From Thursley Parish Magazine October 2019
If you missed the well attended walk around Hammer Pond on Saturday 5th October here are some fascinating facts about this thriving industry.
Why Thursley?
Thursley Common possessed both iron ore for smelting and peat for fuel and the Hammer Pond could produce power for the hammer. The first reference to Thursley ironworks was in 1574 and it prospered throughout the 17th century. William Yalden was Thursley ironmaster with the industry bringing prosperity and employment to the local gentry – the Yaldens living at Heath Hall Farm and Bell and Smith living at Rake.
By 1730 there was enough ore to support two forges and contracts with the Navy for Cannon and Shots. The ore was smelted and beaten into shape by water powered Hammers (the Surrey name for a forge) hence the connection with Hammer Pond. Demand for firebacks started to replace guns and cannon and by late 1768 the industry was dead.
This illustration of the Hammer Forge shows – the hammer, for beating the iron against the anvil, whose shaft is pivoted on posts and raised by knobs projecting from the drum, which was connected to the water wheel by the shaft to produce the power for the hammer.