Carnforth IRONWORKS

How quickly times change. This 2015 scene seems like it was only yesterday but already the northbound Virgin Train and those stone walls and corrugated huts are long gone. If you had been looking out the window, you would easily have missed one of the few remaining signs of a hugely important industry that dominated Carnforth and it's skyline for over 60 years. Its not too late to find traces of activities of the Carnforth Haematite Ironworks in the locality, but you have to slow down, and know where to look.

Part of the North bank of the river Keer is man made. The embankment is composed of a material that is light, porous and friable. It is not consistent with the surrounding geology. It is blast furnace slag, a waste product from the manufacture of pig iron in the blast furnaces of the Carnforth Haematite Iron Company. Here was an industry engaged in iron and steel manufacturing, one of several in nearby communities in Furness and West Cumbria.

Ulverston, Barrow, Millom, Harrington, and Workington were major Iron and Steelmaking towns and at their peak, were at the forefront of the burgeoning industry. We think that the pace of technological change and innovation is fast today, but it was no different then. The rise and fall of demand, prices, employment, and the social changes due to in large part to the coming of the railways played a massive part in the fortunes of Carnforth, and indeed, the North West.

This lightly constructed bridge over today's rail tracks to Silverdale, North West of Carnforth is now a plain occupation road bridge.

However, it was originally a rail bridge, built by the company to transport molten slag from the works to the slag dump on the shoreline.

The inside facade of the building photographed in 2009 reveals the same entrance which is arguably a little easier on the eye. The General Manager's office was behind the bay window over the main entrance behind the white van. The circular feature in the gable end was originally a clock and on the roof was a bell tower, long since removed. The bell was rung to mark shift changes.

To help with orientation, this is an aerial photograph of the ironworks site and is looking roughly South West.

• That is the entrance building arrowed in blue on Warton Road.

• The yellow arrow is where the Northbound Virgin Train was pictured passing the works.

• The old Station roof for stopping Barrow and Leeds trains is labelled.

The ironworks was on the West of the main line and was entirely surrounded by railway tracks, quite an unusual site layout. The photographer is roughly positioned above the present day ALDI store.

Production commenced in 1866 and closure came in 1929. You might imagine that over a lifespan of around 65 years there would be relative stability but this was a period of enormous growth, technical innovation, and fluctuating market conditions. The social and economic story of Carnforth and the ironworks makes fascinating reading but that is not the main focus here. It is 65 years of process development and day to day practical operational procedures that will be the main area of interest.