The remains of the former Stepaside Ironworks and Grove Colliery, which date from the 1840s, will now be open to visitors in the future - thanks to a major restoration project. The 28-acre site was acquired by Pembrokeshire County Council in 1996 after a period as a privately owned caravan park. Since then, it has undergone substantial work and will now be marketed for use as a quality holiday park. The council also intends that the remains of the historic structures will be maintained for future public access and interest. At a meeting last Wednesday to mark the completion of the project, the chairman of the authority, Clr. Steve Watkins, praised the individuals and organisations involved. He said the work had been carried out in two phases. "Phase one included the removal of the remnants of the former caravan park, ground contamination treatment, stabilisation of the slag heap, and a new sewage treatment plant for the remaining chalets and caravans," he said. "Phase two, which was completed in June 2006, comprised consolidation of all the structures, a new road bridge access to the northern car park, landscaping, repair of the steps and public footpaths around the site, new and repaired fencing and safety works. "Also, interpretation panels have been placed on site, while visitor guides and trails have been produced by expert industrial archaeologists and historians. These booklets are available in local tourist information centres." Funding for the first phase was provided by Pembrokeshire County Council in partnership with the former Welsh Development Agency, and funding for the second phase was provided by the Heritage Lottery Board, Objective One, Cadw, and Pembrokeshire County Council. Melissa Howells, project co-ordinator, said the Kilgetty ironworks' relative lack of success could contribute to it providing a unique visitors' attraction. "The Kilgetty ironworks were never successful - if they had been, they would have been in the vanguard of anthracite iron-making. There was hardly more than one furnace in blast, at any one time, and that for a very limited period. "They were established on the eve of a slump in the iron trade and litigation among partners sapped resources. As early as 1868 there was probably very little iron made and by 1889 the works were dismantled. "However, their early demise allows the visitor to see the remains of an ironworks as first built without the accretions that the more successful works display as these were modernised with the introduction of new technologies. "The accompanying decline in building standards to maintain profitability is not to be seen at Kilgetty. The high quality work adopted at the outset has considerable modern-day appeal which plain interpretation will enhance."