History
The ironworks at Redcar contains two large M.A.N. type water-less gas holders, built in the 1970s as part of British Steel Corporation’s new complex. The smaller of which had a capacity of 56,000 cubic metres and was used to store gas created from the coke oven process. The larger one had a capacity of 150,000 cubic metres and was built to hold gas from the blast furnace. Both were constructed by Clayton Son & Co Ltd, Hunslet, Leeds
The Explore
Visited with @slayaaaa. Getting up high to survey the mighty Redcar site was a priority for both of us, so the gas holders were an obvious target. Given the holders hadn't been maintained for six years, and were located next to the sea, I was a little concerned what sort of condition the exposed steel staircases would now be in. However, when we did the coke ovens a couple of weeks earlier, I was able to get a good look at the structures, and the staircase of the larger holder appeared to be in excellent condition, though the stairs of the smaller one displayed a reasonable amount of rust and flaking paint.
We were joined by @Esoteric Eric for the first part of the explore, in which we visited the power station next door, which surprisingly still had its turbine hall lit up, though there was a bloke still sitting in the control room. After EE had left, Slayaaaa had got some sleep, and I'd finished shooting the turbine hall the two of us headed for the larger gas holder.
The whole thing is surrounded by tall palisade, but it didn't take long to find a way in, and once past the woefully inadequate staircase barrier, we started heading up. Although the stairs were of a generous size and still seemed solid, it all felt very exposed, and with only the level directly above visible, it just kept on going. Once we reached the top, we were rewarded with some spectacular views over the whole ironworks. There was a bit of springiness in the steel sheets at the top which was a bit unnerving, with such a large drop below.
We spent about two hours on top, largely because I was struggling a bit to get my photos sharp, as even though there was only a slight wind, the occasional gusts rocked my lightweight tripod slightly in the long exposures. When I was finally satisfied, we headed back down which felt much shorter and we made our way out of the site to get some sleep at the South Gare.
The two gas holders from the sand dunes to the north.
The blast furnace holder up close from one of the conveyor towers.
The top of the holder, looking towards Middlesbrough.
Redcar coke works, with the ovens on the left, and still lit up by-products plant with its own holder.
Redcar power station.
Looking down on Redcar blast furnace. To give a sense of scale, the little red dot in the centre right are the tail-lights of a pick-up.
The coke works by-products plant, with Hartlepool behind.
Close up of the coke ovens.
The raw materials handling plant, demolition is now in full swing.
Power station chimney, behind which lies the sinter plant.
The blast furnace stock-house and feed conveyor to the pulverized coal injection plant.
Still plenty of working industry in the distance, looking towards Wilton chemical works.
The site the next morning from the South Gare.
Thanks for looking.
The ironworks at Redcar contains two large M.A.N. type water-less gas holders, built in the 1970s as part of British Steel Corporation’s new complex. The smaller of which had a capacity of 56,000 cubic metres and was used to store gas created from the coke oven process. The larger one had a capacity of 150,000 cubic metres and was built to hold gas from the blast furnace. Both were constructed by Clayton Son & Co Ltd, Hunslet, Leeds
The Explore
Visited with @slayaaaa. Getting up high to survey the mighty Redcar site was a priority for both of us, so the gas holders were an obvious target. Given the holders hadn't been maintained for six years, and were located next to the sea, I was a little concerned what sort of condition the exposed steel staircases would now be in. However, when we did the coke ovens a couple of weeks earlier, I was able to get a good look at the structures, and the staircase of the larger holder appeared to be in excellent condition, though the stairs of the smaller one displayed a reasonable amount of rust and flaking paint.
We were joined by @Esoteric Eric for the first part of the explore, in which we visited the power station next door, which surprisingly still had its turbine hall lit up, though there was a bloke still sitting in the control room. After EE had left, Slayaaaa had got some sleep, and I'd finished shooting the turbine hall the two of us headed for the larger gas holder.
The whole thing is surrounded by tall palisade, but it didn't take long to find a way in, and once past the woefully inadequate staircase barrier, we started heading up. Although the stairs were of a generous size and still seemed solid, it all felt very exposed, and with only the level directly above visible, it just kept on going. Once we reached the top, we were rewarded with some spectacular views over the whole ironworks. There was a bit of springiness in the steel sheets at the top which was a bit unnerving, with such a large drop below.
We spent about two hours on top, largely because I was struggling a bit to get my photos sharp, as even though there was only a slight wind, the occasional gusts rocked my lightweight tripod slightly in the long exposures. When I was finally satisfied, we headed back down which felt much shorter and we made our way out of the site to get some sleep at the South Gare.
The two gas holders from the sand dunes to the north.
The blast furnace holder up close from one of the conveyor towers.
The top of the holder, looking towards Middlesbrough.
Redcar coke works, with the ovens on the left, and still lit up by-products plant with its own holder.
Redcar power station.
Looking down on Redcar blast furnace. To give a sense of scale, the little red dot in the centre right are the tail-lights of a pick-up.
The coke works by-products plant, with Hartlepool behind.
Close up of the coke ovens.
The raw materials handling plant, demolition is now in full swing.
Power station chimney, behind which lies the sinter plant.
The blast furnace stock-house and feed conveyor to the pulverized coal injection plant.
Still plenty of working industry in the distance, looking towards Wilton chemical works.
The site the next morning from the South Gare.
Thanks for looking.
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