Stewarts and Lloyds was formed in 1903, when A. and J. Stewart, a producer of steel tubes based mainly in Scotland, and Lloyds of Birmingham firm who also produced steel tubes.
To provide a source of steel for local use a controlling interest in A. Hickman Ltd was taken in 1920. Liquidation of the company took place in 1925. The works in 1920 consisted of a blast furnace plant, bessemer steel making plant, an open hearth steel making plant and rolling mills. In addition, electricity was produced for use throughout the works rationalisation and moderisation saw three of the blast furnaces enlarged together with design modifications but still hand charged, the two remaining furnaces being demolished and two additional 80 ton open hearth furnace enlarged to 55 tons capacity.
The bessemer plant was closed in 1925. It was the intention of the company to produce square and round bars and slabs from which steel tubes would be produced. To this end the rolling mills consisted of a 36" electricity driven cogging mill and a 28" continuous mill to roll, strip, or skelp, for locally manufactured butt and lap welded tube was commissioned.
Iron ore for the blast furnaces obtained mainly from the companies quarries in Oxfordshire. Northamptonshire ore having a high manganese content was imported from India. Coke supplies came mainly South Yorkshire and to a lesser extent from South Wales and Durham. Supplies of limestone came from Bredon, Salop. During the 1930s all of the open hearth furnaces were enlarged together with some design modifications. Pig iron for sale was produced by passing molten pig iron through a pig casting machine. Production of shells for war time use was established using a forging technique with one factory installed at Bilston.
In the late 1940s a moderisation plan resulted in a single new blast furnace plant being built, with the subsequent demolition of the old furnaces.
Three new 120 ton capacity open hearth furnaces were built, four of the larger old furnaces were enlarged and the smallest furnace demolished. All furnaces were oil fired. A new 40 inch blooming mill and a 32" bar mill were installed together with bar finishing plant.
Steel specification had changed from being essentially for tubes to include forging, re-rolling, low alloy quantities.
The company was nationalised in 1967 and became part of the tubes division based at Middlesborough. In 1970, Bilston became part of the special steel division based at Sheffield.
In the early 1950s, 25 steam locomotives and 14 steam locomotive cranes were in use. By 1962, these had been replaced by 14 diesel electrical locomotives and 8 coles and neals cranes.
The blast furnace ceased production in October 1977 and the last cast of steel made in March 1979.
| Reference: | 457 |
| Keywords: | Iron Steel Elizabeth Hickman Stewart Lloyd MCOL 2000c |
| Archive Ref: | 4.412 |
| Updated: | 6/9/2001 11:34:39 |