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Motherwell, Ravenscraig Steelworks

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Steel Works (20th Century)

Site Name Motherwell, Ravenscraig Steelworks

Classification Steel Works (20th Century)

Alternative Name(s) Colvilles Ltd

Canmore ID 70181

Site Number NS75NE 16

NGR NS 77 56

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/70181

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
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Digital Images

Motherwell, Ravenscraig Steelworks, Interior View showing open-hearth melting shop
Motherwell, Ravenscraig Steelworks, Interior View showing open-hearth melting shop Motherwell, Ravescraig Steelworks, Interior View showing open-hearth melting shopCopy of drawing. Layout of Steelmaking Plant. Ravenscraig (including scale). Original in CultureNL collections.Aerial view.Aerial view.View of gas holders from SW.General view of cooling towers from SW.General view of main administration and canteen building from N.Motherwell, Ravescraig Steelworks, Interior View of open-hearth shop showing regeneratorsMotherwell, Ravescraig Steelworks, Interior View of open-hearth shop showing machineOblique aerial view centred on Ravenscraig steelworks, Motherwell, in 1991. Since demolished. Here we see the Oower Station (left) and its three cooling towers along with the two gasholders to the right. Engineering Services are in the background (right) and the Ironworks Stores (background left)Aerial view.General view of main administration and canteen building from N.General view of sidings, ore stockyard and conveyor control tower from S.Interior. View of hot strip mill motor-house from S.Interior. View of motor house in hot strip mill.View of bridge over railway sidings from E.View of electricity transformer house from W.Motherwell, Ravescraig Steelworks, Interior View of open-hearth furnaceMotherwell, Ravescraig Steelworks, Interior View of open-hearth shop showing charging machineMotherwell, Ravenscraig Steelworks View from SE showing SSE front of melting shop with charging skips for open-hearth shop in foregroundCopy of drawing. Layout of Continuous Casting Plant and 1725mm Wide Semi Continuos Hot Strip Mill. Original in CultureNL collections.Aerial view.Aerial view.Aerial view.View of gas holders from SW.View of blast furnaces nos 1 and 2, blast furnace gas holder, stoves and cooling tower from N.View from N along W side of range of coke ovens, showing chimney-stacks and coke oven gas pipes.View of hot strip mill from S.General view of lamp standard outside headquarters building on W side.General view of shelter near scrap preparation department.Motherwell, Ravescraig Steelworks, Interior View showing open-hearth furnace (lining removed)Motherwell, Ravescraig Steelworks, Interior View of open-hearth shop showing charging machineMotherwell, Ravescraig Steelworks, Interior View of open-hearth shop showing additive hoppersMotherwell, Ravescraig Steelworks, Interior View of open-hearth shop showing tapping bayMotherwell, Ravescraig Steelworks View from S showing body of dragline excavator with part of SSE front of melting shop in backgroundAerial view.Aerial photograph of a general view of Ravenscraig Steelworks, and surrounding area, including Anderson Boyes, Craigneuk Street, Motherwell. A separate selective enlargement covers the foreground of the above photograph, and shows Anderson Boyes, Craigneuk Street, Motherwell only. The selective enlargement is held in the Motherwell A-C boxfile.Aerial view.View of gas holders and cooling towers from S.General view of power station from SW.General view of headquarters building from SE.General view of scrap presentation department from S.General view of ore bed being gathered by Strachan barrel reclaimer for transport by conveyor to sintering plant, from N.General view of ore stackyard with boom stackers, conveyors and control tower from SW.View from E of third bank of coke ovens disgorging coke into railway wagon for quenching in tower at N end of range.General view of fourth bank of coke ovens, at N end of range, from NWGeneral view of basic oxygen steel department and continuous casting department.General view of power station cooling towers from NW.General view of basic oxygen steel plant from SE.Motherwell, Ravescraig Steelworks, Interior View of open-hearth shop showing machineMotherwell, Ravescraig Steelworks, Interior View of open-hearth shop showing ingot mouldsMotherwell, Ravescraig Steelworks, Interior View of open-hearth shop showing ingot mouldsMotherwell, Ravescraig Steelworks View from E showing charging skips for open-hearth shop with part of W block in backgroundAerial photograph of a general view of Ravenscraig Steelworks, and surrounding area, including Anderson Boyes, Craigneuk Street, Motherwell from south. This shows two of the three cooling towers of the Ravenscraig site (right), Scrap Metal Preparation area (with 'white' roof), Stripping and Mould Preparation, North and South Casting Say and Ladle Sevice Bay building left); Coke Ovens and Blast Furnaces beyond with their cooling towers (centre) and Sinter Plant no. 3 at the north end of the site (top right). The sag tipping, processing and storage areas sit to the north (top). A separate selective enlargement covers the foreground of the above photograph, and shows Anderson Boyes, Craigneuk Street, Motherwell only. The selective enlargement is held in the Motherwell A-C boxfile.Copy of plan. Ravenscraig Works Revised 1988 (including scale). Original in CultureNL collections.Oblique aerial view.Aerial view.Aerial view.Aerial view.General view of cooling towers and gas holders from SW.General view of sinter plant from NE.View of cooling towers and gas holders from NW.Interior. View of hot strip mill motor-house from N.General view of power station cooling towers from NW.General view from E of third bank of coke ovens disgorging coke into waiting wagon for quenching in tower at N end of range. General view of no.1 blast furnace and water settling tanks from NW.Motherwell, Ravescraig Steelworks, Interior View showing open-hearth furnaceMotherwell, Ravescraig Steelworks, Interior View of open-hearth shop showing charging machineMotherwell, Ravescraig Steelworks, Interior View of open-hearth shop showing regeneratorsMotherwell, Ravescraig Steelworks, Interior View of open-hearth shop showing ingot mouldsMotherwell, Ravescraig Steelworks View from S showing SSE front and part of WSW front of melting shopMotherwell, Ravescraig Steelworks View from E showing body of dragline excavator with part of W block in backgroundScanned image of photograph of cooling towers and gas holders from NW at the scrap preparation area.Ravenscraig, powerstation, oblique aerial view.Oblique aerial view. This shows the three cooling towers and two gas holders at the south end of the site (top left), scrap metal preparation area (beyond the coke ovens, with 'white' roof), stripping and mould preparation, casting bay (south) and ladle sevice bay building (top right); coke ovens and blast furnaces (centre) and blending yard (bottom left). The building on the bottom right is Sinter Plant no. 3 at the north end of the site.Copy of drawing. Layout of Steelmaking Plant. Ravenscraig. Original in CultureNL collections.Aerial view.Aerial view.General view of cooling towers and gas holders from S.General view of regional training building, coal bunkers, coke oven chimneys, no 3 blast furnace and coke oven by-product department, from SW.General view of steel trestle viaduct from SW.General view of steel trestle viaduct from SW.View of third bank of coke ovens from E.View of hot strip mill from S.Interior. View of hot strip mill.Interior. View of hot strip mill.View of basic oxygen steel plant from SW, with nitrogen tank in foreground.Motherwell, Ravescraig Steelworks, Interior View of open-hearth shop showing charging machineMotherwell, Ravescraig Steelworks, Interior View of open-hearth shop showing tapping bayMotherwell, Ravescraig Steelworks, Interior View of open-hearth shop showing tapping bayMotherwell, Ravescraig Steelworks, Interior View of open-hearth shop showing machineMotherwell, Ravescraig Steelworks, Interior View of open-hearth shop showing ingot mouldsOblique aerial view. Here we see the three cooling towers and the larger of the two gas holders, together with the engineering services building on the left and the power station bottom of the frame..Oblique aerial view from south. This shows the Power Station, the three cooling towers and two gas holders at the south end of the site (right); Scrap Metal Preparation area (with 'white' roof), Stripping and Mould Preparation, north and south Casting Bays (left); the four Coke Ovens with the three Blast Furnaces beyond (centre, note the Blast Furnaces' cooling towers). The white building on the top right is Sinter Plant no. 3 at the north end of the site. Slag storage and tipping area is at the extreme north end of the site (top) and slag processing (top right) is beyond Sinter Plant No 3Copy of plan. Ravenscraig Works Revised 1988. Original in CultureNL collections.Oblique aerial view.Aerial view.General view from SW.General view of power station from SW.

