Eel trap ABOUT THE TRAIL

A self-guided trail exploring

A24 the iron industry of the A29

Rudgwick A264 Knepp Estate and the A281 A264 Caryll tomb effect of wilding A281 Horsham former farmland on A29 wildlife, vegetation Heritage Trails A281 Lower Beeding and livestock A24 A281 An Iron trail A272 A272 West Grinstead A29 Knepp

Dial Post Partridge West Green Chiltington A281 through A24 A283 Ashington Henfield

Storrington Wiston A281

Amberley Washington Rusper Knepp

A24 A283 A29 Upper Faygate A264 Beeding Warnham A281 A264 A281 Slinfold Horsham A29 Areas of Natural Beauty/ National Park

A281 Lower Barns Green Beeding A24 Billingshurst Southwater X Nuthurst Iron sows Coneyhurst A281HOW TO FIND US A272 Coolham A272 West Cowfold Grinstead Start/finish point: Shipley Village car A29 Knepp

Dial Post park, School Lane RH13 8PL. Partridge West Green Pulborough Chiltington Thakeham A281 A24 NGR TQ 1439 2193 Coldwaltham A283 Ashington HenfieldRegretfully, there is no public transport. Wiston A281

Amberley Washington Small Dole Designed and Printed by Treetop Design Print. Tel: 01293 863131 A283 Upper Steyning Beeding Bramber ACCESS & FACILITIES Walking grade: Easy Distance: Round trip 4.23 miles (6.80km) (approx. 2 hours) with option of 5.43 miles (8.74km) if Countryman Inn, Shipley taken in or 6.58 miles (10.59km) if Crown Inn, Dial post visited. Sketch of a No stiles; instead kissing or farm gates, generally level terrain Wealden furnace on public rights of way with short stages on minor roads. Facilities: Two pubs available by extending walk, camp shop and toilets open Easter to 31 October by extending walk. Route directions are in black italics text The trail runs within the Knepp Estate joining the route used to carry iron ‘sows’ - large cast iron ‘bars’, 2-3m long and weighing half a tonne or more - from Knepp furnace to Shipley forge for refining. The Knepp Estate introduced ‘wilding’ of its 3500 acres in 2000 allowing cattle, pigs and deer to roam free as well as attracting a multitude of wildlife. Cattle while generally timid, please do not approach these animals during calving season. Keep dogs on a lead when close to cattle. FIND OUT MORE: To learn more about the heritage of the wider district and discover additional trails, please visit www.horshammuseum.org Trail developed by Dr Tim Smith, Hon Sec Wealden Iron Research Group For Wealden iron www.wealdeniron.org.uk For Knepp Wilding www.knepp.co.uk Photographs copyright Tim Smith

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m u r m o F Exploring ’s Heritage u n s i p ty hi Partners Information is correct at time of going to press. It is the route along which these sows were moved, An iron trail from Knepp furnace to Shipley forge, that we will follow on this trail, looking for evidence on the way. The route takes us through the Knepp through Knepp estate, a former farming landscape where nature has been allowed to dominate Did you know the Weald was the centre of the the land since 2000 encouraging armaments industry for nearly 200 years supplying wild life and providing a more cannon and shot to the Government and merchant natural environment for ships? livestock which include long horned cattle, Exmore The traditional rhyme: ponies, Tamworth pigs ‘Master Huggett and his man John, and red and fallow They did cast the first can-non’ deer. dates from around 1543 in the reign of Henry VIIII.

The Weald is an area of clay and sandstone in southern bounded by the North and South Downs and running east-west for 66 miles (110km) roughly between Rye and Chichester. Would you believe it is a former industrial landscape that had 119 iron furnaces and 109 forges working for over 300 As the demand for iron increased furnaces grew in years? Within a 10 mile (16km) radius of this trail, there size and water power started to be used to drive the were nine furnaces making iron and seven forges to bellows and hammers to shape the iron. Exploring refine the iron. These furnaces were called blast furnace – so named Horsham Iron ore, shelly limestone and an abundance of timber because bellows, driven by a water wheel, blew a to make charcoal provided the raw materials, while continuous blast of air into the furnace near its base. District’s streams and rivers created the power to drive the In 1490, the very first blast furnace was built in Britain, Heritage furnaces. at Buxted in East Sussex. Iron was made on the Weald for the next 323 years, the final furnace closing in 1813. Iron was first produced in Britain some 800 years before the birth of Christ, in the time known as the Some iron was cast direct from the furnace into ‘Iron Age’. Then, it was more valuable than gold or moulds to make useful items such as fire backs, silver and harder to extract from its rocky ores than pots, salt pans and even grave slabs. Round shot for copper and tin, these metals giving rise to the earlier cannon, previously labouredly chipped from stone, Bronze Age. The legend of Arthur drawing his sword was in great demand during times of war. From the from a rock reflects the mystical awe attributed to the late 1500s, some furnaces also cast cannon – a very early blacksmiths. demanding task - flowing metal direct from the furnace into a mould set vertically in a pit before the Knives to butcher animals, pins and broches to fasten furnace. clothing, nails to join timber and horse and ox shoes were the earliest uses if iron. Soon weapons such as To make tools, horse and ox shoes, nails and weapons, arrow heads, spear heads and swords began to be the iron had to be refined in forges by heating and made, and armour for knights. hammering the furnace iron – the beating of the water powered hammers gave rise to the name ‘hammer Kipling, a resident of East Sussex, captured the pond’. At the blast furnace, iron was cast into large importance of iron in war in the first verse of his poem, ‘bars’ 2-3 metres long weighing half a tonne or more. ‘Cold Iron’: These were called ‘sows’, as workers thought they Gold is for the mistress – silver for the maid – looked like mother pigs ready to feed their piglets. Copper for the craftsman, cunning at his trade, These sows were carried to the forge by ox cart to Good! said the Baron, sitting in his hall, be refined. But Iron - cold iron - is master of them all.

