East Cleveland Image Archive

This is the view i used to get just out of the door of the Shift Lab on the Talbot’s, the ‘A’ end of a furnace (in this case either ‘B’ or ‘C’). It is easy to see the difference between this image and the image of the gas-fired one in an earlier post. The burner end is mobile for maintenance and carries much more complex pipe work.

Taken from the top of No. 5 perhaps (maybe during its construction in the 1950’s?).

A different view of the iron and steel works, looking inland, and down into the valley.  The two rows of Furnace Cottages can be seen.

I spent the last 12 years or so of my employment here as a metallurgist in the Bottom Test House (just to the right of the water tower and partly hidden by the tall chimney, nearly in the centre of the picture)

Skinningrove Rolling Mills evolved as completely self-sufficient units, capable of developing the rolls for new sections and manufacturing them from blanks. A number of highly skilled men were involved, from the draughtsmen drawing up the profiles, the pattern makers manufacturing the cut profiles for the roll turners to manufacture.The roll turner in the photo is Harry Roberts.
This photo was taken in the old roll shop which was situated under the mill arch and mill gantry crane, proably taken in the late 60’s as the present roll shop came into operation in 1970/71.
Thanks to Mike Hore for the update.

I’m not sure which stand this is in the 18” Mill, perhaps someone can enlighten me?

Raymond Stonehouse advises: ”I believe this view is of the Intermediate and Finishing Stands, looking at them from the Saw side (North Sea).”

Thanks to Raymond for the update.

The same applies here, it was almost a taboo place for the ininitiated, the steel used to hurtle around on the mill floor – very scary!

A view down the shop.  18? mill before remodelling. in 1956.

As the mining industry modernised the coal mine in particular moved across to steel for its roof supports and Skinningrove was quick to capitalise on this, its 18″ (or Little) Mill being ideally suited to producing small ‘H’ beams (or ‘I’ beams, if you prefer) and as the order book grew so did the Colliery Arch Department. They were all cold-formed on these rotary bending machines.

How do you make perfectly finished squared ends to your steel products – with a cropping machine like this.

The rotary tippler at Skinningrove Iron and Steel Works. When this plant was working my white collars would turn a paler shade of grey in no time!

This is the Skinningrove I knew and loved! In the foreground, under that water tower was the fuel lab (upstairs) and the day lab (downstairs). I spent my first twelve months on the ’Grove as a junior chemist here.