Unsolved mysteries

There are artefacts visible today that pose questions, that I am unable to answer. These are the subject of further research. If you think you can contribute to solving any of the mysteries then please do not hesitate to get in touch, I would appreciate your help.   email. 

On Warton sands slag dump and the original Keer Marsh site, there are octagonal shaped slag blocks. They were dumped in the early period of activity on the shoreline, being closer to the works. They are few in comparison to the round lumps. There are reports that Carnforth used round and square slag boxes and evidence of all three shapes of block survive. Octagonal lumps would have had to come from an octagonal box. I have never seen this at any other site and I don't recall ever seeing a slag box with this form. Lowca made both round and square patent slag boxes, but not octagonal. 

That Carnforth purchased round and/or square section slag boxes is known, but I suggest that they are not a particularly difficult item to manufacture and I could imagine the Carnforth Engineering Department becoming familiar with their repair.  The very nature of their use would doubtless contribute to a high rate of attrition. It is not too far fetched to suppose that they may have built a small number of octagonal shaped boxes in house. They could have been experimental or just the best their blacksmiths could produce with available resources. 

Toward the furthest end of the slag banks very close to the shoreline is this old and broken raft of compacted and bonded slag, resembling concrete. It has been well battered by the sea and is starting to break up in places. 

The surface shows rust marks consistent with a 2 foot gauge railway that lay upon steel sleepers approximately 4 feet apart. 

Slag from the ironworks was transported over a standard gauge railway of 4 feet 81/2 inches so this is not part of the original system.

It perhaps dates from after the ironworks closed down in 1930 and it was known that North Lonsdale Tarmacadam were working the site for several years.

It does not feature in records of the Industrial Railway Society or the Narrow Gauge Society so to date, nothing is known about the railway. It remains a mystery.

At the far end of the site, and pointing roughly toward Jenny Brown's Point there appears to be evidence of a pair of 2ft. gauge rail lines. The depressions are left by the steel sleepers. Just a few metres behind this spot, there are more ghost tracks, aligned perpendicular to these and pointing out to see in the direction of Heysham. Could this be evidence of a small narrow gauge railway linked to the tarmacadam plant or some other slag recovery operation? It is notable that the tracks are close to the water's edge and at the furthermost point of the slag tip.

The ruined buildings within the woods of Keer Marsh are in the original slag dump area. Much slag was recovered from here. The ironworks had their own slag recovery process where they were making slag blocks for building. Some of the houses on the nearby Millhead  estate were constructed using these blocks, but after the works closed there was also a tarmacadam manufacturing plant which operated for about 7 years by North Lonsdale Tarmacadam. The origin, purpose, and history of the remaining structures has not been researched.

Little is known about the layout, products, customers, and operation of the entire steelmaking venture. It had a very shakey start and was at one time operated by the Albion Ironworks Company of Warrington, who eventually declared that they would no longer operate it. Nothing is known about this relationship, the Albion Company, or about disposal of the equipment. 

There is a complete dearth of images or references pertaining to steelmaking, which is at odds to the ironmaking business. 

The two Bessemer converter vessels came from Bessemer's own East Greenwich works but that too is cloaked in mystery, and not mentioned in Bessemer's autobiography.

There are at least three of these iron or steel round edged circular discs lying on the surface, toward the far end of the tip. Estimate about 100cm diameter and 10cm thick. No drill holes or other features. Its possible they are associated with the latter day tarmacadam plant and not anything directly related to ironmaking.