‘The Lenard fireback cast 1636 shows the tools of the ironmasters’ trade and furnace (bottom left) Iron trail through Knepp

by the Knights Templar by 5 Shipley church established church Shipley Norman Castle Ruin 4 Iron Sows were cast at a furnace a furnace at cast were Sows Iron The furnace pond and later mill pond pond and later furnace The Exploring Heritage A tree platform overlooks the floodplain overlooks platform A tree District’s District’s Rookcross Farm Points of interest of Points Trail route Alternative Car Park Horsham Horsham 7 14 River 1

Swallows Swallows Farm Forge slag Forge Furnance pond 3 Knepp Castle To A24 To Jackson’s wood 2 Crown Inn Knepp Safari Entrance 6 The Caryll tomb dated 1616 dated tomb Caryll The Dial Post bank indicates a crossing point a crossing bank indicates South Lodge 7 A layer of furnace slag in the river of furnace A layer 8 11 Parking 14 7 3 Muddy in winter New BarnNew Farm Swallows Lane

Camp Site Shipley Forge 11 Hammer Farm Pound Lane 9 Pound Lane Shipley Nightingales in Spring 10 13

12 The restored Hammer Pond restored The 14 Hammer pond The moated Norman Knepp Castle moated The 1 themselves throughout the year throughout themselves Old English Longhorn cattle fend for for fend cattle Old English Longhorn

START START FINISH 1 5 10 14 School Lane Cross the field and pass through the through the field and pass Cross church Shipley the churchyard. into gate the Knights Templar by established was 1140. – the Crusader Knights - around this time and from dates porch west The added 200 was south porch the wooden to pillar is believed stone The later years the river. by been a mooring post have If you in 1830. restored building was The the monument to view the church, enter of Knepp - – ironmasters the Caryll family position This the altar. at in pride of place and importance their wealth reflects Knepp furnace operating from resulting bears the tomb The forge. and Shipley effigies of Sir size life and shows 1616 date Margaret Lady Caryll and his wife Thomas the base depicts their side, lying side by brother their baby facing daughters three in a cradle. the through the church left of Pass Turn Close road. Church into graveyard back the junction with School Lane left at the car park. to see some Horsham Museum to Visit Industry Iron of the Wealden artifacts 1HE Open Horsham RH12 9 Causeway, FREE Admission 10am- 5pm Mon-Sat To the To Countryman Inn'

and TRAFFIC) (BEWARE mile. Pass Hammer Farm and go down the short and go down Hammer Farm Pass mile. 1/3 4 1 2 7 3 5 6 8 9 12 11 13 10

cross the Adur and continue towards the church. towards continue and the Adur cross To return directly to Shipley, follow the footpath, follow Shipley, to directly return To

