Lumley Forge is first recorded in 1779, when the property was purchased by the iron manufacturer, William Hawks, who set about building a new forge for the production of wrought iron. It is possible that there was a pre-existing forge on site at the time of the purchase but the evidence for this is open to debate. Hawks was a major industrialist and owned various other premises including the New Deptford and New Woolwich Ironworks at Gateshead. His company, “Lumley, Hawks and Co.”, were responsible for the High Level Bridge across the Tyne and the Sunderland Bridge. The forge at Lumley appears to have been primarily concerned with re-processing scrap metal. The forge produced a range of products including shovels, anvils, bar iron, nails, chains and anchors. Documentary evidence suggests that the forge was “entirely swept away” by a flood in 1789 and it is likely that it was substantially rebuilt after this. By 1828 the site was also producing brass. A significant claim to fame was its involvement with the enlargement and extension of the “Royal George”, the first commercially viable and safe locomotive. In the early 1850s the site was sold by the Hawks family. Cartographic and historical sources suggest that it was rebuilt after a fire that broke out on the 21st February 1855. Whellan”s Directory of 1856 indicates that the forge was “now converted to a charcoal manufactory, a barley mill and is in the occupancy of Mrs. Elizabeth Ward”. By 1890 the site was listed as a “Blacking Manufactory” and owned by Jackson and Ward. The factory appears to have ceased production in the early 20th century and is marked as disused on the Ordnance Survey map of 1920. In 1933, Durham County Council invited tenders for the construction of a culvert on the site of Lumley Forge Bridge and it appears that the buildings were all cleared at that time. In 2012 an archaeological desk based assessment and topographic survey took place to inform the management of the site prior to the construction of a fish pass. This demonstrated that the demolition had left intact floor surfaces and lower courses of walling intact. Significant elements of the water management system remain including sluices and a weir. An unusual example of a revetment wall built in slag was also recorded. Archaeological monitoring during the construction of the fish pass enhanced the earlier survey work and also noted a large stone bearing (removed to Beamish Museum) and a possible crucible base (1).