Teesside Steel
The decision taken to close Redcar Blast Furnace, it's Coke Ovens and South Bank Coke Ovens has brought to an end over one hundred and seventy years of steel making on Teesside. The closure is a tragic and devastating blow for the workforce, contractors, suppliers and the local population in an area of already high unemployment and poverty.
Steel making has been the life blood of Teesside throughout the generations and Teesside's high quality steel has been used far and wide around the globe to build the worlds bridges, railways, ships and buildings.
It really is such a sad and ignominious way to end our industrial heritage and to cast a proud and passionate workforce on the scrapheap.
The future for many families in the local community is now uncertain and the knock on effect of the closure will also push many small businesses that are already struggling over the edge. A depressing senario, especially when you consider the amount of "bail out" given to the greedy bankers.
On the following pages I've put together some of my paintings and drawings of the steelworks and it's people, in a few years time the demolition will probably have taken place and the industrial landmarks will be gone forever.
My friend and colleague Pete McCarthy has been researching and collecting digital images of UK steelworks art for some time and is now busy making this collection available online. You can see Pete's steelworks art at art of steel
If you would like to see more of my artwork click on the link below
tomfrenchpainter.weebly.com
I also run a website for a very gifted local artist David Mulholland who sadly pasted away in 2005. David's work included many paintings and drawings of the steelworks, the steelworkers and their families and you can see them at davidmulholland.weebly.com
Tom French