Iron And Steel Industry Collection (#6)

Loading a steam wagon with scrap at a steel foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1965

Lab technician with a slide rule, Edgar Allens steel foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1962. Before the invention of cheap electronic calculators, slide rules had to be used to work out formulae

Laboratory, Edgar Allen Steel foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1962. Both raw materials and the finished products had to be tested to ensure the quality that Sheffield steel was known for

Railway track work at Edgar Allens steel foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1962. Like a giant train set, track work is laid out in the foundry yard with workers

Edgar Allen steel foundry, Meadowhall, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1962. Artist
Edgar Allen steel foundry, Meadowhall, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1962. Work is being carried out on a dragline bucket on the right of the photograph whilst a giant counterweight hangs above

Constructing a dragline bucket, Edgar Allens steel foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1962. Dragline buckets are used extensively in quarrying and also for dredging

Packing drill bits and pneumatic bits at a steel foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1962
Packing drill bits and pneumatic bits, Edgar Allens steel foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1962. During the 1960s, Sheffield steel was known throughout the world for its quality

Checking the temperature of molten steel, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1964. Artist
Checking the temperature of molten steel, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1964. To enable the temperature of molten steel to be taken, an immersion pyrometer has to be used

Pouring molten iron, Park Gate steelworks, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, 1964. Artist
Pouring molten iron, Park Gate steelworks, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, 1964. Molten metal being poured from a Kaldo furnace into a vessel

Steelworks canteen, Park Gate, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, 1964. Artist: Michael Walters
Steelworks canteen, Park Gate, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, 1964. One of the canteens which operated in various parts of the works

Steel H girders being stacked for distribution, Park Gate, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, 1964. The Park Gate Iron and Steel Company was founded in 1823

Two stages of moulding a steel casting, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, 1963. Artist
Two stages of moulding a steel casting, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, 1963. Rotherham has a great tradition of steel production. This image was taken at AT Green & Son Ltd who are no longer in business

Teeming iron at Wombwell foundry, South Yorkshire, 1963. Artist: Michael Walters
Teeming iron at Wombwell foundry, South Yorkshire, 1963. This is the process of pouring the molten metal to create the ingots. The foundry remained in operation until the 1980s

A busy foundry shop floor with lathes, Wombwell, near Barnsley, South Yorkshire, 1963. This photograph shows the busy shop floor at Wombwell foundry

Three workers from Edgar Allens handle a red hot billet, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1963

Bonawe Iron Furnace, Taynuilt, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Built in 1753, this foundry processed iron ore brought by sea from Furness in Cumbria using charcoal produced from the abundant local

Toolholder turning a giant roller, Edgar Allens, Sheffield, 1964
Toolholder turning a giant roller, Edgar Allen Steel Co, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1964. A steelworker turning an A 2.5 metre roller. The roller is machined to create the smooth edges

Assembling a bubble chamber at the Edgar Allen Steel Co, Sheffield, 1964. Artist
Assembling a bubble chamber at the Edgar Allen Steel Co, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1964. The bubble chamber was invented in 1952 by Donald A Glaser

The bar mill cooling beds at the Brightside Foundry, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1964. The steel bars can be seen passing down the bed

Steel pour from an electric arc furnace, Park Gate Iron & Steel Co, Rotherham, Yorkshire, 1964
Steel pour from an electric arc furnace, Park Gate Iron & Steel Co, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, 1964

Charging an electric arc furnace, Park Gate Iron & Steel Co, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, 1964. During the process of producing steel in an electric arc furnace

Computer room scene, the Park Gate Iron & Steel Co, Rotherham, 1964. Artist
Computer room, Park Gate Iron & Steel Co, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, 1964. An operator at the controls. What once occupied the space of a large room such as this can now be stored on one of todays

Lowering galvanised heat exchangers, Edgar Allen Steel Co, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1964. An employee of the Edgar Allen steel foundry directs the operator of the overhead crane as a load of

Continuous sharpening of longsaw blades, Slack Sellars & Co, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1963. The blades run on a continous conveyor system as they have yet to be cut into the appropriate lengths

