Dorman Long
Encyclopedia
Dorman Long, based in Middlesbrough
, North East England
, was a major steel
producer, which diversified into bridge
building, and is now a manufacturer of steel
components and construction equipment for bridges and other structures. The business has been involved in the construction of many major bridge
s including the Tyne Bridge
and the Sydney Harbour Bridge
as well as elements of the Tsing Ma Bridge
and the Sutong Bridge. The Company was once listed on the London Stock Exchange
.
and Albert de Laude Long
when they acquired West Marsh Iron Works in 1875. In the 1920s Dorman Long took over the concerns of Bell Brothers and Bolckow and Vaughan and diversified into the construction of bridges. In 1938 Ellis Hunter took over as Managing Director: he continued to lead the business until 1961.
In 1967 Dorman Long became part of British Steel
.
In 1982 Redpath Dorman Long, the engineering part of the business, was acquired by Trafalgar House
who in 1990 merged it into Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company
in Darlington
.
In 2000 there was a management buyout of Cleveland Bridge which led to the formation of Dorman Long Technology (DLT) in August 2000. DLT was formed as an amalgamation of the Cleveland Bridge engineering office with an outside construction consultant (Lowther-Rolton) and a heavy lift contractor (Zalcon), both of whom had been working closely with Cleveland Bridge throughout the 1990s. DLT is now an independent company, registered in the UK, carrying out bridge design and construction engineering together with design and supply of heavy lifting equipment for the construction of bridges, refineries, power stations, wind farms, offshore drilling rigs, large roofs and other large pre-assembled structures.
found iron slags in North Yorkshire
, with small-scale iron-making known to have taken place at Rievaulx
and Whitby Abbey
s and at Gisborough Priory
in the 17th century.
Some of the key events connected with iron-making in Cleveland:
1837: The first Cleveland
ironstone mine opens, at Grosmont.
1841: Bolckow and Vaughan open the first ironworks in Middlesbrough
.
1850: 8th June - The Discovery of the Cleveland Main Seam of Ironstone at Eston by Ironmaster John Vaughan and mining engineer John Marley both of Bolckow & Vaughan. The Cleveland iron rush begins.
1855: 30 blast furnaces operate within six miles (10 km) of Middlesbrough
.
1865: One million tonnes per annum (TPA) of iron are produced to make the area one of the world's major centres of iron production.
1875: Number of blast furnaces increases to 100, producing two million TPA.
1879: Sydney Gilchrist arrives in Cleveland
and introduces the first commercial steel
.
1902: The first integrated steelworks, involving conversion of iron ore to finished rolled steel shapes, is built at Cargo Fleet.
1917: The Redcar
steel plant is opened, making steel in the 'open hearth' process.
1918: Cleveland Works opens.
1924: Dorman Long wins the contract to build the Sydney Harbour Bridge
.
1946: Dorman Long purchases 600 acres (2.4 km²) of land between the Redcar and Cleveland Works to build the Lackenby development.
1967: Dorman Long, South Durham Steel Iron Co, and Stewarts and Lloyds come together to create British Steel
and Tube Ltd.
1967: The steel industry is nationalised and the British Steel Corporation is born.
1973: The existing Redcar
Ironworks site development begins.
1979: The number of blast furnaces drops to one - producing 3.3 million TPA.
1989: Company is privatised becoming British Steel plc.
1990: Merged with The Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company, Darlington.
1999: British Steel
merges with the Dutch steel and aluminium company Koninklijke Hoogovens
to become Corus Group
.
2000: Dorman Long Technology Ltd formed as an independent company as part of a management buy out of Cleveland Bridge in August 2000.
The most famous bridge ever constructed on Teesside was Dorman Long's Sydney Harbour Bridge
of 1932. This was partly modelled on the 1928 Tyne Bridge
, a construction regarded as the symbol of Tyneside's Geordie pride, but also a product of Dorman Long's Teesside workmanship. The greatest example of Dorman Long's work in Teesside itself is the single span Newport Lifting Bridge
(a Grade II Listed Building). Opened by the Duke of York in February 1934 it was England's first vertical lift bridge. With a lifting span of 270 feet (82.3 m) long by 66 feet (20.1 m) wide, it is constructed from 8000 tons of Teesside steel and 28,000 tons of concrete with towers 182 feet (55.5 m) high. The electrically operated lifting mechanism allowed the road to be lifted 100 feet (30.5 m) in one and a half minutes by means of ropes passing through sheaves in the four corner towers. Newport Bridge is no longer raised or lowered; it is a permanent road crossing the river Tees.
