Barrow Steelworks

An Illustrated History of the Haematite Steel Company

During the second half of the 19th century, Barrow-in-Furness became a pioneer in iron and steel production. It was an industry that grew astronomically to become the largest integrated steelworks in north Lancashire and Cumberland, and at one time the largest steelworks in the world. Its success was due, apart from those provided by nature, to having the prestige of three dukes as directors. The company owned collieries in three counties and ore mines in two. This book chronicles the company's past, from the early empire through the interwar and post-war years, the development of continuous casting in the 1950s, which revolutionized steelmaking, and finally, the struggles and ultimate demise of this once prominent industry from the 1960s onwards.