Kirkstall Forge Forge Buildings With Helve Hammers, Slitting Mill Machinery

Kirkstall Forge is a historic forge complex located on Abbey Road in Leeds, with buildings likely dating from the late 18th century, associated with the Beecroft and Butler families. The earliest remains include a roofless building made of coursed squared gritstone featuring round-arched openings, situated over the former mill goit. An attached block to the northeast houses later machinery, including a wheel and hammer, and has both round-arched and flat-headed openings, with a roof covered in corrugated asbestos. This building also contains two drop-forge stamps from around the 1850s, which are steam-driven and made to Naylor's Patent, with one being larger than the other.

Historically, a bloomery was established by John, Lord Savile around 1590 to convert iron ore into wrought iron. By 1618, the complex was leased out, and by 1690, a new weir was built at Newlay, incorporating the improved forge into the Spencer group of ironworks. Control of the forge passed to the Beecroft and Butler families in 1779, leading to extensive building work that included slitting mills, workshops, cottages, a chapel, a shop, and a brewhouse. The forge produced a variety of small items for the urban market, ranging from shovels to pudding dishes. Between 1835 and 1845, steam power was introduced, allowing for the production of larger items such as steam engines, cranes, and pumps. The Beecroft and Butler involvement ended in 1878, but the forge continued to manufacture railway lines and axles, later shifting to motor vehicle axles in the 20th century. In 1974, the firm was taken over by GKN Axles.