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Talbots

The Talbot furnace at Skinningrove works. Eric Johnson advised: ”A view of the front side, of a 120 ton Talbot furnace. The charging pans on the right contain (galley) iron ore, on the far side of the furnace the pans contain lime. The furnace doors are water cooled, added after oil firing was introduced. To the left of the Melter, in front of the door is a stand used for the hot metal chute.” Does anyone know the name of the gentleman standing rather close it looks to me.
Image and supporting information courtesy of Eric Johnson.

Excavating

Excavating the new reservoir for Skinningrove works. Steve Partlett tells us: ”Part of this reservoir still exists. It was on the edge of the cliffs, to the north of jetty bank top. One of it’s purposes was to provide storage for No5 Blast furnace cooling water. The concrete block in the middle of the photograph was where the pipes left the reservoir to feed the pumphouse which was built just in front of the block. This probably means the photo was taken sometime during the building of No5 Furnace, (early fifties, I think)and was possibly taken from the top of one of the older Blast furnaces. There was also a large tank supported on a steel trestle in front of the mound in the lower right of the photograph. This provided the “head” of cooling water for a while in case the pumps failed. A Laboratory was built into the steel support trestle. Due to it’s height this tank was visible from the beach below.”

Image and information courtesy of Eric Johnson, thanks to Steve Partlett for the update.

Lamberton

Although it sounds more like a dance than a machine used on the steel works, Brian Young tells us: ”The Lamberton was used to straighten various “raw” steel sections after rolling from the 36″mill. The Lamberton was fed via rollers and skids, after straightening each bar was shoved off onto benches manually.” Tony Shaw assists with: “This is the 53″ Lamberton straightener seven shafts, this machine was recently replaced, the 26″ straightener nine shafts was replaced a few years ago.” Michael Graham tells us: ”We used two of these machines in No 9 mill Cleveland works”.

Image courtesy of Eric Johnson and  thanks to Brian Young, Tony Shaw and Michael Graham for the updates.

36 Inch Mill

This image is of the 36” mill hot saw. Eric Johnson advised: “The the man to the left in this view, with tongs in his right hand is waiting for a sample to be cut and was taken c.1950. The rear person pictured is Tom Cook.”

Image and information courtesy of Eric Johnson.

Mine Arches

A view of men bending mine arches, one of the products of Skinningrove works; especially useful in the local area when the ironstone mines where in full production. 

Image courtesy of Eric Johnson.

Talbot Tilting Furnace

Another photograph taken from a glass plate of the original Talbot Tilting furnace with 240 tons capacity, the largest in Europe when built about 1910. This pit side view shows the furnace under repair, the port ends which were movable have been drawn back. The “lander” – the tap hole chute sticking out of the middle of the furnace – has the brick lining removed. On the right of photograph is a large steel casting ladle, with a skull (scrap steel) on the lip. To the left are two slag ladles full of furnace debris. Next is a small charging ladle used to pour molten pig iron into the furnace from the charging side. On each side of the lander, a cage is suspended from the furnace by two pivoted arms allowing the cages to go up and down with the tilting. A shelter can be seen on the cages near the lander, to protect the melters throwing in the charges of coal, manganese, silicon etc. This varied according to specification.
Image and information courtesy of Eric Johnson.

1914

A view of Skinningrove Iron And Steel Works about 1914; taken from a glass plate.

Image courtesy of Eric Johnson.

Winter At Crag Hall

I thought because of today’s weather conditions this photograph was quite apt.
Image courtesy of Eric Johnson.

Sorry Mate

I wonder if that is what the captain of the ship ’Gaslight ’said in February 1934 when it went into the starboard side of the bridge deck of S.S. Skinningrove at Middlesbrough docks.

Image courtesy of a Northern Echo newspaper cutting.

Mine Barrow

Dating from about 1914 when this photograph was taken; a mine barrow waits near the weigh cabin. Following the comment from Robert Silkstone: “I just thought it was worth noting that this picture is not of a mine barrow. It is more important as these tubs are rarely photographed at ground level. They are the tubs that were taken by men who hand charged the blast furnaces before the conveyor system was introduced. The shape of the tub is deleberate to allow charging at the top of the furnace. This is quite a rare and interesting picture to a historian as I am.” Eric Johnson tells us: ’At Skinningrove ironworks the term ”mine” refers to the ironstone carried in the barrows which came from the company’s Loftus mine, this stone was roasted in kilns and the calcined ironstone was taken from the kilns to the weigh machine cabin. Then weighed and the barrows hoisted to the furnace top, emptied and returned. Coke and limestone were also carried in the barrows, but they were always known as ”mine barrows”.’

Steven Partlett has added: ” I remember these as being termed “Barrows”. My father worked these after Loftus mine closed and he moved to the Ironworks. What is not obvious in these images is that the ground where they operated was completely covered in plates which were either Steel or Iron. The barrows had a knife edged wheel, similar to a flanged rail wheel. The combination reduced friction, and made it easier to push the loaded barrows. The area was known in the works as “the plates” because of the feature.”

Image and information courtesy of Eric Johnson, also thanks to Robert Silkstone and Steve Partlett for the updated information.