Park Gate Iron and Steel Company
Encyclopedia
The Park Gate Iron and Steel Company was situated in Parkgate on a triangular site bounded on two sides by the main Rotherham
to Barnsley road (A633) and the North Midland Railway
's main line between Rotherham
and Cudworth
Stations.
. The company was first sold in 1832 and became the "Birmingham Tin Plate Company". Over the years, along with the business changing hands several times, an expansion was made over Rotherham Road to the Park Gate site, which continued until the 1970s. The first blast furnace was installed in 1839 and, following another change in ownership, a mill for the rolling of railway lines was installed in 1845.
It was recorded, in 1854, that Samuel Beal & Company produced the cast iron armour plating for Isambard Kingdom Brunel
's famous steamship the SS Great Eastern
. Samuel Beale retired in 1864 and his son incorporated the company under the name Parkgate Iron Company Limited.
Two further blast furnaces were brought into operation in 1871 and further new plant added over the following ten years, this including a slab mill, a large plate mill, a billet mill and three open hearth furnaces. A further change of name took place in 1888 when the company was renamed Parkgate Iron & Steel Company Limited this representing a shift in its manufacturing base.
By 1908 the works had gone over entirely to steel production and until 1946 its main products were steel ingots intended for further processing, in particular steel plate and armour plate for the shipbuilding industry and solid bar products ranging from ⅜" to 9½". The company also produced sectional shapes and in particular arches and props for the mining industry.
land was purchased at nearby Roundwood and by 1920, a tenth open hearth furnace was added and new rolling capacity on 10" ,12" and 18" rolling mills brought on stream.
In 1946 Steel plate rolling ended and in 1953 the 11" continuous bar mill was completed, this was to roll both straight and coiled bar. In 1963 the new site covered some 370 acres (1.5 km²) and the Roundwood site, adjacent to the Midland Railway's main line to the north of the main works, and covering a further 220 acre (0.8903092 km²) was coming on stream. The plant at that time included two mechanically charged blast furnace
s feeding 10 open hearth steel making furnaces which, in turn, fed two primary mills for rolling blooms and billets and 6 finishing mills rolling a wide range of blooms,billets,slabs,sections,bars and strip. The Roundwood site was occupied by an 11" Continuous Bar Mill and a Narrow Hot Strip Mill. Capacity at the time was around 425,000 tons of carbon, low alloy, and free-cutting steel and ingots.
The company was nationalised in 1948 along with most of the other U.K.'s bulk steel producers. In 1956 the company was bought by the Tube Investments group and major development work was planned for a site at Aldwarke, to come on stream in the 1960s. This included 'Kaldo' process 'Basic Oxygen Steelmaking' Plant which was fed from the blast furnaces at Parkgate, ladles being transferred by rail between the sites. This development also included hot rolling facilities.By the 1970s demand had changed and part of the old plant was demolished, the remainder of the Parkgate site closing in 1985 with the closure of the heat treatment dept. In 1976 rolling capacity was increased with the coming on stream of the Thrybergh Bar Mill.
opened its 1/2 mile long Park Gate branch, to serve the works, in August 1873. The branch left the main line about 1/2 mile south of Parkgate and Aldwarke station and passed below the Midland line. Iron ore arrived here, this being brought from the company's mines in the Grantham and Northamptonshire areas. The company was also a shareholder in the iron ore mines at Appleby near Scunthorpe.
The Midland Railway
had connections adjacent to Parkgate and Rawmarsh station
which served sidings adjacent to the blast furnace plant, iron ore arriving here from the quarries in Northamptonshire.
Connections to the present site are maintained either through the 'New Yard', adjacent to the M.S.& L.R. line near Parkgate and Aldwarke station, or directly into the 11" mill from the Midland line at Aldwarke Junction
.
The works has had an internal rail system from its early days and this now takes traffic from the 'New Yard' throughout the site.
In the late 1950s the system was dieselised and the company took delivery of 10 four-coupled locomotives from Brush Traction
of Loughborough. These were joined in the mid-1960s by six six-coupled locomotives, again from Brush. Although the network has been cut back over the years there is enough work to warrant its retention. The Parkgate fleet was joined by some locomotives from the Rotherham Works of Steel, Peech and Tozer
on it closure, including examples built by the Yorkshire Engine Company
of Sheffield.
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
to Barnsley road (A633) and the North Midland Railway
North Midland Railway
The North Midland Railway was a British railway company, which opened its line from Derby to Rotherham and Leeds in 1840.At Derby it connected with the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway and the Midland Counties Railway at what became known as the Tri Junct Station...
's main line between Rotherham
Rotherham Masborough railway station
Rotherham Masborough railway station was the main railway station for Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England from the 1840s, until most of its trains were rerouted via Rotherham Central in 1987...
and Cudworth
Cudworth railway station
Cudworth railway station was a railway station that served Cudworth, South Yorkshire, England. It was built by the North Midland Railway shortly after it opened in 1840. It was originally called Barnsley and is referred to in Allens Guide as Barnsley Station at Cudworth Bridge...
Stations.
History
Records, dating from 1823, show the establishment of a Parkgate Ironworks by Sanderson and Watson. This was sited at the junction of Rotherham Road and Taylors Lane with part of the works facing on to the Greasbrough CanalGreasbrough Canal
The Greasbrough Canal was a private canal built by the Marquess of Rockingham to serve his coal mining interests in and around the village of Greasbrough, near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1780, and the Newbiggin branch was built some time later...
