Brymbo Steel Mill
Encyclopedia
The Brymbo Steel Works was a former large steelworks in the village of Brymbo
near Wrexham
, Wales
. In operation between 1796 and 1990, it was significant on account of its founder, one of whose original blast furnace stacks remains on the site.
. Wilkinson, who had owned the nearby Bersham Ironworks
jointly with his brother William, purchased Brymbo Hall
and its 500-acre estate from the Assheton-Smith family in 1792 for the sum of £14,000, some of which may have been lent by Boulton and Watt
. The estate was rich in coal and ironstone deposits, several small coal pits having existed even before Wilkinson purchased the estate. By 1796 Wilkinson had erected the first blast furnace
on the site, east of the Hall, 884 tons of iron being produced in this first year. This initial furnace ("No. 1") worked continuously until 1894 when it was finally 'blown out', and continued in use afterwards as a sand hopper. From 1805 a second furnace was brought into production.
After Wilkinson's death, his estate was contested between his natural children, who he had fathered with the Brymbo Hall housekeeper Ann Lewis, and his nephew Thomas Jones. The cost of the actions in the Court of Chancery
were to bankrupt Jones and to absorb much of the inheritance of Wilkinson's children. The ironworks lay idle for some years, with a few attempts at restarting production, one of which was made by the ironmaster
John Thompson.
to develop. Robertson engaged William Henry Darby and Charles Edward Darby, grandsons of Abraham Darby III
of Coalbrookdale
, to manage the works. The works gradually expanded, and in 1854 he bought out Roy's share of the business, local tradition stating that the transaction was decided by a horse race which the steelworks employees, favouring Robertson, ensured he won.
After the deaths of William and Charles Darby in 1882 and 1884 respectively, the business was incorporated as Brymbo Steel Co. Ltd. Robertson encouraged John Henry Darby, the son of William, and Peter Williams (father of the MP Christmas Price Williams
, who was born at Brymbo) to trial steelmaking using the open-hearth process, and by January 1885 Brymbo had produced its first steel in a plant which was the first of its kind in the United Kingdom
.
caused the works to go bankrupt in 1931. The plant was saved, and production restarted, by Henry Robertson's son, Sir Henry Beyer Robertson (1862–1948). Robertson formed a new company and put Emrys Davies and Thomas Roberts in charge of production, as well as negotiating a lucrative contract to supply engineering steel for Rolls-Royce Limited
aero engines. The business changed company name again in 1948, on the latter occasion becoming a part of GKN. From 1956 onwards the works were hugely expanded, new electric furnaces being sited on an artificial hill made from furnace waste. A further expansion in the early 1970s resulted in the construction of a large, modern rolling mill south of the main steelworks site.
Brymbo was nationalised with the rest of the steel industry in 1967, becoming a division of British Steel Corporation. In 1978, the steelworks took its single automated blast furnace out of use, and concentrated on the production of high-quality steels from scrap metal.
The works were served by the Wrexham and Minera Branch
of the Great Western Railway
, later of British Railways. During its history the steelworks was involved with or supported a number of other industrial sites in the immediate area, including collieries (with the Blast Pit being located within the works itself) and a brickworks at Cae-llo which produced firebricks until 1975.
Steel production lasted until 1990, when the steelworks was closed by its then owners, United Engineering Steels. 1,100 jobs were lost.
.
Brymbo
Brymbo is a local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is a village situated in the hilly country to the west of Wrexham town, largely surrounded by farmland....
near 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...
, 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 operation between 1796 and 1990, it was significant on account of its founder, one of whose original blast furnace stacks remains on the site.
John Wilkinson's ironworks
The works was founded by the pioneer industrialist John 'Iron Mad' WilkinsonJohn 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, who had owned the nearby Bersham Ironworks
Bersham Ironworks
Bersham Ironworks were large ironworks at Bersham, near Wrexham, North Wales. They are most famous for being the original working site of John Wilkinson...
jointly with his brother William, purchased Brymbo Hall
Brymbo Hall
Brymbo Hall, one of Britain's lost houses, was a manor house located near Brymbo outside the town of Wrexham, North Wales. The house, reputed to have been partly built to the designs of Inigo Jones, was noted as the residence of 18th-century industrialist and ironmaster John "Iron-Mad"...
and its 500-acre estate from the Assheton-Smith family in 1792 for the sum of £14,000, some of which may have been lent by Boulton and Watt
Boulton and Watt
The firm of Boulton & Watt was initially a partnership between Matthew Boulton and James Watt.-The engine partnership:The partnership was formed in 1775 to exploit Watt's patent for a steam engine with a separate condenser. This made much more efficient use of its fuel than the older Newcomen engine...
