Nathan's burning ambition for festival of industry
As any good chef will tell you, it's all about the timing. Leave it too long, and it will be burned to a crisp. Too soon, and it will be hopelessly under-done.
It is a mantra that Nathan Morris lives by, although it is charcoal, not food that he is cooking.
Nathan, a 35-year-old countryside officer at the Severn Gorge, will be running a course in the ancient art of charcoal-making as part of this week's Festival of the Imagination.
The four-hour masterclass on Thursday will give people an insight into how the fuel for the iron-making industries was produced in centuries gone by.
Charcoal was the traditional fuel for iron furnaces before Abraham Darby I transformed the way the metal was produced when he started smelting with coke at Coalbrookdale in 1709. Darby's developments allowed his grandson, Abraham Darby III, to build the Iron Bridge in 1777.
Nathan, who has been producing charcoal since he was 16, says experience is key to the craft.
Charcoal is made in a specialist kiln, a metal drum about 8ft in diameter and 4ft tall, with a chimney on top to keep the air out. It is not a job that can be hurried.
"You might be four hours loading the kiln, and then it takes 12 hours to burn it," he says.
"You will burn it overnight, and get up early in the morning to ensure it has been done for just the right amount of time."
About 25 tons of timber is needed to produce 100-200 lbs of charcoal, and the wood has to be very carefully loaded into the kiln.
"We make what is called a raft to go in the bottom, the wood is arranged in a star shape," says Nathan.
"You then lay the rest of the wood upright, it has to be tightly packed to ensure there are no gaps."
Once the kiln is lit, the wood at the bottom will provide the fuel that turns the wood above into the charcoal.
"If you take it out too soon, you will be left with what is basically burnt wood," he says. "It all comes with practice, after a couple of years doing it you will get it right."
To make artists' charcoal, a small foil box can be placed in the kiln, he adds.
Some of the charcoal made during the course will later be used in an iron-smelting class that is also being held as part of the festival.
The two-week festival, which runs until September 29, has been organised to celebrate Ironbridge's industrial heritage, and promote the area as a future centre for manufacturing and technology.
The gorge, from the Festival Hub in Dale End Park to Jackfield and Coalbrookdale will be a fantastic fiesta of arts, crafts, culture, film, family-friendly events and food and drink.
The festival is organised by Telford & Wrekin Council, with funding from Arts Council England’s Cultural Destinations Tourism Fund and support from partners across the gorge.