. The company was first sold in 1832 and became the "Birmingham Tin Plate Company". Over the years, along with the business changing hands several times, an expansion was made over Rotherham Road to the Park Gate site, which continued until the 1970s. The first blast furnace was installed in 1839 and, following another change in ownership, a mill for the rolling of railway lines was installed in 1845.
It was recorded, in 1854, that Samuel Beal & Company produced the cast iron armour plating for Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
's famous steamship the SS Great Eastern
SS Great Eastern
SS Great Eastern was an iron sailing steam ship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and built by J. Scott Russell & Co. at Millwall on the River Thames, London. She was by far the largest ship ever built at the time of her 1858 launch, and had the capacity to carry 4,000 passengers around the...
. Samuel Beale retired in 1864 and his son incorporated the company under the name Parkgate Iron Company Limited.
Two further blast furnaces were brought into operation in 1871 and further new plant added over the following ten years, this including a slab mill, a large plate mill, a billet mill and three open hearth furnaces. A further change of name took place in 1888 when the company was renamed Parkgate Iron & Steel Company Limited this representing a shift in its manufacturing base.
By 1908 the works had gone over entirely to steel production and until 1946 its main products were steel ingots intended for further processing, in particular steel plate and armour plate for the shipbuilding industry and solid bar products ranging from ⅜" to 9½". The company also produced sectional shapes and in particular arches and props for the mining industry.
Iron and Steel making plant
Following the end of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
land was purchased at nearby Roundwood and by 1920, a tenth open hearth furnace was added and new rolling capacity on 10" ,12" and 18" rolling mills brought on stream.
In 1946 Steel plate rolling ended and in 1953 the 11" continuous bar mill was completed, this was to roll both straight and coiled bar. In 1963 the new site covered some 370 acres (1.5 km²) and the Roundwood site, adjacent to the Midland Railway's main line to the north of the main works, and covering a further 220 acre (0.8903092 km²) was coming on stream. The plant at that time included two mechanically charged 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 feeding 10 open hearth steel making furnaces which, in turn, fed two primary mills for rolling blooms and billets and 6 finishing mills rolling a wide range of blooms,billets,slabs,sections,bars and strip. The Roundwood site was occupied by an 11" Continuous Bar Mill and a Narrow Hot Strip Mill. Capacity at the time was around 425,000 tons of carbon, low alloy, and free-cutting steel and ingots.
The company was nationalised in 1948 along with most of the other U.K.'s bulk steel producers. In 1956 the company was bought by the Tube Investments group and major development work was planned for a site at Aldwarke, to come on stream in the 1960s. This included 'Kaldo' process 'Basic Oxygen Steelmaking' Plant which was fed from the blast furnaces at Parkgate, ladles being transferred by rail between the sites. This development also included hot rolling facilities.By the 1970s demand had changed and part of the old plant was demolished, the remainder of the Parkgate site closing in 1985 with the closure of the heat treatment dept. In 1976 rolling capacity was increased with the coming on stream of the Thrybergh Bar Mill.
Rail Connections
All the sites have been rail connected.The original site also had access to the Greasborough canal. The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire RailwayManchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway was formed by amalgamation in 1847. The MS&LR changed its name to the Great Central Railway in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension.-Origin:...
opened its 1/2 mile long Park Gate branch, to serve the works, in August 1873. The branch left the main line about 1/2 mile south of Parkgate and Aldwarke station and passed below the Midland line. Iron ore arrived here, this being brought from the company's mines in the Grantham and Northamptonshire areas. The company was also a shareholder in the iron ore mines at Appleby near Scunthorpe.
The Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
had connections adjacent to Parkgate and Rawmarsh station
Parkgate and Rawmarsh railway station
Parkgate and Rawmarsh railway station, originally named Park Gate and Rawmarsh was situated in Parkgate, adjacent to the Park Gate Iron and Steel Company's works...
which served sidings adjacent to the blast furnace plant, iron ore arriving here from the quarries in Northamptonshire.
Connections to the present site are maintained either through the 'New Yard', adjacent to the M.S.& L.R. line near Parkgate and Aldwarke station, or directly into the 11" mill from the Midland line at Aldwarke Junction
Aldwarke Junction
Aldwarke Junction at Parkgate near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England is a major railway junction. It was constructed in 1965 as a part of the Sheffield district rail rationalisation plan.- The Location :...
.
The works has had an internal rail system from its early days and this now takes traffic from the 'New Yard' throughout the site.
In the late 1950s the system was dieselised and the company took delivery of 10 four-coupled locomotives from Brush Traction
Brush Traction
This article is about a British rail-locomotive maker. For the Detroit auto-maker, see Brush Motor Car CompanyBrush Traction is a manufacturer and maintainer of railway locomotives, part of the FKI group , based at Loughborough in Leicestershire, England situated alongside the Midland Main Line.-...
of Loughborough. These were joined in the mid-1960s by six six-coupled locomotives, again from Brush. Although the network has been cut back over the years there is enough work to warrant its retention. The Parkgate fleet was joined by some locomotives from the Rotherham Works of Steel, Peech and Tozer
Steel, Peech and Tozer
Steel, Peech and Tozer was a large steel maker with works situated at Ickles and Templeborough, in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England.- History :...
on it closure, including examples built by the Yorkshire Engine Company
Yorkshire Engine Company
The Yorkshire Engine Company was a small independent locomotive manufacturer in Sheffield, England. The Company was formed in 1865 and continued to produce locomotives and carry out general engineering work until 1965...
of Sheffield.