This is what made Sheffield great

[tozzin]

Pictures of our fantastic steel industry.

 

 

 

[Sheffield History]

Amazing photos thank you for posting those

Never seen anything quite like it. Such a big and brutal industry

That huge circular steel construction is incredible

[tozzin]

Some more for you, these are the kinds of scenes that should be on a Sheffield calendar.

[VicRichardson]

What a shame such a wonderful industry disappeared.

[peterinfrance]

Fantastic photographs which just make you proud to be a Sheffielder.

My Grandfather, Roy Bownes, was a heavy crane driver at English Steel Corporation in Sheffield

and it would be wonderful if anyone has any photographs of ESC.

[lysander]

Big, dirty, brutal and proud...That was the early steel industry...but notice how, in its earlier days, it was reliant on the import of large quantities of almost pure "Swedish iron". Without this our low grade iron ores would have never allowed the development of crucible steel making and, arguably, this was the basis for further developments. The Bessemer converter revolutionised steel making ( an example is at Kelham Island) and it should be remembered that our "conservative" steel makers couldn't get the process to work efficiently until Bessemer himself showed them what was needed. The Siemens open -hearth process was the system that made Sheffield's steel making great... until  itself replaced by electric steel making.

The skill of our work force ( including that of pattern makers) is self evident from the range of cast products illustrated by these photos.

[Heartshome]

Hi tozzin, what amazing pictures. Some of the best i've ever seen. The work was dirty, hard and heavy, but those guys new their stuff, turning out products that went all over the world. There was great pride in those working in the Heavy Steel and Cutlery industry, and why not, it's their graft that made Sheffield great. They left a legacy with a name all of us can be proud of, and known to all as 'STEEL CITY'.