to the Countryman Inn. the Countryman to track. Alternatively, continue on the road for half a mile half a mile for on the road continue Alternatively, track. After 280m, take the footpath to the right up a farm to the footpath 280m, take After (BEWARE TRAFFIC). (BEWARE steps to 9 and turn left onto Countryman Lane Countryman 9 and turn left onto to steps open Easter to end of October. If not, retrace your your retrace If not, October. end of to open Easter map. This also passes the Knepp campsite shop, the Knepp campsite also passes This map. the Crown Inn, follow the optional additional route additional route the optional Inn, follow the Crown If you wish to continue to Dial Post, where there is there where Dial Post, to continue to wish If you forge slag below the bay. slag below forge the bay and turn right, you can find heavy lumps of can find heavy and turn right, you the bay end of the earlier bay. If you pass through the gap in through pass If you end of the earlier bay. The forge was situated on the left, below the far on the left, below situated was forge The – the bank with a deer fence on it on the left. – the bank with a deer fence the 1990s. The track passes alongside the original bay passes track the 1990s. The The forge Hammer pond was restored to water in water to restored Hammer pond was forge The hill through the gate beside the cattle grid to the pond. grid to beside the cattle the gate hill through for for At the road junction take the farm track to your left your to track the farm junction take the road At . Turn right. TRAFFIC). Turn (BEWARE Lane Swallows left of the large oak tree. Pass through the gate, onto the gate, through Pass oak tree. the large left of the notice board here explaining the restoration work. the restoration explaining here board the notice the field, aiming just cross to the finger post, at metres Look at Look the gate. the bridges and through Cross - and then left in a few the gate through passed you uses such as this. when from the right – viewed to the footpath Follow hardens like stone providing an excellent hard-core for hard-core an excellent providing stone like hardens making iron, it flows molten from the furnace and the furnace from molten it flows making iron, in the river bed too. Slag is the waste material from material Slag is the waste bed too. in the river carrying the heavy iron sows. You may find some may You sows. iron carrying the heavy to provide a causeway or bridge to support the carts support or bridge to a causeway provide to material in the bank. This is furnace slag brought there slag brought is furnace the bank. This in material You will see a band of dark glassy You the path. towards path on the right to the river bank and look back the river on the right to path Before crossing the first bridge, descend off the off descend bridge, the first crossing Before winch driven plough. winch driven Pearson’s draining plough and, in 1851, the mole draining Pearson’s ‘improvements’ followed with the introduction of with the introduction followed ‘improvements’ was straightened to make it navigable in 1807. Land in 1807. it navigable make to straightened was view the restored wetlands drained when the river when the river drained wetlands the restored view you may climb to the tree platform to the right to to platform the tree climb to may you wish, just before descending to the first bridge, the first to descending before wish, just If you If you the Adur. the meanders of over footbridges barn conversion. Follow the path to the series of to path the Follow barn conversion. the footpath on the left immediately after the after on the left immediately the footpath Retrace your steps over the pond bay and take and take the pond bay over steps your Retrace ruin if you wish to. ruin if you A permissive path allows you to visit the to you allows path A permissive road. Steyning – 51) and later the rubble helped build the B2135– 51) and later troops destroyed it during the English Civil War (1642 it during the English Civil War destroyed troops here when hunting deer and wild boar. Parliamentary hunting deer and wild boar. when here and later Henry III, Edward II and Richard II all stayed II all stayed II and Richard Henry III, Edward and later as a hunting lodge. King John of Magna Carta fameas a hunting lodge. Norman invasion of 1066. By early 1200 it was used early 1200 it was of 1066. By Norman invasion William de Braose as a stronghold to support the to as a stronghold de Braose William seen to the left. It was built in the early 1100s by built in the early the left. It was seen to The much earlier Norman Knepp Castle can be Knepp Castle much earlier Norman The the drive. Retrace your steps along steps your a partnership until 1622. Retrace by operated by the Caryll ironmasters until 1604 and then the Caryll ironmasters by operated the furnace. The furnace dates from 1568 and was from dates furnace The the furnace. from the pond. Sadly, nothing can now be seen of nothing can now Sadly, the pond. from is close to where the furnace stood fed by a channel by fed stood the furnace where is close to Continue down the drive to Floodgate Farm. This Farm. Floodgate to the drive down Continue

to dredge silt, 15m thick in places. dredge to doubled as fish ponds. The pond was drained in 2019 drained pond was doubled as fish ponds. The housing a pump, and an eel trap. Furnace ponds often Furnace and an eel trap. housing a pump, of artistic licence. Below the bay is an ice house, later house, is an ice the bay Below licence. of artistic (dam) illustrates a sectioned furnace with a degree furnace a sectioned illustrates (dam) air into the furnace. A notice at the far end of the bay the far at A notice the furnace. air into provided water to power the furnace bellows to blast to bellows the furnace power to water provided the largest expanse of water in southern England, this of water expanse the largest Continue along the drive to the furnace pond. Once the furnace to along the drive Continue

South Lodge. South Lodge. by keeping to the footpath which re-joins the drive at the drive which re-joins the footpath to keeping by Please observe the privacy of the residents of the privacy Please observe food. grow no longer survive as they were dug up during WWII to dug up during WWII were as they no longer survive books’ proposing his designs to estate owners. They They owners. estate to his designs books’ proposing Humphry Repton (1752 – 1818), celebrated for his ‘red for – 1818), celebrated (1752 Humphry Repton The grounds were laid out by landscape gardener laid out by were grounds The (1752 – 1835), the architect of the Brighton Pavilion. Brighton of the the architect – 1835), (1752 built in the early 1800s and designed by John Nash and designed by built in the early 1800s Look to your left to see the present Knepp Castle see the present left to your to Look fallow deer here. fallow You may see red and red see may You the grass. across post the finger the tarmac drive for a while and then bear right at and then bear a while for drive the tarmac Cross the field and follows follows the field and Cross docile. are they the field but You may find long horned cattle in long horned cattle find may You Knepp Estate. enter Lane Pound and cross wood a footpath through a field. Continue through a small through Continue a field. through a footpath left into Red Lane and right after a few metres onto metres a few right after and Lane Red left into Leaving the car park, turn right onto School Lane thenLane School onto turn right car park, the Leaving Lane RH13 8PL NGR TQ 1439 2193. 1439 NGR TQ RH13 8PL Lane Start and finish at Shipley Village car park, School car park, Village Shipley at finish and Start