Brymbo Ironworks railway
Encyclopedia
The Hook Norton ironstone quarries (Brymbo) were ironstone
quarries near Hook Norton
in Oxfordshire
. The quarries were in operation from 1899 to 1946 supplying ironstone to the Brymbo Steelworks in Wrexham
and were served by an extensive narrow gauge industrial railway
.
in Wales
in 1798 by John Wilkinson
. Wilkinson was a pioneer of the industrial revolution
and made a significant fortune from his ironworks. When he died in 1808 his company was held in trust for many years due to a legal dispute over his will. In 1842 a new company was formed to run the Brymbo Ironworks and following successful steel-making experiments the Brymbo Steel Company was incorporated in 1884.
By 1897 the works was close to exhausting its source of ironstone near Wrexham and sought an alternative quarry to feed its furnaces. Ironstone fields near Hook Norton
were bought and a works set up to calcine
the ore. A second kiln was brought into service in June 1900. A narrow gauge
internal tramway system was built to serve the quarry and works. This grew to be the largest gauge railway in the British steel-making industry.
The kilns were sited next to the standard gauge
Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway
(part of the Great Western Railway
) at Council Hill Sidings, three quarters of a mile east of Hook Norton Station
.
Six cottages were built near the works to house skilled personnel, some transferred from Wrexham. Brymbo had little hope of obtaining skilled workers locally, stating:
The first section of the tramway was built, running south from the works, through a tunnel under the Hook Norton to Milcombe Road and past the cottages to a quarry of 152 acres at Park Farm. The tramway was soon extended to the west passing under the B&CDR viaduct to a new quarry near the village. This quarry was exhausted by 1903 and a new quarry at Manor Farm east of the viaduct was opened. Trains of calcined ore ran from Hook Norton to Brymbo on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays every week. Ore was also supplied by the independent Hook Norton ironstone quarries of H.W.Baker. Initially this ore was delivered direct to Hook Norton Station by horse and cart. Later the Baker's ore was taken to the Brymbo works site where it could be emptied into wagons or calcined as desired.
In 1909 there was a major expansion when Brymbo was able to purchase the land and property of the bankrupt Hook Norton Ironstone Partnership
. This included the area known as “Redlands” north of the works on the far side of the B&CDR. A new tramway route was built, passing under an existing bridge carrying the B&CDR. With the opening of the Redlands quarry, shipments of ore to Wrexham consisted of 50% Park Farm ore and 50% Redlands and Bakers. Owing to the different properties of the stone, this produced a “self-fluxing” charge in the blast furnace.
The outbreak of the First World War saw a significant increase in demand for iron and steel to feed the munitions factories. A second locomotive, Joan, was obtained in 1915 and a third kiln built at an unknown date early in the war. Ironstone output rose to 5000 tons per week. More land was acquired to expand the Redlands quarry with the purchase of Whitehills Farm in 1916.
In 1917 a new company, the Oxfordshire Ironstone Company, was formed as a joint venture by Baldwin's Steel and Brymbo Steel. This company controlled operations at Hook Norton and also the quarries at Wroxton. After the Armistice in November 1918
there was a short-lived boom and plans were made to re-open the Partnership's Townsend Quarry. A tramway route was constructed but rails were never laid. A fourth kiln was built in 1922. After this, demand for steel fell rapidly and the recession of the late 1920s further depressed the economic situation. Activity during the 1920s was low with mainly the Park Farm quarry being worked. From May to July 1921 all works stopped due to the Miners Strike and when work re-started only two kilns were used. Calcining was discontinued in 1926 following a shutdown during the general strike with the ore being shipped “raw” after that time. By early 1927 no ore was being shipped to Wrexham, the Hook Norton quarries having to seek customers elsewhere. In June 1931 Brymbo went into receivership.
In the late 1930s the Hook Norton quarries were leased by Mr Harmar-Brown but operations were on a small scale, only Park Farm Quarry being worked, often for only one day a week. The newest kiln was used, to dry the ore but not for calcining.
The Second World War saw an increase in demand for iron and steel and in 1941 the Ministry of Supply wrote urging that production should be increased. The ministry arranged for the Welsh Highland Railway
's 2-6-2T Russell to be transferred to Hook Norton and also supplied a diesel dragline
. Betty, an 0-4-0ST Hunslet was also obtained . Four of the five locos would be steamed daily to cope with production.
Immediately after the end of the war, cheaper European ore and steel became available again and the fortunes of Brymbo's Hook Norton operation rapidly declined. On 22 June 1946 the quarry closed for the last time and all the plant and land was sold or scrapped in 1948.
With the exception of Russell, all locomotives were scrapped on site in 1949.
