Some general Links
Click on the red bits
This link takes you to a website dedicated to the late David Mulholland, the first person to convince me that industry can be beautiful.
Tom French constructed a site with some of his industrial paintings following the closure of the Redcar Blast Furnace and the South Bank Coke Ovens. steel-industry-paintings.weebly.com/
Some amazing photographs from inside the abandoned Lackenby BOS Plant
and the Redcar Blast Furnace
This site of Joseph Murphy, photographer, has some fantastic photographs and memories of men who worked at the Ebbw Vale steelworks.
This link leads to a retrospective of the Bilston Iron and Steel Works created by a man who worked there. It has paintings, photographs and much more.
A community website with memories of Corby. A mix of film and photography
historicengland.org.uk/images-books/archive/collections/aerial-photos/record/EAW013844
A site dedicated to memories of the Consett Steelworks
Cargo Fleet and Smith's Dock Arial view
Links to Films depicting the Steel Industry
Lets start where iron production starts. in the iron mines and Craig Hornby's film A Century in Stone
You can find information about the following feature films on the International Movies Date Base (IMDB)
The Big Melt: How Steel made us Hard (2014). Documentary made in Sheffield and directed by Martin Wallace and Jarvis Cocker.
Steel Town (1952) Drama made in Hollywood starring Ann Sheridan.
The Valley of Decision (1945) Drama based on a best-selling novel by Marcia Davenport that starred Gregory Peck and Greer Garson and was nominated for two academy awards.
Valley Town (1940) Documentary about life in a steel town in Pennsylvania during the 1930s depression.
Sons of Steel (1934) Drama made in Hollywood.
Struggles in Steel: The Fight for Equal Opportunity (1996) A documentary set in Pittsburgh about racism in the US steel industry.
Andrew Carnegie: From Rags to Riches, Power to Peace (2015) Documentary about a multi-millionaire Scotsman who went to America and made a fortune from steel and then gave it all away, apparently.
Men of Steel (1932) British drama filmed at Acklam Steelworks in Middlesbrough.
Men of Steel (1937) Drama made in Hollywood
Lets start where iron production starts. in the iron mines and Craig Hornby's film A Century in Stone
You can find information about the following feature films on the International Movies Date Base (IMDB)
The Big Melt: How Steel made us Hard (2014). Documentary made in Sheffield and directed by Martin Wallace and Jarvis Cocker.
Steel Town (1952) Drama made in Hollywood starring Ann Sheridan.
The Valley of Decision (1945) Drama based on a best-selling novel by Marcia Davenport that starred Gregory Peck and Greer Garson and was nominated for two academy awards.
Valley Town (1940) Documentary about life in a steel town in Pennsylvania during the 1930s depression.
Sons of Steel (1934) Drama made in Hollywood.
Struggles in Steel: The Fight for Equal Opportunity (1996) A documentary set in Pittsburgh about racism in the US steel industry.
Andrew Carnegie: From Rags to Riches, Power to Peace (2015) Documentary about a multi-millionaire Scotsman who went to America and made a fortune from steel and then gave it all away, apparently.
Men of Steel (1932) British drama filmed at Acklam Steelworks in Middlesbrough.
Men of Steel (1937) Drama made in Hollywood
Links to poetry about the steel industry
Prayers of Steel by Carl Sandburg (1878 - 1967)
Smoke and Steel by Carl Sandburg (1878 - 1967)
Cargo Fleet Steelworks Silver Band by Lindsey Priest
Report to the Stockholders by John Beecher
The Forge by Seamus Heaney
Steelworkers Lockers by Robert Gibb (spoken version)
Two by David Ignatow
The Silk Scarf by Jan Yorke
Lines by Chris Stewart
Steel Tears by Rob Beckwith
Steel Mills: South Chicago by Maxwell Bodenheim (1892 – 1954)
The Foundry by Philip Vincent Sanders
Prayers of Steel by Carl Sandburg (1878 - 1967)
Smoke and Steel by Carl Sandburg (1878 - 1967)
Cargo Fleet Steelworks Silver Band by Lindsey Priest
Report to the Stockholders by John Beecher
The Forge by Seamus Heaney
Steelworkers Lockers by Robert Gibb (spoken version)
Two by David Ignatow
The Silk Scarf by Jan Yorke
Lines by Chris Stewart
Steel Tears by Rob Beckwith
Steel Mills: South Chicago by Maxwell Bodenheim (1892 – 1954)
The Foundry by Philip Vincent Sanders
Links to music and songs about steel
You can't do much better than The Song of Steel that was broadcast on BBC Radio as part of its Radio Ballad's series. It consists of stories of men and women who worked in the steelworks of the Don Valley and is available on CD.
Catch one of the songs here.
Here is one from the United States, Songs of Steel and Struggle: the Story of the Steelworkers, which is available from Folkways.
A song by a redundant steelworker from Loraine, Ohio
A few songs here from Cape Breton, Canada;
Steelworkers Lament
Friday Evening
Steel Winds
Sydney Steel
Michael's Tune
Doscomocracy
Ballad of Slim McInniis
Here is something from nearer home, Sheffield. Women of Steel performed by John Reilly at the unveiling of the Women of Steel Sculpture.
And from Teesside, Cattle and Cane's Infant Hercules
And The Fettlers with Ring of Iron
And Chris Rea's homage to the River Tees
Middlesbrough lad Chris Cuthbertson's homage to the people of his home town
Hearts of Steel
Bruce Springsteen's Youngstown is about his home town. See it here or search for other versions on You Tube
An oft forgotten aspect of the development of blues music is transformation following mass migration from the cotton plantations of the south to the steelworks of Chicago, and electricity. There are several versions of songs bearing the title Steel Mill Blues including the following.
Little Earl and the co-workers
Ralph Willis' Alabama Trio
John Jackson
Blind Blake
And also some reggae from Gypsi Fari
And rock and roll from Keith Courvale
A very poignant video with musical backing by the band Delta Ladies