Charcoal making in cumbria
The basic idea of charcoal making is burning wood whith little air untill the fire goes out to create a longer burning fuel source.
Most full time charcoal makers use massive steel kilns roughly 3m in diamiter, using wood from there very own couple of acres of woodland. The proces of making charcoal normaly takes 12 to 14 hours! The best woods for making charcoal are beech and oak although other hardwoods are almost as effective.
 |
In the 1700s there were at least 13 blast furnaces making iron that ran on charcoal in Cumbria. They used charcoal at an enormous rate and I read on one website that in 1712 the Backbarrow Company was cutting woods and making charcoal at Ambleside, Skelwith, Rosthwaite, Borrowdale, Ulpha, Duddon Bridge, Troutbeck, Borrans, Long Sleddale, Winster, Arnside, and in many other places both distant and at home. to the left is Duddon blast furnace |