First 100 images shown. See the Collections panel (below) for a link to all digital images.

Administrative Areas

  • Council North Lanarkshire
  • Parish Dalziel
  • Former Region Strathclyde
  • Former District Motherwell
  • Former County Lanarkshire

Treasured Places (29 August 2007)

Treasured Places

Ravenscraig Steel Works was built by Colvilles Ltd to meet post-war demand for strip steel. Molten iron was transferred from blast furnaces to steel furnaces, producing ingots that were then rolled into strips. The plant operated until its closure in the 1990s, and its distinctive cooling towers and gas-holders were demolished in 1996.

Information from RCAHMS (SC) 29 August 2007

Based on information from John Hume

Further Details

Architecture Notes

NMRS REFERENCE

Hot strip mill - closed 1990.

Further Details

Activities

Construction (June 1956)

Construction of a workshop.

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Photographic Record (June 1956)

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Field Visit (1978)

JR Hume Industrial Archaeology Survey

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Field Visit (24 June 1987)

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Aerial Photography (1989)

1989 RCAHMS Aerial Survey

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Field Visit (December 1990)

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Photographic Survey (15 October 1991)

1991 RCAHMS Industrial Survey

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Aerial Photography (1991)

1991 RCAHMS Aerial Survey

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Photographic Survey (6 August 1992)

1992 Threatened Buildings Survey

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Publication Account (1997)

Before its closure in 1992, Ravenscraig was an integrated iron and steelworks situated on a 1,000 acre site, with a liquid steel capacity of up to 2 million tonnes per annum. Built on a greenfield location in 1957, the plant underwent steady development over the following three decades, increasinly orientate towards specialised, high-quality steel-production. Latterly, about 75% of its steel output passed through the strip mill, where it was converte into hot rolled coil for further processing elsewhere. Some of the vast physcial remains of the works still survive, awaiting disposal or clearance. (Fig. 4.67).

Information from 'Rebuilding Scotland: The Postwar Vision, 1945-75', (1997).

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