“Elisabeth at Night” – Harry Eccleston
A wonderful work of art by Harry Eccleston, full of atmosphere. This and the following three pieces were commissioned by the then Works Manager Bill Church in 1977.
“Melting Shop” – Harry Eccleston
This evokes the feel of the landing in the melting shop – you can imagine the roar of the furnace while the furnaceman carefully pours a sample for chemical analysis.
“Tapping Open Hearth” – Harry Eccleston
Again a superb image. An open heath furnace is casting – molten steel is jetting into the ladle creating clouds of smoke and flying sparks. On the landing at the left are two furnacemen monitoring progress. One is bending over as if to pick up a bar of aluminium to be thrown into the ladle. Adding several bars of aluminium to the cast was standard practice and acted as a de-oxidiser.
“The Smelter” – Brian Henry
Wonderful piece by Brian Henry, evoked from a photograph of mine he had seen. I am flattered! See page: ‘My Pictures: Melting Shop’.
“Teeming” – Harry Eccleston
A fine image of working men and the teeming process…
“Blast Furnace Cast House – Sketch” – Harry Eccleston
A working sketch of the cast house floor showing the sand runner from the taphole, the angled drill on the right hand side (used to drill out the clay plug when casting) and the curved steel plate hanging directly above the taphole to protect the bustle main from the heat of molten iron which passed directly below when casting.
Montage of Bilston Works at Bilston Market by Bert Williams
Section of artwork featuring Bilston’s industrial heritage by Bert Williams adorning the new Bilston Market area.