Fabricating a giant extractor fan, the Edgar Allen Steel Co, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1963

240 ways to spell scissors, newspaper cutting from 1829, copied in 1963. Artist
240 ways to spell scissors, newspaper cutting from 1829, copied in 1963. A newspaper cutting from 1839 telling of the 240 possible variations on the way to spell scissors

Coils of steel wire, Tinsley Wire Co, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1972

Soaking pits with red hot steel ingots, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1965. Artist
Soaking pits with red hot steel ingots, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1965

Radio interview of schoolboys on a factory visit, Stanley Tools, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1968

Packing punches, Footprint Tools, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1968

A spring hammer turning drill bits, Footprint Tools, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1968

Steelmill and workers houses, Birmingham, Alabama, 1936. Creator: Walker Evans
Steelmill and workers houses. Birmingham, Alabama

The iron and steel works at Barrow, c1880. A print from Great Industries of Great Britain, Volume I, published by Cassell Petter and Galpin, (London, Paris, New York, c1880)

Plant cafeteria, National Tube Co, Riverside Works, Wheeling, West Virginia, 1923. From The Architectural Forum Volume XXXIX. [Rogers and Manson, New York, 1923]

Steel-Edgar Thomson Works, 1909. Artist: Joseph Pennell
Steel-Edgar Thomson Works, 1908. From The Studio Volume 47. [London Offices of the Studio, London, 1909]

6000-ton forging press, 1938. Churchmans cigarette card, from a series titled Modern Wonders [WA & AC Churchman, Great Britain & Ireland, 1938]

Blast furnace, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, early 20th century. Artist: Keystone View Company
Blast furnace, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, early 20th century. Stereoscopic card. Detail

Steel manufactures of Sheffield, Yorkshire, 1866. Artist: M Jackson
Steel manufactures of Sheffield, Yorkshire, 1866. The Hull, or workshop, of the razor grinder, with the use of the fan. A print from The Illustrated London News, 20 January 1866

Nasmyths patent steam hammer, 1866. The steam hammer was invented by the Scottish engineer and inventor James Nasmyth (1808-1890)

Sketch of a rolling mill, c1500-1510 (1954). Artist: Leonardo da Vinci
Sketch of a rolling mill, c1500-1510 (1954). Codex Atlanticus, 2r. A print from Leonardo da Vinci by Ludwig H Heydenreich. (London, 1954)

Bessemer process for manufacturing steel, 1936. Artist: Fox
Bessemer process for manufacturing steel, 1936. From Peoples of the World in Pictures, edited by Harold Wheeler, published by Odhams Press Ltd (London, 1936)

The Foundry, c1880-1882. Artist: W Manfield
The Foundry, c1880-1882. A print from Modern Artists, prepared under the direction of FG Dumas, JS Virtue and Co, London, c1880-1882

Nasmyths steam hammer at work, (c1880). Artist: Roberts
Nasmyths steam hammer at work, (c1880). The steam hammer was invented by the Scottish engineer and inventor James Nasmyth (1808-1890)

Section of a Blast Furnace, Showing its Food, c1880. A print from Great Industries of Great Britain, Volume I, published by Cassell Petter and Galpin, (London, Paris, New York, c1880)

Rolling steel rails, c1880. Artist: Roberts
Rolling steel rails, c1880. A print from Great Industries of Great Britain, Volume I, published by Cassell Petter and Galpin, (London, Paris, New York, c1880)

The Bessemer process for the mass-production of steel, c1880. Artist: CJB
The Bessemer process for the mass-production of steel, c1880. A print from Great Industries of Great Britain, Volume I, published by Cassell Petter and Galpin, (London, Paris, New York, c1880)

Iron manufacture, 19th century. Iron rolling machine, external view of a blast furnace, and sectional elevation of Schneiders blast furnace

James Nasmyths steam hammer, 1900. Artist: E Zimmer
James Nasmyths steam hammer, 1900. The steam hammer was invented by the Scottish engineer and inventor James Nasmyth (1808-1890)

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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.