Last of a Blast Furnace
Last of a Blast Furnace (North Eastern Daily Gazette / Middlesbrough Libraries)
Following the announcement by Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen that the iconic Redcar Blast Furnace is to be demolished, Heritage Unlocked’s Dr Tosh Warwick looks back at the 1920s demolition of the iconic blast furnaces and Middlesbrough works of Bolckow Vaughan in the shadow of the Tees Transporter Bridge.
The ‘scene of devastation’ marking the end of an era on the banks of the River Tees reported in the North Eastern Daily Gazette on 16th October 1928 followed the dismantling of one of Bolckow Vaughan’s blast furnaces in the shadow of the Tees Transporter Bridge as part of demolition of the firm’s works at Middlesbrough. The Gazette description of the scene is dramatic terms and references the site’s history:
“As one crosses the Transporter Bridge towards Middlesbrough just now, a weird scene of devastation meets the eye. A huge furnace lies crumpled on the ground, several heating stoves are being torn down, and thousands of bricks are scattered around. Such is the passing of the Middlesbrough Ironworks of Messrs Bolckow, Vaughan and Company. On the this site the first blast-furnace in Middlesbrough was erected.”
A North Eastern Daily Gazette photograph of a furnace on the site brought crashing to the ground in December 1927 (North Eastern Daily Gazette / Middlesbrough Libraries)
The remnants of the blast furnace shown in the photograph are from one of two on the same site demolished in 1927 and 1928 after standing obsolete for a decade, which had become redundant and was deemed ‘economically unsound’ as the industries along the Tees advanced with new scientific development and old manufacturing dynasties died out. The newspaper report of 1928 has striking similarities to the recent coverage of the impending Redcar Blast Furnace demolition, with the interwar article speculating on the prospects for the site and the loss providing an opportunity to share the story of the industry on Teesside. The Gazette report describes how the dismantling of the furnaces would leave a 'valuable site’ vacant and expresses interest in ‘what use will be made of it’. The scene was in stark contrast to that set by Henry Ewdale (born 1894) in the oral history collections of Teesside Archives, in which Ewdale recalls crossing the Tees at night by climbing up the top of the Transporter Bridge and heading to Middlesbrough via the upper walkway with the two Bolckow Vaughan furnaces in operation:
The recent renewed interest in the area’s iron and steel heritage in the press following the Teesworks announcement has strong echoes of the interwar article, which revisits the story of Bolckow Vaughan prompted ‘by the passing of these works.’ The article goes on to describe the famous partnership of ironmasters Henry Bolckow and John Vaughan - two industrialists remembered in Middlesbrough today through statues in the town’s Centre and Exchange Squares - and dismisses the ironstone discovery myth of the latter stumbling across ironstone whilst out shooting in the Cleveland Hills and with it discovering ironstone. In a familiar tale of the disappearance of famous industrial names from the local industry, just a year later Bolckow Vaughan faced financial peril and were pushed into an amalgamation with Dorman Long which signaled the end for the founding firm.
A sketch of the John Vaughan from the unveiling event programme, 2nd June 1884 (Middlesbrough Libraries)
Today, there are few remnants of the Bolckow Vaughan works remaining, although the Locomotive Sheds remain on the banks of the River Tees. A Tees Transporter Trail blue heritage plaque marks the site, and the new Middlesbrough Heritage Trail Huntee developed by Heritage Unlocked and Peter Hinton Design for Middlesbrough Council also takes in the Vulcan Street Wall which borders the former works.
The Locomotive Sheds from the Middlesbrough Local List 2011 (Middlesbrough Council)
Elsewhere, Heritage Unlocked have led the development of new education and visitor resources inspired by the area’s iron and steel heritage through numerous projects including at the new Tees Advanced Manufacturing Park (TeesAMP). This has included new onsite interpretation around the remains of Newport Ironworks blast furnaces, preservation of a Samuelson Ironworks First World War Memorial, and the development of an extensive online heritage hub - to be launched later this year - featuring digitised company records, oral histories, historic plans, memories, photographs and newspaper reports drawing upon Teesside Archives extensive British Steel Collection.
Interested in Teesside’s iron and steel heritage? Heritage Unlocked deliver talks and lead projects on a number of themes with community groups, local societies and history groups. Contact info@heritageunlocked.com for more information or visit www.heritageunlocked.com for more information.
Newport Ironworks blast furnace remains at TeesAMP (Heritage Unlocked)