Moira Furnace

Moira Furnace is a tall stone structure with blank arches standing beside the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal, accompanied by a bridgehouse building used for iron production. The site also includes lime kilns and workshop spaces that reveal how iron was made at this location.

The Earl of Moira had this iron-making plant built in 1804 to process ore and coal from the nearby Ashby Woulds. Production stopped just seven years later in 1811 after the facility ran into technical troubles with the smelting process.

The place reflects a time when iron smelting was central to how people in the area lived and worked. Walking through it today, you can sense the connection between the factory, the surrounding landscape, and the workers who depended on it.

The site can be explored on foot, with the tall furnace structure clearly visible from various angles. The nearby canal bridge offers a good vantage point to view the structure and the broader industrial landscape around it.

Inside the furnace sits its original partially smelted material from 1811, giving direct evidence of what went wrong during operations. This rare preservation of the exact stopped moment reveals how abruptly work came to an end at this site.

Location: Ashby Woulds

GPS coordinates: 52.73290,-1.53575

Latest update: December 11, 2025 18:11