 The original blast furnace at the Eskbank Ironworks closed in 1882, and it is reported that James Rutherford - to avoid the temptation to ever reopen it - in the dead of night, used two dray-loads of blasting powder to blow it up.After the blast furnace closed down, the rolling mills were used to re-roll old iron rails into merchant bars.In 1886, William Sandford, leased the rolling mills at the Eskbank Ironworks to roll rails.