Many thanks for the memories. My grandparents lived in The Grove, just down from the works and I spent lots of time staying with them in the 50s and 60s. My grandad and one of his sons, my uncle, both served their time there in the electrical department. The house in which they lived was a 1930s council house with metal casement windows that rattled to the sound of the trucks coming up from Moorside, toiling with their huge loads. The only source of heating in the house was a coal fire with back boiler for hot water and in an average winter, the rest of the house was so cold, we had to scrape the ice from the INSIDES of the windows. In 1963, the worst winter in my (albeit fading) memory, the snow was so deep we had to dig our way out. In the mid and late 60s, I was at a boarding school in Tynedale and at weekends would get the bus to Consett then walk down to The Grove through the middle of all that smoke and dust. There was a constant background noise of not only the trucks, but also the locomotives hauling away the slag, much chuffing of steam and we could hear their wheels losing traction, then gripping the rails as they hauled their loads. If anyone is interested, I recently converted some of our old family 8mm colour films to dvd that feature some of the works, the market and the bus station with the old bright yellow Venture buses. Please leave a comment with contact details and I'll get back to you. I can be contacted on e5nud@hotmail.co.uk
Thanks Stephen, some of the best photos I have seen of the works complex and surroundings. I have only just got this now and it brings many memories of my own experiences at Redcar and Lackenby which are currently meeting the same fate as Consett. Many thanks.
Wonderfully put together with some nice music too. Very interesting shots. I've never been to Consett, but having an interest in railways I knew there was once a steel works there which has led me here! Thank you.
Red dust everywhere. Bet folks were breathing it in. Still sad it's gone. Remember the trains filled with iron ore travelling along the line from Annfield plain. Ransom and marles made ball bearings. Must have been hard work. Now we import it crazy. Wonder what structures were made by consett steelworks
Many thanks for the memories. My grandparents lived in The Grove, just down from the works and I spent lots of time staying with them in the 50s and 60s. My grandad and one of his sons, my uncle, both served their time there in the electrical department. The house in which they lived was a 1930s council house with metal casement windows that rattled to the sound of the trucks coming up from Moorside, toiling with their huge loads. The only source of heating in the house was a coal fire with back boiler for hot water and in an average winter, the rest of the house was so cold, we had to scrape the ice from the INSIDES of the windows. In 1963, the worst winter in my (albeit fading) memory, the snow was so deep we had to dig our way out. In the mid and late 60s, I was at a boarding school in Tynedale and at weekends would get the bus to Consett then walk down to The Grove through the middle of all that smoke and dust. There was a constant background noise of not only the trucks, but also the locomotives hauling away the slag, much chuffing of steam and we could hear their wheels losing traction, then gripping the rails as they hauled their loads. If anyone is interested, I recently converted some of our old family 8mm colour films to dvd that feature some of the works, the market and the bus station with the old bright yellow Venture buses. Please leave a comment with contact details and I'll get back to you. I can be contacted on e5nud@hotmail.co.uk
Thanks Stephen, some of the best photos I have seen of the works complex and surroundings. I have only just got this now and it brings many memories of my own experiences at Redcar and Lackenby which are currently meeting the same fate as Consett. Many thanks.
I pulled a few double shifts on the Blast Top in the early seventies ,worked with some great lads . Not forgotten .
Wonderfully put together with some nice music too. Very interesting shots. I've never been to Consett, but having an interest in railways I knew there was once a steel works there which has led me here! Thank you.
brings back many memories of when I worked there in 70s
My first employer.
@@davecoates8616 My first job aswell, i worked with you
Great slides. 4.500 jobs gone and then the people that can't find work are labelled as lazy.
Red dust everywhere. Bet folks were breathing it in. Still sad it's gone. Remember the trains filled with iron ore travelling along the line from Annfield plain. Ransom and marles made ball bearings. Must have been hard work. Now we import it crazy. Wonder what structures were made by consett steelworks
That’s my dad Austin Murphy at 4.53 I have quite a few photos at home and that ones included.
Best thing they did was flatten the place , consett is a Dive now, imagine how bad it would be if the steel works was still there
Thank you for posting this
Now when I go to Consett to do my weekly shopping, none of this exists.
Stephen Bridgewater, this is still by far and away the best compilation of CIC/BSC Consett photographs but may I ask, are you still adding to it?
No David I'm not and thanks for the positive comment