1 thought on “Whitwell & Co., Ltd Blast Furnaces, Thornaby”
Thomas Whitwell 1839-1878 founder of the Thornaby Iron Works who employed hundreds of local men. There is a brilliant picture of the works taken in 1933 just before it was demolished by The Northern Echo showing the works and houses around Albert Street. Thomas Whitwell was killed in an explosion at the works.
The reason I have vivid memory of the works was being present when the last of the big Chimney’s was blown down. Dad took me 1937-8 on a Saturday morning, he knew it was to be blown with explosive instead of the normal practice of knocking holes in the base putting props in then setting them on fire.
We parked behind the stack with the truck and waited, there was a bang and nothing, then the top started to move we thought towards us so Dad grabbed me and ran, it went the way they wanted in the end with a huge crash and clouds of dust. Dads truck was loaded with rubble and delivered to Kendrews Builders in Bradbury Road for house bases. I was young at the time but those events stay with you.
As with a lot of the heavy industry in Stockton it lasted less than one hundred years, parts of Stockton, the Gas Works area for one were built up then vanished in less than a hundred years, nothing is forever.
The Whitwell & Co., Ltd, Blast furnaces, Thornaby.
Thomas Whitwell 1839-1878 founder of the Thornaby Iron Works who employed hundreds of local men. There is a brilliant picture of the works taken in 1933 just before it was demolished by The Northern Echo showing the works and houses around Albert Street. Thomas Whitwell was killed in an explosion at the works.
The reason I have vivid memory of the works was being present when the last of the big Chimney’s was blown down. Dad took me 1937-8 on a Saturday morning, he knew it was to be blown with explosive instead of the normal practice of knocking holes in the base putting props in then setting them on fire.
We parked behind the stack with the truck and waited, there was a bang and nothing, then the top started to move we thought towards us so Dad grabbed me and ran, it went the way they wanted in the end with a huge crash and clouds of dust. Dads truck was loaded with rubble and delivered to Kendrews Builders in Bradbury Road for house bases. I was young at the time but those events stay with you.
As with a lot of the heavy industry in Stockton it lasted less than one hundred years, parts of Stockton, the Gas Works area for one were built up then vanished in less than a hundred years, nothing is forever.