Whilst visitors may focus on the outstanding areas of natural beauty that exist across North Yorkshire, one aspect of this corner of the world that is impossible to avoid is its roots in heavy industry and steel making in the past 160 years. Many of the great industrial projects of the past two centuries in the UK took place right here, and there are a number of timely reminders that even though much of this industry no longer exists, in past ages it once dominated much of North Yorkshire’s landscape.
Sat on the coast overlooking the North Sea, the Redcar Blast Furnace has to be one of the iconic images of Teesside’s industrial past. Once the largest blast furnace in Europe, Redcar Blast Furnace began operating in 1979 and was Teesside’s last remaining blast furnace before it was closed down in 2010.
In 2012, the site was given a new lease of life by their new owners, Sahaviriya Steel Industries (SSI) which means that we can continue to enjoy breathtaking images of the plant in production.