Mon, 25 Sep 2006 13:09:28 GMT
On Saturday 23rd September the Yorkshire SPAB group visited Darnall Crucible Steelworks near Sheffield.
Our guide for the afternoon was Andrew Shepherd of Elden Minns the architects responsible for the conservation and regeneration of the site.
The visit was organised by Ray Wilson and the following text is from his introduction:-
The Crucible Shops at Darnall Works were built between 1871-2 for the casting of large items from crucible steel using the continuous teaming method. They were in use until the 1920’s and reopened briefly during World War II. All ancillary activities required for the production of crucible steel took place on site including the production of the clay crucible pots.
Crucible steel was developed in the 18th century by Doncaster clockmaker Benjamin Huntsman in his search for better quality steel to make clock springs. This development championed Sheffield’s rapid 19th century expansion during which time the city was responsible for supplying half of all Europe’s steel. Chairman of English Heritage, Sir Neil Cossons stated that the £7m investment in the Darnall Works was “a superb example of heritage-led regeneration in an area that made a crucial contribution to Britain’s Industrial Revolution”.
The site is a unique survival from this innovative age of steel production and is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument. In addition to the Crucible Shops there are five other Listed buildings on the site. The overall site is one of fifteen Pilot Projects selected by the DCMS/EH for inclusion in the current Designations Review Programme.
