Round Oak Steelworks
Encyclopedia
The Round Oak Steelworks were an important steel production plant in Brierley Hill
, West Midlands
(formerly Staffordshire
), England
. It was founded by Lord Ward, later the Earl of Dudley
in 1857 as an outlet for pig iron
made in the nearby blast furnace
s. During the Industrial Revolution
, the majority of iron-making in the world was carried out within 32 kilometres of Round Oak. At their peak, thousands of people were employed at the works. The steelworks was the first in the United Kingdom
to be converted to natural gas
, which was supplied from the North Sea
.
Steel was produced at the works using basic electric arc and open hearth methods. Principsl products included alloy and carbon steel bars (case hardening, bright drawing, free cutting, machining, hot and cold forging), special sections, railway bearing plates, rounds, squares, flats, angles, channels, joists, billets, blooms, slabs and large forging ingots. Round Oak manufactured a weldable extra high strength steel under the brand name, 'Thirty-Oak'.
In 1953, the steelworks was purchased by Tube Investments. In September 1966, the 3½ mile long railway between the steelworks and Baggeridge closed. By the 1970s, the factory's viability and profitability began to decline due a fall in demand for its products. At its peak some 3,000 people were employed at the plant, but by 1979 the jobs cuts began and the plant's future was thrown into serious doubt.http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1982/dec/09/round-oak-steelworks
It finally closed on 23 December 1982, by which time 1,286 people were working there after being in operation for 125 years and pushed Brierley Hill's already high unemployment levels even higher. Its closure came in spite of a fierce argument by local
MP
John Blackburn
that the plant was still profitable and should be retained. Demolition work took place during 1984, when it was purchased by Don and Roy Richardson.
The farmland which stood in the shadow of Round Oak Steelworks was designated by the Government as an Enterprise Zone in 1981, being extended to include the site of the works in 1984. Between 1985 and 1989 was developed as the Merry Hill Shopping Centre
by Don and Roy Richardson. It brought thousands of jobs to the local area and spearheaded a region-wide transition from manufacturing to services as the key employer of local workers.
The first businesses did not move onto the steelworks site until December 1990, when new offices were completed as part of the Waterfront development.
Despite the closure of the works in 1982, a steel terminal
was opened on the adjacent railway in August 1986 and is still in use.
Brierley Hill
Brierley Hill is a town and electoral ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, West Midlands, England. It is one of the larger Black Country towns with a population of 9,631 and is heavily industrialised, best known for glass and steel manufacturing, although the industry has declined...
, West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
(formerly Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
), 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...
. It was founded by Lord Ward, later the Earl of Dudley
Earl of Dudley
Earl of Dudley, of Dudley Castle in the County of Stafford, is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, both times for members of the Ward family. This family descends from Sir Humble Ward, the son of a wealthy goldsmith and jeweller to King Charles I...
in 1857 as an outlet for pig iron
Pig iron
Pig iron is the intermediate product of smelting iron ore with a high-carbon fuel such as coke, usually with limestone as a flux. Charcoal and anthracite have also been used as fuel...
made in the nearby blast furnace
Blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
s. During the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
, the majority of iron-making in the world was carried out within 32 kilometres of Round Oak. At their peak, thousands of people were employed at the works. The steelworks was the first in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to be converted to natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
, which was supplied from the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
.
Steel was produced at the works using basic electric arc and open hearth methods. Principsl products included alloy and carbon steel bars (case hardening, bright drawing, free cutting, machining, hot and cold forging), special sections, railway bearing plates, rounds, squares, flats, angles, channels, joists, billets, blooms, slabs and large forging ingots. Round Oak manufactured a weldable extra high strength steel under the brand name, 'Thirty-Oak'.
In 1953, the steelworks was purchased by Tube Investments. In September 1966, the 3½ mile long railway between the steelworks and Baggeridge closed. By the 1970s, the factory's viability and profitability began to decline due a fall in demand for its products. At its peak some 3,000 people were employed at the plant, but by 1979 the jobs cuts began and the plant's future was thrown into serious doubt.http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1982/dec/09/round-oak-steelworks
It finally closed on 23 December 1982, by which time 1,286 people were working there after being in operation for 125 years and pushed Brierley Hill's already high unemployment levels even higher. Its closure came in spite of a fierce argument by local
Dudley West (UK Parliament constituency)
Dudley West was a parliamentary constituency, centred on the town of Dudley in the West Midlands. It existed from 1974 to 1997, returning one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first past the post system.-History:The constituency was created...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
John Blackburn
John Blackburn
John Blackburn may refer to:*John Blackburn , Chaplain-General to the British Armed Forces 2000 to 2004*John Blackburn , British novelist*John Blackburn , British politician, MP for Newport 1806–1807...
that the plant was still profitable and should be retained. Demolition work took place during 1984, when it was purchased by Don and Roy Richardson.
The farmland which stood in the shadow of Round Oak Steelworks was designated by the Government as an Enterprise Zone in 1981, being extended to include the site of the works in 1984. Between 1985 and 1989 was developed as the Merry Hill Shopping Centre
Merry Hill Shopping Centre
Westfield Merry Hill is a shopping centre in Brierley Hill near Dudley, West Midlands, England. It was developed between 1985 and 1990, with several expansion and renovation projects taking place since. The original developers and owners were Richardson Developments but the Centre has had a number...
by Don and Roy Richardson. It brought thousands of jobs to the local area and spearheaded a region-wide transition from manufacturing to services as the key employer of local workers.
The first businesses did not move onto the steelworks site until December 1990, when new offices were completed as part of the Waterfront development.
Despite the closure of the works in 1982, a steel terminal
Round Oak Steel Terminal
Round Oak Steel Terminal is a railway freight terminal dealing in steel from the Round Oak Steel Works until 1982 and from other sources thereafter, in Brierley Hill, West Midlands, England managed by Corus Group.-History:...
was opened on the adjacent railway in August 1986 and is still in use.