Stocksbridge Steelworks: then and now

Upon entering Stocksbridge, you are greeted with the peak districts hills masked in a grey canvas.

That grey canvas is Stocksbridge Steelworks. Although it may not be picturesque, the Steelworks factory defines Stocksbridge. As significant as the steel industry has been to Stocksbridge, there has been a serious decline in demand for its services.

The Steelworks were first introduced to Stocksbridge in 1842 when a man called Samuel Fox took over a disused Corn Mill, and fascinatingly renovated it into the Stocksbridge Steelworks that stand before us today. Samuel Fox, reputedly on foot, from Bradwell in Derbyshire, sought out premises to rent for the wire-drawing business.

The business expanded at a rapid rate and started to produce a variety of items such as railway lines and springs by the 1860’s. Between 1872 and 1877 a railway line was built to link the works with the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway at Deepcar. This was the Stocksbridge Railway, which existed as a subsidiary company until 1992.

Throughout the businesses existence, there have been outstanding highs and demoralising lows. In 1967, the factory were assembling and testing springs for Rolls-Royce cars. However, as demand for steel declined in Britain, particularly in the 21^st century, so did Stocksbridge Steelworks productivity. The plant has seen numerous threats of closure and many of the workers have been laid off as most of the factories productivity had been shifted to Rotherham’s Aldwarke works.

With the future of the company looking bleak, and its very existence in doubt, news of new investment was more than welcome to the Stocksbridge plant. The plants current owners, Tata, have committed to investing £6.5m.  Tata Steel, formerly known as Corus, will install high specification equipment at its Stocksbridge plant to increase production of special steels for the aerospace industry by 30%.

Peter Hogg, general manager of Tata Steel Speciality, said: "As the demand for aerospace steel increases, it's vital we have the ability to increase our production of this highly technical and demanding product, which is used in aircraft landing gear, engines, wings and other safety-critical components."

                                         Above: Stocksbridge Steelworks in it's thriving early years.


By Jake Finney