Port Talbot Steelworks
Encyclopedia
Port Talbot Steelworks
is an integrated steel
production plant in Port Talbot
, Wales
capable of producing nearly 5 million tonnes of steel slab per annum. The majority of the slab is rolled on-site at Port Talbot and at the Newport Llanwern site to make a variety of steel strip products. The remainder is processed at other Tata Steel
plants or sold in slab form. The works covers a large area of land which dominates the south of the town with the blast furnace
s and steel production
plant buildings being major landmarks visible from both the M4 motorway
and the South Wales Main Line
when passing through the town. Enough steel is produced at the site to produce 400 standard food cans per second.
. Constructed in 1901-5, the works was named after Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot
of Margam Castle
, the principal sponsor of the developments at Port Talbot docks
, which had opened in 1837.
Closed in 1961, the site was demolished in 1963. The General Offices now house Port Talbot magistrates' court
, but the rest of the site is an industrial estate.
Abbey Works was planned in 1947, but today is correctly termed Tata Steel Strip Products UK Port Talbot Works. Several steel manufacturers in South Wales pooled their resources to form the Steel Company of Wales
, to construct a modern integrated steelworks on a site then owned by Guest, Keen and Baldwins
. However, political manoeuvring led to tinplate production being retained in its original heartland further west, at two new works in Trostre and Felindre
. Opened in 1951, it was fully operational by 1953.
At the time of peak employment
in the 1960s, the Abbey Works was Europe's
largest steelworks and the largest single employer in Wales, with a labour force of 18,000.
In 1967, The Steel Company of Wales was absorbed into British Steel
, which was later privatised and merged to form Corus Group
. Tata Group
agreed to purchase all Corus' ordinary shares in March 2007, and the deal was concluded in April 2007. In 2010 it was announced that Corus was to be rebranded to the group name of Tata Steel Europe.
, the plants produced up to 3.5 million tonnes of hot rolled and cold rolled annealed
in steel coils per annum, for a variety of different end uses. Output is taken by rail from Margam Knuckle Yard
to: Shotton for coating; Trostre for tinplating; Ebbw Vale for rolling and coating; or direct to the Midlands motor industry and domestic goods.
On the extensive steelworks site, fume and water vapour from, predominantly, Coke Oven Quench towers, Sinter Plant Stacks and cooling towers can be observed from many miles away together with ignited by-product gasses from various production units. When exiting Port Talbot in an easterly direction, the Abbey Works steel products plant (which is over 1 miles (1.6 km) long) is clearly visible. The smell of sulphur often hangs over this part of the town.
Top Gear
have used the Port Talbot steelworks a number of times to film. Director Terry Gilliam
cited the Port Talbot Steelworks as a major initial influence in developing the movie Brazil
.
Port Talbot Steelworks
Port Talbot Steelworks is an integrated steel production plant in Port Talbot, Wales capable of producing nearly 5 million tonnes of steel slab per annum. The majority of the slab is rolled on-site at Port Talbot and at the Newport Llanwern site to make a variety of steel strip products. The...
is an integrated steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
production plant in Port Talbot
Port Talbot
Port Talbot is a town in Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It had a population of 35,633 in 2001.-History:Port Talbot grew out of the original small port and market town of Aberafan , which belonged to the medieval Lords of Afan. The area of the parish of Margam lying on the west bank of the lower Afan...
, 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...
capable of producing nearly 5 million tonnes of steel slab per annum. The majority of the slab is rolled on-site at Port Talbot and at the Newport Llanwern site to make a variety of steel strip products. The remainder is processed at other Tata Steel
Tata Steel
Tata Steel is a multinational steel company headquartered in Jamshedpur, India and part of Tata Group. It is the world's seventh-largest steel company, with an annual crude steel capacity of 31 million tonnes, and the largest private-sector steel company in India measured by domestic production...
plants or sold in slab form. The works covers a large area of land which dominates the south of the town with the 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 and steel production
Steel mill
A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel.Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. It is produced in a two-stage process. First, iron ore is reduced or smelted with coke and limestone in a blast furnace, producing molten iron which is either cast into pig iron or...
plant buildings being major landmarks visible from both the M4 motorway
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
and the South Wales Main Line
South Wales Main Line
The South Wales Main Line , originally known as the London, Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway or simply as the Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway, is a branch of the Great Western Main Line in Great Britain...
when passing through the town. Enough steel is produced at the site to produce 400 standard food cans per second.
History
The site at Margam is made up of a number of plants across a large site, developed since 1901.Port Talbot steelworks
The original works were built by Gilbertson, and situated south of Port Talbot railway stationPort Talbot Parkway railway station
Port Talbot Parkway railway station is a railway station in Port Talbot, Wales. The station is located at street level near Station Road in Port Talbot town centre.-History:...
. Constructed in 1901-5, the works was named after Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot
Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot
Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot FRS was a landowner, industrialist and Liberal politician. He developed his estate at Margam near Swansea as an extensive ironworks, served by railways and a port, which was re-named Port Talbot.-Early life:Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot was born at Penrice, Swansea,...
of Margam Castle
Margam Castle
Margam Castle is a large mansion house built in Margam, Port Talbot, Wales, for the Talbot family. It was built on a site which had been occupied for some 4000 years and from the 11th century was an abbey. The "castle" is actually a comfortable Victorian era country house, one of many "mock" or...