The following is a list of some of the bridges built by the Dorman Long: it is not however fully comprehensive.
to Middlesbrough
in honour of his youngest son, George Lockwood Dorman, an avid collector who was killed in the Boer War. Amongst the museum’s many exhibits, is a collection of ceramics
from the local Linthorpe Pottery, which was renowned for its iridescent glazes, that at the time were not produced anywhere else in Europe
. The museum
has one of the largest collections of these highly distinctive ceramics in the world.
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
, North East England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, was a major steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
producer, which diversified into bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
building, and is now a manufacturer of steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
components and construction equipment for bridges and other structures. The business has been involved in the construction of many major bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s including the Tyne Bridge
Tyne Bridge
The Tyne Bridge is a through arch bridge over the River Tyne in North East England, linking Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead. It was designed by the engineering firm Mott, Hay and Anderson, who later designed the Forth Road Bridge, and was built by Dorman Long and Co. of Middlesbrough. At the time...
and the Sydney Harbour Bridge
Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic...
as well as elements of the Tsing Ma Bridge
Tsing Ma Bridge
The Tsing Ma Bridge is a bridge in Hong Kong. It is the world's seventh-longest span suspension bridge, and was the second longest at time of completion. The bridge was named after two of the islands at its ends, namely Tsing Yi and Ma Wan . It has two decks and carries both road and rail...
and the Sutong Bridge. The Company was once listed on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
.
History
The company was founded by Arthur DormanSir Arthur Dorman, 1st Baronet
Sir Arthur John Dorman KBE was an important British industrialist.-Early life:He was born at Ashford in Kent the son of Charles Dorman and Emma Page and educated at Christ's Hospital, West Sussex.-Career:...
and Albert de Laude Long
Albert de Laude Long
Albert De Laude Long was an English iron founder and manufacturer who co-founded the company Dorman Long. He was also an amateur rower who won the Wingfield Sculls in 1869 and 1870....
when they acquired West Marsh Iron Works in 1875. In the 1920s Dorman Long took over the concerns of Bell Brothers and Bolckow and Vaughan and diversified into the construction of bridges. In 1938 Ellis Hunter took over as Managing Director: he continued to lead the business until 1961.
In 1967 Dorman Long became part of British Steel
British Steel
British Steel was a major British steel producer. It originated as a nationalised industry, the British Steel Corporation , formed in 1967. This was converted to a public limited company, British Steel PLC, and privatised in 1988. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...
.
Trafalgar House (company)
Trafalgar House Public Limited Company was a British conglomerate with interests in property investment, property development, engineering, construction, shipping, hotels, energy and publishing...
who in 1990 merged it into Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company
Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company
The Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company is a renowned bridge building and structural engineering company based in Darlington, England. It has been involved in many major projects including the Victoria Falls Bridge and the Humber Bridge.-History:...
in Darlington
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
.
In 2000 there was a management buyout of Cleveland Bridge which led to the formation of Dorman Long Technology (DLT) in August 2000. DLT was formed as an amalgamation of the Cleveland Bridge engineering office with an outside construction consultant (Lowther-Rolton) and a heavy lift contractor (Zalcon), both of whom had been working closely with Cleveland Bridge throughout the 1990s. DLT is now an independent company, registered in the UK, carrying out bridge design and construction engineering together with design and supply of heavy lifting equipment for the construction of bridges, refineries, power stations, wind farms, offshore drilling rigs, large roofs and other large pre-assembled structures.
Iron and Steel
Iron-making has been known in Cleveland since the RomansAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
found iron slags in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, with small-scale iron-making known to have taken place at Rievaulx
Rievaulx Abbey
Rievaulx Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey headed by the Abbot of Rievaulx. It is located in Rievaulx , near Helmsley in North Yorkshire, England.It was one of the wealthiest abbeys in England and was dissolved by Henry VIII of England in 1538...
and Whitby Abbey
Whitby Abbey
Whitby Abbey is a ruined Benedictine abbey overlooking the North Sea on the East Cliff above Whitby in North Yorkshire, England. It was disestablished during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under the auspices of Henry VIII...
s and at Gisborough Priory
Gisborough Priory
Gisborough Priory is a ruined former Augustinian priory in the town of Guisborough, now in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1119 as the Priory of St. Mary by Robert de Brus, 1st Lord of Annandale, an ancestor of the...
in the 17th century.
Some of the key events connected with iron-making in Cleveland:
1837: The first Cleveland
Cleveland, England
Cleveland is an area in the north east of England. Its name means literally "cliff-land", referring to its hilly southern areas, which rise to nearly...
ironstone mine opens, at Grosmont.
1841: Bolckow and Vaughan open the first ironworks in Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
.
1850: 8th June - The Discovery of the Cleveland Main Seam of Ironstone at Eston by Ironmaster John Vaughan and mining engineer John Marley both of Bolckow & Vaughan. The Cleveland iron rush begins.
