicestershire coal field, and was heavily affected by subsidence, with the result that this section from Moira, southwards to Snarestone, was progressively closed in 1944, 1957 and 1966, leaving 22 miles of navigable canal
We also visited Measham and its former railway station
After many years of neglect, and having fallen into disrepair, Measham's former railway station has recently been renovated to provide a new home for the Measham Museum; The former engine sheds have been developed into industrial workshops, and the former engine yards converted into a millennium garden and public green-space.
This is an interesting area of the country and well worth visiting
Pretty pics an interesting description.
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