Ironstone
Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical repacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron compound from which iron either can be or once was smelted commercially. This term is customarily restricted to hard coarsely...
quarries near Hook Norton
Hook Norton
Hook Norton is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold Hills in Oxfordshire, England. It is northeast of Chipping Norton.-Toponym and early history:...
in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
. The quarries were in operation from 1899 to 1946 supplying ironstone to the Brymbo Steelworks in Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
and were served by an extensive narrow gauge industrial railway
Industrial railway
An industrial railway is a type of railway that is not available for public transportation and is used exclusively to serve a particular industrial, logistics or military site...
.
History
The original Brymbo Ironworks was founded near WrexhamWrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
in 1798 by John Wilkinson
John Wilkinson (industrialist)
John "Iron-Mad" Wilkinson was an English industrialist who pioneered the use and manufacture of cast iron and cast-iron goods in the Industrial Revolution.-Early life:...
. Wilkinson was a pioneer of 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...
and made a significant fortune from his ironworks. When he died in 1808 his company was held in trust for many years due to a legal dispute over his will. In 1842 a new company was formed to run the Brymbo Ironworks and following successful steel-making experiments the Brymbo Steel Company was incorporated in 1884.
By 1897 the works was close to exhausting its source of ironstone near Wrexham and sought an alternative quarry to feed its furnaces. Ironstone fields near Hook Norton
Hook Norton
Hook Norton is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold Hills in Oxfordshire, England. It is northeast of Chipping Norton.-Toponym and early history:...
were bought and a works set up to calcine
Calcination
Calcination is a thermal treatment process applied to ores and other solid materials to bring about a thermal decomposition, phase transition, or removal of a volatile fraction. The calcination process normally takes place at temperatures below the melting point of the product materials...
the ore. A second kiln was brought into service in June 1900. A narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
internal tramway system was built to serve the quarry and works. This grew to be the largest gauge railway in the British steel-making industry.
The kilns were sited next to the standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway
Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway
The Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway is a former railway in the Cotswold Hills in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, England.-Origins and development:...
(part of the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
) at Council Hill Sidings, three quarters of a mile east of Hook Norton Station
Hook Norton railway station
Hook Norton railway station served the village of Hook Norton in northern Oxfordshire, England.-History:The station was built for the Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway, which was operated by the Great Western Railway before complete takeover in 1897...
.
Six cottages were built near the works to house skilled personnel, some transferred from Wrexham. Brymbo had little hope of obtaining skilled workers locally, stating:
labour will have to be imported, as there has been no unemployment here for a long time past. (Banbury Guardian, quoted in "The Ironstone Quarries of the Midlands")
The first section of the tramway was built, running south from the works, through a tunnel under the Hook Norton to Milcombe Road and past the cottages to a quarry of 152 acres at Park Farm. The tramway was soon extended to the west passing under the B&CDR viaduct to a new quarry near the village. This quarry was exhausted by 1903 and a new quarry at Manor Farm east of the viaduct was opened. Trains of calcined ore ran from Hook Norton to Brymbo on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays every week. Ore was also supplied by the independent Hook Norton ironstone quarries of H.W.Baker. Initially this ore was delivered direct to Hook Norton Station by horse and cart. Later the Baker's ore was taken to the Brymbo works site where it could be emptied into wagons or calcined as desired.
In 1909 there was a major expansion when Brymbo was able to purchase the land and property of the bankrupt Hook Norton Ironstone Partnership
Hook Norton Ironstone Partnership
The Hook Norton Ironstone Partnership was the first company to quarry ironstone at Hook Norton on a large scale. Although only in operation for twelve years, its quarries subsequently became part of the Brymbo Steelworks quarries and relics of the Partnership's railways and tramways can still be...
. This included the area known as “Redlands” north of the works on the far side of the B&CDR. A new tramway route was built, passing under an existing bridge carrying the B&CDR. With the opening of the Redlands quarry, shipments of ore to Wrexham consisted of 50% Park Farm ore and 50% Redlands and Bakers. Owing to the different properties of the stone, this produced a “self-fluxing” charge in the blast furnace.
The outbreak of the First World War saw a significant increase in demand for iron and steel to feed the munitions factories. A second locomotive, Joan, was obtained in 1915 and a third kiln built at an unknown date early in the war. Ironstone output rose to 5000 tons per week. More land was acquired to expand the Redlands quarry with the purchase of Whitehills Farm in 1916.
In 1917 a new company, the Oxfordshire Ironstone Company, was formed as a joint venture by Baldwin's Steel and Brymbo Steel. This company controlled operations at Hook Norton and also the quarries at Wroxton. After the Armistice in November 1918
Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)
The armistice between the Allies and Germany was an agreement that ended the fighting in the First World War. It was signed in a railway carriage in Compiègne Forest on 11 November 1918 and marked a victory for the Allies and a complete defeat for Germany, although not technically a surrender...
there was a short-lived boom and plans were made to re-open the Partnership's Townsend Quarry. A tramway route was constructed but rails were never laid. A fourth kiln was built in 1922. After this, demand for steel fell rapidly and the recession of the late 1920s further depressed the economic situation. Activity during the 1920s was low with mainly the Park Farm quarry being worked. From May to July 1921 all works stopped due to the Miners Strike and when work re-started only two kilns were used. Calcining was discontinued in 1926 following a shutdown during the general strike with the ore being shipped “raw” after that time. By early 1927 no ore was being shipped to Wrexham, the Hook Norton quarries having to seek customers elsewhere. In June 1931 Brymbo went into receivership.