1855: 30 blast furnaces operate within six miles (10 km) of Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
.
1865: One million tonnes per annum (TPA) of iron are produced to make the area one of the world's major centres of iron production.
1875: Number of blast furnaces increases to 100, producing two million TPA.
1879: Sydney Gilchrist arrives in Cleveland
Cleveland, England
Cleveland is an area in the north east of England. Its name means literally "cliff-land", referring to its hilly southern areas, which rise to nearly...
and introduces the first commercial steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
.
1902: The first integrated steelworks, involving conversion of iron ore to finished rolled steel shapes, is built at Cargo Fleet.
1917: The Redcar
Redcar
Redcar is a seaside resort in the north east of England, and a major town in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire. It lies east-northeast of Middlesbrough by the North Sea coast...
steel plant is opened, making steel in the 'open hearth' process.
1918: Cleveland Works opens.
1924: Dorman Long wins the contract to build the Sydney Harbour Bridge
Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic...
.
1946: Dorman Long purchases 600 acres (2.4 km²) of land between the Redcar and Cleveland Works to build the Lackenby development.
1967: Dorman Long, South Durham Steel Iron Co, and Stewarts and Lloyds come together to create British Steel
British Steel
British Steel was a major British steel producer. It originated as a nationalised industry, the British Steel Corporation , formed in 1967. This was converted to a public limited company, British Steel PLC, and privatised in 1988. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...
and Tube Ltd.
1967: The steel industry is nationalised and the British Steel Corporation is born.
1973: The existing Redcar
Redcar
Redcar is a seaside resort in the north east of England, and a major town in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire. It lies east-northeast of Middlesbrough by the North Sea coast...
Ironworks site development begins.
1979: The number of blast furnaces drops to one - producing 3.3 million TPA.
1989: Company is privatised becoming British Steel plc.
1990: Merged with The Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company, Darlington.
1999: British Steel
British Steel
British Steel was a major British steel producer. It originated as a nationalised industry, the British Steel Corporation , formed in 1967. This was converted to a public limited company, British Steel PLC, and privatised in 1988. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...
merges with the Dutch steel and aluminium company Koninklijke Hoogovens
Koninklijke Hoogovens
Koninklijke Hoogovens was a Dutch steel producer founded in 1918. In 1999, the company merged with British Steel to create Corus Group steel company. In 2007, Corus Group was purchased by India-based Tata Steel.- History :On April 19, 1917, H.J.E...
to become Corus Group
Corus Group
Tata Steel Europe is a multinational steel-making company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the second-largest steel-maker in Europe and is a subsidiary of Tata Steel of India, one of the ten largest steel producers in the world.Corus Group was formed through the merger of Koninklijke...
.
2000: Dorman Long Technology Ltd formed as an independent company as part of a management buy out of Cleveland Bridge in August 2000.
Bridge Building
Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic...
of 1932. This was partly modelled on the 1928 Tyne Bridge
Tyne Bridge
The Tyne Bridge is a through arch bridge over the River Tyne in North East England, linking Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead. It was designed by the engineering firm Mott, Hay and Anderson, who later designed the Forth Road Bridge, and was built by Dorman Long and Co. of Middlesbrough. At the time...
, a construction regarded as the symbol of Tyneside's Geordie pride, but also a product of Dorman Long's Teesside workmanship. The greatest example of Dorman Long's work in Teesside itself is the single span Newport Lifting Bridge
Tees Newport Bridge
Opened to traffic on 28 February 1934 by the Duke of York, the Tees Newport Bridge spans the River Tees a short distance upriver from Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge, linking Middlesbrough with the borough of Stockton-on-Tees, England....
(a Grade II Listed Building). Opened by the Duke of York in February 1934 it was England's first vertical lift bridge. With a lifting span of 270 feet (82.3 m) long by 66 feet (20.1 m) wide, it is constructed from 8000 tons of Teesside steel and 28,000 tons of concrete with towers 182 feet (55.5 m) high. The electrically operated lifting mechanism allowed the road to be lifted 100 feet (30.5 m) in one and a half minutes by means of ropes passing through sheaves in the four corner towers. Newport Bridge is no longer raised or lowered; it is a permanent road crossing the river Tees.
The following is a list of some of the bridges built by the Dorman Long: it is not however fully comprehensive.
