Iron And Steel Industry Collection (#5)

The process of forging heads at the Edgar Allen Steel Foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1962. The forge presses metal between two dies (called tooling)

Rolling hexagonal rods, Edgar Allen Steel Foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1962. The hexagonal bars are used mainly for bolts, nuts, couplings, valves, and precision equipment

Drawing office scene, Edgar Allens steel foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1964. Three exectutives in discussion in the drawing office

Checking the curve of a steel plate, Edgar Allens steel foundry, Sheffield, Yorkshire, 1964. A steelworker checks the curve of a steel plate after it has been passed through the rollers

Bowling alley scene, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1964. Artist: Michael Walters
Bowling alley scene, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1964. Employees from Edgar Allens steel foundry on a social outing at a bowling alley

Ten pin bowling, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1964. Artist: Michael Walters
Ten pin bowling, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1964. During a social evening organised by Edgar Allens Steel foundry in Sheffield, an employee attempts to down the pins

Steelworks social evening at a bowling alley, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1964. Artist
Steelworks social evening at a bowling alley, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1964. Employees of the Edgar Allen Steel foundry in Sheffield on a social evening at the Silver Blades Bowling Alley

Group of friends on a night out at Silver Blades Bowling Alley, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1964

A 1500 ton steel press, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1970. Artist: Michael Walters
A 1500 ton steel press, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1970. A steel worker looks relaxed as he handles red hot steel into the press at a Sheffield steelworks

Teeming (pouring) molten iron, Brown Bayley Steels, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1968

75 ton arc furnace pouring molten steel into a vessel, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1969

Pouring a 23 ton steel casting, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1968. Artist: Michael Walters
Pouring a 23 ton steel casting, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1968

Completed M1 Tinsley Viaduct, 1968. Artist: Michael Walters
Completed Tinsley Viaduct on the M1, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1968. The twin cooling towers of the Blackburn Meadows Power Station which many travellers heading north used as a landmark can be

Pouring molten metal from a cupola into moulds, steel bath production, Hull, Humberside, 1965

An ingot in a bloom mill, Park Gate Iron and Steel Company, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, 1966

Grinding (sharpening), Everlast Garden tools, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1965. Artist
Grinding (sharpening), Everlast Garden tools, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1965

Rolling spade blades, Everlast Tools, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1965. Sheffield had a worldwide reputation for quality garden tools

Cutting off lead from a manganese chain casting, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1965
Cutting off lead from a manganese chain casting, Edgar Allens steel foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1965

Casting a 1 in 14 rail crossing, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1964

1 in 14 rail crossing, mould and pattern, Stanley Works, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1968

Pattern making for a rail junction, Stanley Works, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1964. The pattern was made by hand from wood

Teeming (pouring) molten iron at Edgar Allens steel foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1964

Profile cutting, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1964. Artist: Michael Walters
Profile cutting, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1964. Two engineers check the results of a profile cutter at the Yorkshire Engine Company

Assembling garden shears, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1965. Artist: Michael Walters
Assembling garden shears, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1965

Arc furnace in operation, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1964. Artist: Michael Walters
Arc furnace in operation, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1964

Steel worker, Park Gate steelworks, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, 1964

Inspecting a bubble chamber casting, Edgar Allens steel foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1964

Drawing office at a Sheffield steel foundry, Edgar Allens, 1964. Artist: Michael Walters
Drawing office at Edgar Allens steel foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1964. Photography of the technical side of manufacturing was important as it conveyed a sense of the presision of

Female workers sharpening saw blades, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1963

Rolling plate at Edgar Allens steel foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1964. Artist
Rolling plate at Edgar Allens steel foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1964. This process enables a curve to be created on the steel plate

Bandsaw sharpening at Slack Sellars & Co, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1963. Artist
Bandsaw sharpening at Slack Sellars & Co, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1963. A female worker works with a sharpening machine

Female workers sharpening saw blades at Slack Sellars & Co, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1963

Bandsaws being sharpened at Slack Sellars & Co, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1963

Medical care at a steelworks, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1963. Artist: Michael Walters
Medical care at a steelworks, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1963. A doctor undertakes a routine test on an employee in the infirmary at the Brightside Heating & Engineering Works

Finished steel in a warehouse, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1963. Artist: Michael Walters
Finished steel in a warehouse, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1963. Rolled steel ready for dispatch in the steel warehouse at the Brightside Heating & Engineering works in Sheffield

Furnace feeding in the Steel City, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1963

Teeming iron in the Steel City, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1963. This is the process of pouring the molten metal to create the ingots

Lab technician at a steelworks in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1963. Laboratories were essential for checking the quality of the raw materials

Pouring a small casting at Edgar Allens Steel foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1963

Pattern for a giant magnet casting, Edgar Allens steel foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1963

Control cabin at Brightside Foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1963. The steel can be seen being rolled in the background

Pole magnet casting from above, Edgar Allens steel foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1963. A view of a pole magnet casting from above with men working on the casting

Group portrait of workers, Edgar Allens steel foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1963

Quality checking a giant saw blade, Edgar Allens steel foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1963. This is a good example of the kind of specialist tools that were being produced in Sheffield at

A group of foundry staff with technical drawings, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1963. Foundry management and workers gather around some drawings at Edgar Allens steel foundry

Forging pins at Edgar Allens steel foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1963. Artist
Forging pins at Edgar Allens steel foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1963. The hot steel is pressed between the two dies to form one part

Forge in action at Edgar Allens steel foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1963. Impression die forging pounds or presses metal between two dies (called tooling)

Close-up of a forge being worked at Edgar Allens foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1962

For sale as Licensed Images

Choose your image, Select your licence and Download the media

The iron and steel industry has always been a symbol of strength, progress, and innovation. From the blast furnaces of Park Gate Iron and Steel Co in Rotherham to the Landore Siemens steel works in c1880, these iconic structures have shaped our world. In 1964, Michael Walters captured the essence of this industry through his artwork. A train driver on an intercom in South Yorkshire transports us back to a time when the sound of machinery echoed through the air. The pattern maker at Wombwell Foundry showcases the intricate craftsmanship that went into creating each piece. Forging at AT Green & Sons Ltd reminds us of the intense heat and physical labor required to shape metal into useful tools. Meanwhile, an overview of Brightside Foundry's bar mill gives us a glimpse into Sheffield's bustling industrial landscape. But it is not just about production; it is also about construction. Andreas Feininger's photographs from Columbia Steel Co in Geneva show how quickly steel and concrete come together to create towering buildings and open hearth furnaces. Even during wartime, steel played a vital role. Alfred T Palmer captures moments like constructing a building on the site of a new steel mill or sheets of synthetic rubber coming off rolling mills at B. F Goodrich Co in Akron, Ohio. Finally, we witness history being made as Bessemer converters transform iron into steel at Allegheny Ludlum Steel Corp in Brackenridge. These images remind us that behind every skyscraper or machine lies countless hours of hard work by dedicated individuals who helped build our modern world with their bare hands.