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I had been meaning to visit this place for a while but never imagined that there would be much left, I was very wrong and it turned out to be a lovely little explore with lots of industrial gems dotted about the site.
Sadly the roof has recently collapsed on the main structure due to snow making the old gantry cranes inaccessible.
The chimneys however are very much still climbable if a little rusty and wobbly.
Visited with a non member.
History:
The Brymbo Steel Works was a former large steelworks in the village of Brymbo near Wrexham, Wales. In operation between 1796 and 1990, it was significant on account of its founder, one of whose original blast furnace stacks remains on the site.
The works was founded by John ‘Iron Mad’ Wilkinson who built a blast furnace on the site in 1793, just after he bought Brymbo Hall. The reasons for his move from the nearby Bersham Ironworks are thought to be on account of the nearby westminster colliery in Moss Valley, Wrexham.
A second furnace was built by 1805 and a third about 1869, but from 1892 no more than two were used, and from 1912 only one.
After their deaths in 1882 and 1884 respectively, the business was incorporated as Brymbo Steel Co. Ltd. The business changed company name in 1934 and 1948, on the latter occasion becoming Brymbo Steel Works Ltd in 1948, having become part of GKN, being a branch of GKN Steel Co. Ltd in the early 1960s. It was nationalised with the rest of the steel industry in 1967, becoming a division of British Steel Corporation.
The works were served by the Wrexham and Minera Branch of the Great Western Railway, later of British Railways.
The steelworks lasted until 1990, when it was closed. 1,100 jobs were lost and Brymbo village went into a depression and many residents into the negative equity trap.
Sadly the roof has recently collapsed on the main structure due to snow making the old gantry cranes inaccessible.
The chimneys however are very much still climbable if a little rusty and wobbly.
Visited with a non member.
History:
The Brymbo Steel Works was a former large steelworks in the village of Brymbo near Wrexham, Wales. In operation between 1796 and 1990, it was significant on account of its founder, one of whose original blast furnace stacks remains on the site.
The works was founded by John ‘Iron Mad’ Wilkinson who built a blast furnace on the site in 1793, just after he bought Brymbo Hall. The reasons for his move from the nearby Bersham Ironworks are thought to be on account of the nearby westminster colliery in Moss Valley, Wrexham.
A second furnace was built by 1805 and a third about 1869, but from 1892 no more than two were used, and from 1912 only one.
After their deaths in 1882 and 1884 respectively, the business was incorporated as Brymbo Steel Co. Ltd. The business changed company name in 1934 and 1948, on the latter occasion becoming Brymbo Steel Works Ltd in 1948, having become part of GKN, being a branch of GKN Steel Co. Ltd in the early 1960s. It was nationalised with the rest of the steel industry in 1967, becoming a division of British Steel Corporation.
The works were served by the Wrexham and Minera Branch of the Great Western Railway, later of British Railways.
The steelworks lasted until 1990, when it was closed. 1,100 jobs were lost and Brymbo village went into a depression and many residents into the negative equity trap.
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