Workington Iron and Steel Co:1935 Review
Note: This is a sub-section of Workington Iron and Steel Co
Visit of the Iron and Steel Institute to the Iron, Steel and Engineering Industries of Manchester and District
United Steel Company Limited, Workington Works.
The Workington Branch of the United Steel Companies is a self-contained combination operating its own hematite iron ore mines, limestone quarries, coal mines, coke oven plants, bye-product plants, blast furnaces, acid Bessemer steel plant and rolling mills.
These undertakings are situated on the west coast of Cumberland within an area extending along the shores of the Solway Firth from Maryport in the north to Egremont in the south. Workington is the concentration point, and it is here that the iron and steel plant is situated. This has the advantage of being conveniently near to the Prince of Wales Dock, to which the works are connected by a private railway. The dock, which was considerably enlarged just after the war, is capable of handling 10,000 ton boats, and is fully equipped for the export of pig iron steel and coal, and for the importation of iron ores and other materials.
The chief ores used at the blast furnaces are local hematites; of these, a large proportion is produced at the Company's Beckermet and Bigrigg mines, whence they are conveyed to the works by rail. The rough ores are treated at a crushing and screening plant at the works. Limestone of good quality is obtained from the Company's Rowrah quarries, where it is screened and graded, ready for use in the blast furnaces.
The Company operates three colliery undertakings in the district, the Risehow Colliery, Coking and Bye-Product Company situated near to Maryport, the Moresby Coal Company and the Harrington Collieries situated five miles south of Workington, from which are drawn supplies of coal for its two coke oven plants. The two latter undertakings have coke oven and bye-product plants attached to them which are working at present, but a new installation of coke oven and bye-product plant is in the course of construction. The new plant, which incorporates all the latest improvements in coking practice, is being built by the Woodall-Duckham Company, and adjoins the blast furnace plant at Derwent, which will enable the coke to be delivered with....[more]
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