A Rural Strides walk is more than just a gentle stroll through beautiful countryside. It’s an invitation to become landscape literate – to tune your senses to the traces of history written in the hills, rivers, trees, and stones around us. These walks are designed to open your eyes to the layered story of how both natural forces and human activity have shaped the landscape of the Western Weald over centuries.
One extraordinary place where that past feels particularly tangible is North Park Furnace, just outside Fernhurst in West Sussex. Hidden in the quiet of the woodland, this site is one of the best-preserved relics of the once-booming Wealden iron industry. While much of that industrial past has been swallowed up by time and nature, at North Park the remains of a 17th-century (and possibly even 16th-century) blast furnace still stand, a powerful reminder of a period when this area was a centre of technological innovation and heavy industry.
The site today is privately owned by Robin and Carla Barnes. Robin is a direct descendant of the Capron/Hollist family, who since 1793 have held land in the area. However, the Hollists were not just landlords, they were respected figures in local society and well-known for their benevolence and active involvement in community life and stewardship of the land. Their legacy is one of connection to both people and place. In a recent conversation with Robin it is clear that he continues this tradition by welcoming visitors to explore this remarkable site and by championing efforts to preserve its heritage.
Robin Barnes
So what can you actually see at the North Park Furnace site today? Quite a bit, for a site that dates back over 300 years. The stone and brick remains of the furnace structure are still visible, including the casting pit and the charging platform, where iron ore and charcoal were loaded. The pond bay, which once dammed the stream to power the great bellows, is intact, and the water channels that directed this flow can still be traced. It’s a place where you can physically walk through the architecture of early industry, where imagination meets archaeology.
Preserving sites like this, however, is not cheap. Time and weather take their toll, and careful conservation work is needed to protect what remains. Excavations also continue to reveal new information about how the furnace worked, who built it, and the daily life of those who toiled there. Each new discovery adds to the picture, but with it comes cost. The effort is ongoing, and like the furnace itself, it requires fuel, not of charcoal this time, but of community support and funding.
That support comes in large part from the annual Fernhurst Furnace Open Weekend, a much-loved local event that combines heritage, education, and celebration. Held in September each year, it brings together historians, archaeologists, volunteers, craftsmen, and the local community for two days of living history. There are demonstrations of traditional crafts, historic re-enactments by members of the Sealed Knot, talks about the site, stalls, food, music, and more. Most importantly, all proceeds go directly towards maintaining and researching the furnace site. It’s a great way to have fun, learn and play a part in keeping history alive.
With proceeds from this year’s event, Robin hopes to fund the excavation of two parts of the furnace site that, while known to exist, remain largely unexplored: the old gun casting pit and the structure known as the tail race. The casting pit was used to produce iron cannon, yet its fixed shape raises an important question: how did workers manage to cast guns of varying sizes and lengths? One theory suggests there may be an adjustable screw mechanism concealed beneath the pit to account for this flexibility. We’ll have to wait and see what the archaeologists uncover.
This year, you are invited to walk into the story of Fernhurst Furnace on September’s ‘Iron ExplORE’ walk. This is a five-mile circular route around Fernhurst. We’ll pass through the woodlands that once fed the furnace’s insatiable appetite for timber, and follow the river whose waters powered the bellows that once roared in this now-silent valley. In the middle we’ll reach the Furnace site, where we’ll have time to explore the event and discover more about how the furnace worked, from ore to iron.
So why not join us? Whether you’re a history enthusiast, a nature lover, or simply looking for a meaningful way to spend a September day, the Iron ExplORE walk promises a chance to reconnect with a powerful local story — one of fire, water, timber, and human ingenuity. Come and walk with us, learn with us, and help preserve a unique and worthwhile piece of local history.
