Redcar furnace at work

Opening in 1979, the Redcar blast furnace was the largest in the UK and the second largest in Europe. It was capable of producing 10,000 tonnes of iron per day. It had a chequered career after this photo was taken in 2010 shortly before it was shut down. Revived in 2012 it was in blast for just three years before the final shutdown and closure of the steelworks.