- Omdurman Bridge, White Nile, Sudan
- Built by Dorman Long, Middlesbrough, 1926
- Total length 2012 feet (613.3 m)
- 7 fixed spans, one swing span
- 3,700 tons
- Dessouk Bridge, Lower Nile, Egypt
- Built by Dorman Long, Middlesbrough, 1927
- Total length 2010 feet (612.6 m)
- 10 spans including 194 feet (59.1 m) swing span
- 3,800 tons
- Limpopo Bridge, South Africa
- Built by Dorman Long, Middlesbrough, 1927
- Total length 1515 feet (461.8 m)
- 1,876 tons
- Tyne BridgeTyne BridgeThe Tyne Bridge is a through arch bridge over the River Tyne in North East England, linking Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead. It was designed by the engineering firm Mott, Hay and Anderson, who later designed the Forth Road Bridge, and was built by Dorman Long and Co. of Middlesbrough. At the time...
Newcastle, England- (Road)
- Built by Dorman Long, Middlesbrough, 1928
- Total length 1254 feet (382.2 m)
- Approximately 8,000 tons
- Sydney Harbour BridgeSydney Harbour BridgeThe Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic...
Sydney, Australia- Built by Dorman Long, Middlesbrough, 1932
- Total length 3770 feet (1,149.1 m)
- Total weight of fabricated steelwork 51,000
- Weight of steel in the arch 38,000 tons
- Lambeth BridgeLambeth BridgeLambeth Bridge is a road traffic and footbridge crossing the River Thames in an east-west direction in central London, England; the river flows north at the crossing point...
, London, England- (Road)
- Built by Dorman Long, Middlesbrough, 1932
- Total length 776 ft (236.5 m)
- 5 spans
- 4,620 tons
- Memorial Bridge, BangkokMemorial Bridge, BangkokThe Memorial Bridge is a bridge over the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, in Thailand, connecting the districts Phra Nakhon and Thonburi.The bridge was opened on 6 April 1932, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Chakri Dynasty...
, Thailand- (Road)
- Built by Dorman Long, Middlesbrough, 1932
- Total length 755 feet (230.1 m)
- 1,100 tons
- Khedive Ismail Bridge Cairo, Egypt
- Built by Dorman Long, Middlesbrough, 1933
- Total length 1250 feet (381 m)
- 3,000 tons
- Newport bridgeTees Newport BridgeOpened to traffic on 28 February 1934 by the Duke of York, the Tees Newport Bridge spans the River Tees a short distance upriver from Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge, linking Middlesbrough with the borough of Stockton-on-Tees, England....
, Middlesbrough- Built by Dorman Long, Middlesbrough, 1934
- The central lifting span is 270 feet (82m) long and 66 feet (20m) wide, weighing 5400 tons (6993 metric tonnes); the towers are 182 feet (55m) high. The total weight is 8,000 tons.
- Birchenough BridgeBirchenough BridgeBirchenough Bridge is the name for both a bridge across the Save River and a village next to the bridge. Birchenough Bridge is located 62 km from Chipinge in the Manicaland province of Zimbabwe linking Mutare with Masvingo. The bridge was funded and planned by the Beit Trust, a foundation...
, Zimbabwe- Built by Dorman Long, Middlesbrough, 1935
- 1,242 tons.
- Storstrøm BridgeStorstrøm BridgeStorstrøm Bridge is a road and railway arch bridge that crosses Storstrømmen between the islands of Falster and Masnedø in Denmark....
, Denmark- (Railways)
- Built by Dorman Long, Middlesbrough, 1937
- Total length 10535 feet (3,211.1 m)
- 21,000 tons
- Chien Tang River Bridge, China
- (Railway and Road)
- Built by Dorman Long, Middlesbrough, 1937
- Total length 3840 feet (1,170.4 m)
- 16 equal spans
- 4,135 tons
- Silver Jubilee Bridge, Runcorn and Widnes, England
- (Road)
- Built by Dorman Long, Middlesbrough, 1961
- Total length 1582 feet (482.2 m)
Dorman Museum
In 1904 Sir Arthur Dorman of Dorman Long gave the Dorman MuseumDorman Museum
Dorman Museum is a general museum located in Linthorpe within the borough of Middlesbrough and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. From its establishment in 1904 initial thematical leanings were towards the natural sciences, although galleries of the local Linthorpe Pottery, and of...
to Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
in honour of his youngest son, George Lockwood Dorman, an avid collector who was killed in the Boer War. Amongst the museum’s many exhibits, is a collection of ceramics
Ceramics (art)
In art history, ceramics and ceramic art mean art objects such as figures, tiles, and tableware made from clay and other raw materials by the process of pottery. Some ceramic products are regarded as fine art, while others are regarded as decorative, industrial or applied art objects, or as...
from the local Linthorpe Pottery, which was renowned for its iridescent glazes, that at the time were not produced anywhere else in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
has one of the largest collections of these highly distinctive ceramics in the world.