Shelton Bar
Encyclopedia
Shelton Bar was a 400 acres (1.6 km²) major steel
works in the city of Stoke-on-Trent
, England
. In its heyday, Shelton Bar employed 10,000 in the steelworks, had five coal mines, a complete railway system, and a by-products processing factory.
, who developed the site into an efficient modern steelworks. During World War II
it was a frequent target for German
bombers, it being impossible to fully blackout the light from the huge blast furnace
s. Shelton Bar came under nationalised ownership in 1951, only to be denationalised by the Tory
government in 1953. The works was re-nationalised again in 1967 by the Labour Party
and the main works was closed in 1978, after which the eastern 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of the site was reclaimed for the 1986 National Garden Festival
site, the Stoke-on-Trent Garden Festival
.
. It was closed by Corus in June 2000. The half-mile long building was torn down in early 2005, then used as a major supplies depot in the £8-billion upgrade of the West Coast Main Line
railway that runs alongside the site. The rolling mill site is now being rectified ahead of a major £120m regeneration by St. Modwen. A pre-Roman
British cemetery probably lies under the site, since funeral urns were found when the foundations were dug.
As of 2005, there are now no steelworks or mines left in the city.
When Shelton (new works) was constructed in 1964 it was the fore runner in steel making using a Swedish design smelting furnace called "Kaldo" this process was very quick but the high cost of refractories that had to be used and the life of them made it very expensive to operate.
The main rolling mill was made by the German Company "Demag" introducing a quick order change, system, where the Rolling machines, that weighed around 200 tonnes were lifted out of the ground put in a dummy pit and the next machine for the next order was dropped in. This method reduced the time to change from one order to another down from around 8 hours to about 30 minutes.
Shelton was a pioneer in the research of "spray steel" where Iron was blown through a nozzle and oxygen added the result was Steel! However the idea was scrapped due to the high amounts of slag that was produced. Shelton also experimented with linear motor
s to move the steel through the mill and constructed a magnetic stacking machine.
Shelton produced the first "Guide Rail" (a "T" section) in the form of a "H" in a Universal beam housing and were able to snap them in half to make the "T".In this way they doubled production and the product cooled evenly preventing warping. They also perfected a very high quality flat section again in the Universal Housing and became known as "Shelton Flats".
, and in poetry by Charles Tomlinson
. The human side of steelmaking was depicted on the stage and BBC
TV as 'Fight for Shelton Bar' (1973).
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
works in the city of Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In its heyday, Shelton Bar employed 10,000 in the steelworks, had five coal mines, a complete railway system, and a by-products processing factory.
The main site
The main site began around 1830, was rapidly developed in the 1840s by the 4th Earl Granville. Many coal mines were also sunk on the site, and railways built into the site. In 1920 the company was acquired by John Summers & SonsJohn Summers & Sons
John Summers & Sons Ltd was a major United Kingdom iron and steel producer, latterly based at Shotton, Flintshire. The company was absorbed into British Steel in 1967; British Steel became Corus in 1999 and this company was taken over by Tata Steel in 2007....
, who developed the site into an efficient modern steelworks. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it was a frequent target for German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
bombers, it being impossible to fully blackout the light from the huge blast furnace
Blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
s. Shelton Bar came under nationalised ownership in 1951, only to be denationalised by the Tory
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
government in 1953. The works was re-nationalised again in 1967 by the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
and the main works was closed in 1978, after which the eastern 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of the site was reclaimed for the 1986 National Garden Festival
National Garden Festival
The National Garden Festivals were part of the cultural regeneration of large areas of derelict land in Britain's industrial districts during the 1980s and early 1990s. Five were held in total - one every two years, each in a different town or city - after the idea was pushed by environment...
site, the Stoke-on-Trent Garden Festival
Stoke-on-Trent Garden Festival
The Stoke-on-Trent National Garden Festival was the second of Britain's National Garden Festivals. It was held in the city from 1 May to 26 October 1986, and was opened by the Queen. Preparation of the site involved the reclamation of land formerly occupied by the Shelton Bar steelworks , about...
.
The rolling mill site
Shelton Works steel rolling mill was opened in 1964 as the world's first continuous cast production mill, and it remained fully operational during and after the Garden Festival, being on the western side of the Trent and Mersey CanalTrent and Mersey Canal
The Trent and Mersey Canal is a in the East Midlands, West Midlands, and North West of England. It is a "narrow canal" for the vast majority of its length, but at the extremities—east of Burton upon Trent and west of Middlewich—it is a wide canal....
. It was closed by Corus in June 2000. The half-mile long building was torn down in early 2005, then used as a major supplies depot in the £8-billion upgrade of the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
railway that runs alongside the site. The rolling mill site is now being rectified ahead of a major £120m regeneration by St. Modwen. A pre-Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
British cemetery probably lies under the site, since funeral urns were found when the foundations were dug.
As of 2005, there are now no steelworks or mines left in the city.
When Shelton (new works) was constructed in 1964 it was the fore runner in steel making using a Swedish design smelting furnace called "Kaldo" this process was very quick but the high cost of refractories that had to be used and the life of them made it very expensive to operate.
The main rolling mill was made by the German Company "Demag" introducing a quick order change, system, where the Rolling machines, that weighed around 200 tonnes were lifted out of the ground put in a dummy pit and the next machine for the next order was dropped in. This method reduced the time to change from one order to another down from around 8 hours to about 30 minutes.
Shelton was a pioneer in the research of "spray steel" where Iron was blown through a nozzle and oxygen added the result was Steel! However the idea was scrapped due to the high amounts of slag that was produced. Shelton also experimented with linear motor
Linear motor
A linear motor is an electric motor that has had its stator and rotor "unrolled" so that instead of producing a torque it produces a linear force along its length...
s to move the steel through the mill and constructed a magnetic stacking machine.
Shelton produced the first "Guide Rail" (a "T" section) in the form of a "H" in a Universal beam housing and were able to snap them in half to make the "T".In this way they doubled production and the product cooled evenly preventing warping. They also perfected a very high quality flat section again in the Universal Housing and became known as "Shelton Flats".
In art
The industrial landscapes of Shelton Bar were depicted in art by Arthur BerryArthur Berry
Arthur Berry was an English playwright, poet, teacher and artist, born in Smallthorne, Stoke-on-Trent.Berry was the son of a publican and grew up during the Depression. At the age of 14 he enrolled at Burslem School of Art...
, and in poetry by Charles Tomlinson
Charles Tomlinson
Alfred Charles Tomlinson, CBE is a British poet and translator, and also an academic and artist. He was born and raised in Penkhull in the city of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.-Life:...
. The human side of steelmaking was depicted on the stage and BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV as 'Fight for Shelton Bar' (1973).