In the late 1930s the Hook Norton quarries were leased by Mr Harmar-Brown but operations were on a small scale, only Park Farm Quarry being worked, often for only one day a week. The newest kiln was used, to dry the ore but not for calcining.
The Second World War saw an increase in demand for iron and steel and in 1941 the Ministry of Supply wrote urging that production should be increased. The ministry arranged for the Welsh Highland Railway
Welsh Highland Railway
The Welsh Highland Railway is a long restored narrow gauge heritage railway in North Wales, operating from Caernarfon to Porthmadog, and passing through a number of popular tourist destinations including Beddgelert and the Aberglaslyn Pass. At Porthmadog it connects with the Ffestiniog Railway...
's 2-6-2T Russell to be transferred to Hook Norton and also supplied a diesel dragline
Dragline excavator
A dragline excavator is a piece of heavy equipment used in civil engineering and surface mining.In civil engineering the smaller types are used for road, port construction, and as pile driving rigs. The larger types are used in strip-mining operations to move overburden above coal, and for...
. Betty, an 0-4-0ST Hunslet was also obtained . Four of the five locos would be steamed daily to cope with production.
Immediately after the end of the war, cheaper European ore and steel became available again and the fortunes of Brymbo's Hook Norton operation rapidly declined. On 22 June 1946 the quarry closed for the last time and all the plant and land was sold or scrapped in 1948.
Locomotives
| Name | Builder | Type | Date | Works number | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gwen | Hudswell Clarke Hudswell Clarke Hudswell, Clarke and Company Limited was an engineering and locomotive building company in Jack Lane, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.-History:... |
0-4-2ST | 1898 | 523 | |
| Joan | Hudswell Clarke Hudswell Clarke Hudswell, Clarke and Company Limited was an engineering and locomotive building company in Jack Lane, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.-History:... |
0-4-2ST | 1915 | 1173 | |
| ROD Railway Operating Division The Railway Operating Division was a division of the Royal Engineers formed in 1915 to operate railways in the many theatres of the First World War... No.352 (unofficially known as Black Bess) |
Hunslet Hunslet Engine Company The Hunslet Engine Company is a British locomotive-building company founded in 1864 at Jack Lane, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England by John Towlerton Leather, a civil engineering contractor, who appointed James Campbell as his Works Manager.In 1871, James Campbell bought the company for... |
4-6-0T | 1917 | 1264 | ex-War Department Light Railways War Department Light Railways The War Department Light Railways were a system of narrow gauge trench railways run by the British War Department in World War I. Light railways made an important contribution to the Allied war effort in the First World War, and were used for the supply of ammunition and stores, the transport of... |
| Russell | Hunslet Hunslet Engine Company The Hunslet Engine Company is a British locomotive-building company founded in 1864 at Jack Lane, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England by John Towlerton Leather, a civil engineering contractor, who appointed James Campbell as his Works Manager.In 1871, James Campbell bought the company for... |
2-6-2T | 1906 | 901 | ex-Welsh Highland Railway Welsh Highland Railway The Welsh Highland Railway is a long restored narrow gauge heritage railway in North Wales, operating from Caernarfon to Porthmadog, and passing through a number of popular tourist destinations including Beddgelert and the Aberglaslyn Pass. At Porthmadog it connects with the Ffestiniog Railway... . Now preserved on the Welsh Highland Railway |
| Betty | Hunslet Hunslet Engine Company The Hunslet Engine Company is a British locomotive-building company founded in 1864 at Jack Lane, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England by John Towlerton Leather, a civil engineering contractor, who appointed James Campbell as his Works Manager.In 1871, James Campbell bought the company for... |
0-4-0ST | 1912 | 1101 | ex-Penmaenmawr & Welsh Granite Co., Trefor Quarry railway Trefor Quarry railway The Trefor Quarry railway was an industrial narrow gauge railway connecting the Trefor granite quarry with the pier at Llanaelhaearn on the Llŷn Peninsula.- History :... |
With the exception of Russell, all locomotives were scrapped on site in 1949.
Remains in 2011
See also
- British industrial narrow gauge railwaysBritish industrial narrow gauge railwaysBritish industrial narrow gauge railways are narrow gauge railways in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man that were primarily built to serve one or more industries. Some offered passenger services for employees or workmen, but they did not run public passenger trains...