. The estate was rich in coal and ironstone deposits, several small coal pits having existed even before Wilkinson purchased the estate. By 1796 Wilkinson had erected the first 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...
on the site, east of the Hall, 884 tons of iron being produced in this first year. This initial furnace ("No. 1") worked continuously until 1894 when it was finally 'blown out', and continued in use afterwards as a sand hopper. From 1805 a second furnace was brought into production.
After Wilkinson's death, his estate was contested between his natural children, who he had fathered with the Brymbo Hall housekeeper Ann Lewis, and his nephew Thomas Jones. The cost of the actions in the Court of Chancery
Court of Chancery
The Court of Chancery was a court of equity in England and Wales that followed a set of loose rules to avoid the slow pace of change and possible harshness of the common law. The Chancery had jurisdiction over all matters of equity, including trusts, land law, the administration of the estates of...
were to bankrupt Jones and to absorb much of the inheritance of Wilkinson's children. The ironworks lay idle for some years, with a few attempts at restarting production, one of which was made by the ironmaster
Ironmaster
An ironmaster is the manager – and usually owner – of a forge or blast furnace for the processing of iron. It is a term mainly associated with the period of the Industrial Revolution, especially in Great Britain....
John Thompson.
Development by Henry Robertson
In 1841, the works and estate were to be bought by Robert Roy (one of the Brymbo estate's trustees) and in 1842 were handed to Henry RobertsonHenry Robertson
Henry Robertson was a Scottish industrialist and Liberal Party politician.-Career:Robertson came to Wales to pursue his industrial interests...
to develop. Robertson engaged William Henry Darby and Charles Edward Darby, grandsons of Abraham Darby III
Abraham Darby III
Abraham Darby III was an English ironmaster and Quaker. He was the third Abraham Darby in three generations of an English Quaker family that played a role in the Industrial Revolution....
of Coalbrookdale
Coalbrookdale
Coalbrookdale is a village in the Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire, England, containing a settlement of great significance in the history of iron ore smelting. This is where iron ore was first smelted by Abraham Darby using easily mined "coking coal". The coal was drawn from drift mines in the sides...
, to manage the works. The works gradually expanded, and in 1854 he bought out Roy's share of the business, local tradition stating that the transaction was decided by a horse race which the steelworks employees, favouring Robertson, ensured he won.
After the deaths of William and Charles Darby in 1882 and 1884 respectively, the business was incorporated as Brymbo Steel Co. Ltd. Robertson encouraged John Henry Darby, the son of William, and Peter Williams (father of the MP Christmas Price Williams
Christmas Price Williams
Christmas Price Williams was a Welsh Liberal politician.-Family and education:Williams was born on Christmas Day, 1881 the son of Peter Williams, Managing Director of the Brymbo Steel Company near Wrexham...
, who was born at Brymbo) to trial steelmaking using the open-hearth process, and by January 1885 Brymbo had produced its first steel in a plant which was the first of its kind 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...
.
Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds
The effects of the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
caused the works to go bankrupt in 1931. The plant was saved, and production restarted, by Henry Robertson's son, Sir Henry Beyer Robertson (1862–1948). Robertson formed a new company and put Emrys Davies and Thomas Roberts in charge of production, as well as negotiating a lucrative contract to supply engineering steel for Rolls-Royce Limited
Rolls-Royce Limited
Rolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
aero engines. The business changed company name again in 1948, on the latter occasion becoming a part of GKN. From 1956 onwards the works were hugely expanded, new electric furnaces being sited on an artificial hill made from furnace waste. A further expansion in the early 1970s resulted in the construction of a large, modern rolling mill south of the main steelworks site.
Brymbo was nationalised with the rest of the steel industry in 1967, becoming a division of British Steel Corporation. In 1978, the steelworks took its single automated blast furnace out of use, and concentrated on the production of high-quality steels from scrap metal.
The works were served by the Wrexham and Minera Branch
Wrexham and Minera Branch
The Wrexham and Minera Railway or Wrexham and Minera Branch was a railway line in North Wales between the town of Wrexham, the village of Brymbo where it served the Brymbo Steelworks, and the lead mines and limeworks at Minera. A further branch ran from Brymbo to Coed Talon, where it connected with...
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...
, later of British Railways. During its history the steelworks was involved with or supported a number of other industrial sites in the immediate area, including collieries (with the Blast Pit being located within the works itself) and a brickworks at Cae-llo which produced firebricks until 1975.
Steel production lasted until 1990, when the steelworks was closed by its then owners, United Engineering Steels. 1,100 jobs were lost.
Today
The site has now been developed to support large amounts of housing. It is currently planned to keep the long standing Machine Shop and No 1 blast furnace, both original buildings.Sport
Brymbo Steelworks had a football team that won a number of local leaguesWelsh National League (Wrexham Area)
The Welsh National League is a football league in Wales and forms level 3 of the Welsh football league system in Denbighshire, Flintshire, and Gwynedd...
.