Hidden Industry

250 years ago the Wye Valley was a very different place and well established as an area of industrial importance. The river was a busy highway shipping goods and materials up and down to the towns and villages along its banks. The day will provide talks by local historians and archaeologists who have worked on the Valley's industrial past.

The Wye Valley is an area of industrial firsts, with the first water-powered wire works, first brass to be made and the first smelting of copper to be made using coal. You can learn all about these, and much more of the fascinating history of this area through the day's various lectures and seminars.

The programme for the day includes:

'Excavating Tintern Abbey Furnace'

'Wire in the Blood - Iron in the Soul': The early industry of Tintern and the Wye Valley

'David Tanner - The Last of the Great Charcoal Ironmasters in the Wye Valley'

'Hopeful Investors; The Whitecliff Ironworks 1798-1816'

Then afterwards, you can head on down to Chepstow Bookshop for an evening with the acclaimed historian, Peter Ackroyd. He is the author of dozens of bestselling books including “London The Biography”, “Thames: Sacred River” and “Shakespeare The Biography.” He has also presented numerous television programmes including the 2009 BBC programme “Peter Ackroyd’s Venice.”

He'll be discussing his new book 'Foundations' starting at 7:30, only £3 to come!