Stewarts & Lloyds, Coombes Wood, Steel Works, Halesowen

[@raherecolston]

I went through here in the early 70's. We were on one of the old Ernie Thomas boats out of Calf Heath yard at Hatherton junct. Best part of 40 yrs ago .I'm sure when we went through there was far more of the works to be seen , as tough they were still working. Though if they closed as the sign says in '67 that cant be so. We went through again last year and it looked much like in this vid.

[@allanarmstrong4333]

It was still working in 67. I think it was 1984 when it closed.

[@jovossuck123]

great stuff ... was there not long back ... its quite a sad site

[@MrTwisted1977]

I've lived in halesowen all my life but never seen this place where is it exactly?

[@blackcountrywalker]

Coombs Wood, Halesowen along the No2 Dudley canal Gosty Hill Tunnel

[@andtastic1]

JPT. by the post office depot.

[@allanarmstrong4333]

You are joking, you have lived in halesowen all you're life and dont remember combs wood british steel. Ok fair play, it was on the site witch now is a large industrial estate . On the left hand side of gorsty hill.

[@hogwashmcturnip8291]

Stewarts and Lloyds did not close until 1984, probably as part of the great destruction of the Steel Industry at that time My partner worked there in the 70s and it was certainly still open when I worked in Halesowen in 1976 and aqain in the early 80s. What Was closed in 1967 was the railway line, again probably courtesy of Beeching. The sign is misleading and I hope this clears that up. If you want a history of the company: blackcountryhistory.org/collections/getrecord/GB145_D4/

[@aprilshowers6752]

Thanks Hogwash, I thought I remembered it in the 1970's too.

[@stewy62]

The sign isn’t misleading, 1903 - 1967 refers to the Stewarts & Lloyds company which was nationalised becoming BSC in 1967. Coombs Wood Works itself dates back I believe to 1868 and the last operations (plastic coating of steel pipes for gas etc) closed in 1997.

[@col145]

@@stewy62 yea, plastic coating in D8.

[@stewy62]

@@col145 and pickling & phosphating in D9, internal painting in D7, hot dip bitumen coating in D6, tube spinning machines in D5, that was the part of the Works that made all the money when I was there.

[@col145]

@@stewy62 yes indeed, thank goodness for the Gas & Coal boards eh ?

[@AngloSaxon449]

It's a crying shame that thatchers war on our industry all but killed it off. RIP British steel and British coal

[@keithgreen8081]

I did my electrical apprenticeship there 1975-1979 and emigrated to Canada in 1983, due to Maggie Thaatcher !!!!

[@nigeh5326]

@@keithgreen8081did it work out for you in Canada, eh? 😊 Seriously I hope it did