, the principal sponsor of the developments at Port Talbot docks
Port Talbot Docks
The port of Port Talbot is located on the River Afan estuary next to Port Talbot Steelworks in the industrial town of Port Talbot, South Wales. The whole basin complex covers about , consisting of: an inner set of floating docks, developed from 1834 onwards; and an outer tidal basin, completed in...
, which had opened in 1837.
Closed in 1961, the site was demolished in 1963. The General Offices now house Port Talbot magistrates' court
Magistrates' Court
A magistrates' court or court of petty sessions, formerly known as a police court, is the lowest level of court in England and Wales and many other common law jurisdictions...
, but the rest of the site is an industrial estate.
Margam Steelworks
Steelmaking at the Port Talbot complex began with the Margam Iron and Steel Works, completed in 1923/6.Abbey works
Steel Company of Wales
The Steel Company of Wales Ltd was a Welsh steel and tinplate producer. It was formed in 1947 and absorbed into British Steel in 1967. The business now forms part of Corus, a subsidiary of Tata Steel....
, to construct a modern integrated steelworks on a site then owned by Guest, Keen and Baldwins
GKN
GKN plc is a multinational automotive and aerospace components company headquartered in Redditch, United Kingdom. The company was formerly known as Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds and can trace its origins back to 1759 and the birth of the Industrial Revolution.GKN is listed on the London Stock...
. However, political manoeuvring led to tinplate production being retained in its original heartland further west, at two new works in Trostre and Felindre
Felindre
Felindre is a rural village in south Wales. The village can be found in the far north of Swansea, in the electoral ward of Mawr.The nearby Lower Lliw Reservoirs are a popular venue for walking and fishing. The water mill in the village was working until the late 1960s, there was also an abbatoir...
. Opened in 1951, it was fully operational by 1953.
At the time of peak employment
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
in the 1960s, the Abbey Works was Europe's
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
largest steelworks and the largest single employer in Wales, with a labour force of 18,000.
In 1967, The Steel Company of Wales was absorbed into British Steel
British Steel
British Steel was a major British steel producer. It originated as a nationalised industry, the British Steel Corporation , formed in 1967. This was converted to a public limited company, British Steel PLC, and privatised in 1988. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...
, which was later privatised and merged to form Corus Group
Corus Group
Tata Steel Europe is a multinational steel-making company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the second-largest steel-maker in Europe and is a subsidiary of Tata Steel of India, one of the ten largest steel producers in the world.Corus Group was formed through the merger of Koninklijke...
. Tata Group
Tata Group
Tata Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Tata Group is one of the largest companies in India by market capitalization and revenue. It has interests in communications and information technology, engineering, materials, services, energy,...
agreed to purchase all Corus' ordinary shares in March 2007, and the deal was concluded in April 2007. In 2010 it was announced that Corus was to be rebranded to the group name of Tata Steel Europe.
Today
An integrated steelmaking site using imported ore and coal, together with Llanwern steelworksLlanwern steelworks
Llanwern Steelworks is located in Llanwern, east of the City of Newport, South Wales.Built by Richard Thomas & Baldwin Ltd, the works was originally referred to locally as "The RTB", before being called Spencer Works and later Llanwern...
, the plants produced up to 3.5 million tonnes of hot rolled and cold rolled annealed
Annealing (metallurgy)
Annealing, in metallurgy and materials science, is a heat treatment wherein a material is altered, causing changes in its properties such as strength and hardness. It is a process that produces conditions by heating to above the recrystallization temperature, maintaining a suitable temperature, and...
in steel coils per annum, for a variety of different end uses. Output is taken by rail from Margam Knuckle Yard
Margam Knuckle Yard
Margam Knuckle Yard is a railway yard in Margam, South Wales, on the South Wales Main Line, operated by DB Schenker Rail . The yard is the major freight yard of the region, handling all of the rail freight movements from Port Talbot Steelworks, and most of the railfreight traffic around South...
to: Shotton for coating; Trostre for tinplating; Ebbw Vale for rolling and coating; or direct to the Midlands motor industry and domestic goods.
On the extensive steelworks site, fume and water vapour from, predominantly, Coke Oven Quench towers, Sinter Plant Stacks and cooling towers can be observed from many miles away together with ignited by-product gasses from various production units. When exiting Port Talbot in an easterly direction, the Abbey Works steel products plant (which is over 1 miles (1.6 km) long) is clearly visible. The smell of sulphur often hangs over this part of the town.
Top Gear
Top Gear (current format)
Top Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style...
have used the Port Talbot steelworks a number of times to film. Director Terry Gilliam
Terry Gilliam
Terrence Vance "Terry" Gilliam is an American-born British screenwriter, film director, animator, actor and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam is also known for directing several films, including Brazil , The Adventures of Baron Munchausen , The Fisher King , and 12 Monkeys...
cited the Port Talbot Steelworks as a major initial influence in developing the movie Brazil
Brazil (film)
Brazil is a 1985 British science fiction fantasy/black comedy film directed by Terry Gilliam. It was written by Gilliam, Charles McKeown, and Tom Stoppard and stars Jonathan Pryce. The film also features Robert De Niro, Kim Greist, Michael Palin, Katherine Helmond, Bob Hoskins, and Ian Holm...
.