 By 1789 most of the building of Blaenavon Ironworks had been completed and the lease for the land was signed in November.The three partners had created a purpose-built multi-furnace ironwork which soon became one of the largest in the world only rivalled by the ironworks near Merthyr Tydfil.To improve communications with the port of Newport for shipping the products of the ironworks Thomas Hill became one of the promoters of the Monmouthshire Canal.