An iron and steel works, with its subsidiary workshops, is indeed the paradise of the modern artist. From Bolckow and Vaughan and Co, (1928) A Romance of Industry: London.


I first started to think about connections between art and the steel industry in 2014 when at an exhibition of coalmining art at the Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle. The paintings, sculptures and banners on display led me to wondering whether artists had shown similar interest in recording iron and steel production. This ArtUK site, or BBC Your Paintings as it was at the time, was the first step in helping me to find out.

Artists featured in this Curation: William Williams of Norwich (1727–1797), Philip James de Loutherbourg (1740–1812), Penry Williams (1802–1885), Arthur Jones, Alfred William Hunt (1830–1896), George Norman-Crosse (c.1871–1912), W. T., Nan Youngman (1906–1995), Charles Byrd (1916–2018), Kenneth Gribble (1925–1995), and 34 more
48 artworks
Storyline Album Showcase
Afternoon View of Coalbrookdale, Shropshire
Image credit: Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery

Afternoon View of Coalbrookdale, Shropshire 1777

William Williams of Norwich (1727–1797)

Oil on canvas

H 100 x W 123.7 cm

Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery

Coalbrookdale by Night
Image credit: Science Museum / Science & Society Picture Library

Coalbrookdale by Night 1801

Philip James de Loutherbourg (1740–1812)

Oil on canvas

H 68 x W 107 cm

Science Museum

Crawshay's Cyfarthfa Ironworks
Image credit: Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

Crawshay's Cyfarthfa Ironworks 1817

Penry Williams (1802–1885)

Oil on canvas

H 51 x W 71 cm

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

Dowlais Iron Works
Image credit: Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru / The National Library of Wales

Dowlais Iron Works c.1825

Penry Williams (1802–1885)

Oil on canvas

H 55 x W 99 cm

Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru / The National Library of Wales

Nantyglo Ironworks, 1840
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Abertillery & District Museum

Nantyglo Ironworks, 1840

Arthur Jones

Acrylic on canvas

H 52.3 x W 74.3 cm

Abertillery & District Museum

Iron Works, Middlesbrough
Image credit: Tate

Iron Works, Middlesbrough c.1865–70

Alfred William Hunt (1830–1896)

Oil on canvas

H 43.8 x W 64.1 cm

Tate

Ayresome Ironworks, Middlesbrough, Tees Valley
Image credit: Beamish, The North of England Open Air Museum

Ayresome Ironworks, Middlesbrough, Tees Valley

George Norman-Crosse (c.1871–1912)

Oil on canvas

H 35.5 x W 57.7 cm

Beamish, The North of England Open Air Museum

The Visit of Mr W. E. Gladstone to Middlesbrough
Image credit: Redcar and Cleveland Council

The Visit of Mr W. E. Gladstone to Middlesbrough 1862

W. T.

Oil on canvas

H 39.5 x W 75 cm

Redcar and Cleveland Council

Steelworks, Ebbw Vale
© the artist's estate. Image credit: Newport Museum and Art Gallery

Steelworks, Ebbw Vale 1951

Nan Youngman (1906–1995)

Oil on board

H 59.7 x W 80 cm

Newport Museum and Art Gallery

Steel Works, Adamsdown
© the artist's estate. Image credit: Gathering the Jewels

Steel Works, Adamsdown

Charles Byrd (1916–2018)

Oil on canvas

H 74 x W 96 cm

Cardiff Council

Cheetham Street, Middlesbrough, Tees Valley
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, mima

Cheetham Street, Middlesbrough, Tees Valley 1953

Kenneth Gribble (1925–1995)

Oil on canvas

H 100 x W 74.5 cm

Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, mima

Beehive Coke Ovens
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Beamish, The North of England Open Air Museum

Beehive Coke Ovens

Herbert Cooper (1911–1979)

Oil on board

H 35.7 x W 50.5 cm

Beamish, The North of England Open Air Museum

Coke Ovens, Cargo Fleet
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, mima

Coke Ovens, Cargo Fleet 1955

Kenneth Cozens (1920–2000)

Oil on canvas

H 49.5 x W 60 cm

Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, mima

Quenching Coke When Ejected from the Ovens
© the artist's estate. Image credit: Chesterfield Museum & Art Gallery

Quenching Coke When Ejected from the Ovens 1947

David Ghilchik (1892–1972)

Oil on canvas

H 58.3 x W 68.2 cm

Chesterfield Museum & Art Gallery

Study for Blast Furnace
© the copyright holder. Image credit: The Black Country Living Museum

Study for Blast Furnace 1977

Harry Norman Eccleston (1923–2010)

Oil on paper

H 67 x W 48.7 cm

The Black Country Living Museum

Tapping a Blast Furnace
© The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. Image credit: The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery

Tapping a Blast Furnace 1957

Charles William Brown (1882–1961)

Oil on board

H 60 x W 60 cm

The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery

Blast Furnace Scene
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Armley Mills, Leeds Industrial Museum

Blast Furnace Scene

Laurence John C. Houghton (1913–1988)

Oil on canvas

H 151 x W 151 cm

Armley Mills, Leeds Industrial Museum

Tipping the Slag
Image credit: Wolverhampton Arts and Heritage

Tipping the Slag

Edwin Butler Bayliss (1874–1950)

Oil on canvas

H 61 x W 92 cm

Wolverhampton Arts and Heritage

Slag Heap
© estate of Prunella Clough. All rights reserved, DACS 2023. Image credit: Leicester Museums and Galleries

Slag Heap 1959

Prunella Clough (1919–1999)

Oil on canvas

H 30.5 x W 46 cm

Leicester Museums and Galleries

Chapel and Slag Heap
© the artist's estate. Image credit: Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru / The National Library of Wales

Chapel and Slag Heap c.1970

George Chapman (1908–1993)

Oil on board

H 29 x W 49 cm

Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru / The National Library of Wales

Ley Maleable Works, Lincoln
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Museum of Lincolnshire Life

Ley Maleable Works, Lincoln 1920

L. Hare

Oil on board

H 46 x W 75 cm

Museum of Lincolnshire Life

The First Iron Bridge, Shropshire
© the artist / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: National Trust Images

The First Iron Bridge, Shropshire

Anthony John Plowden Eyton (b.1923)

Oil on canvas

H 42 x W 49.5 cm

National Trust, Sunnycroft

Foundry Scene
Image credit: Derby Museums

Foundry Scene c.1930–1940

unknown artist

Oil on canvas

H 71 x W 92 cm

Derby Museums

The Little Forge, Lyme Regis
Image credit: The Hunterian, University of Glasgow

The Little Forge, Lyme Regis 1895

James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834–1903)

Oil on panel

H 13.6 x W 23.4 cm

The Hunterian, University of Glasgow

Forging Files
Image credit: Science Museum / Science & Society Picture Library

Forging Files 1918

Edward Frederick Skinner (1865–1924)

Oil on board

H 31 x W 47 cm

Science Museum

Puddlers at a Staffordshire Puddlers Workshop
Image credit: Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

Puddlers at a Staffordshire Puddlers Workshop

Percy Currall Pace (1871–1945)

Acrylic on board

H 115 x W 200 cm

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

Making Bessemer Steel
Image credit: Science Museum / Science & Society Picture Library

Making Bessemer Steel 1917

Edward Frederick Skinner (1865–1924)

Oil on canvas

H 31 x W 47 cm

Science Museum

The Wealth of England, the Bessemer Process of Making Steel
Image credit: Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust

The Wealth of England, the Bessemer Process of Making Steel 1895

William Holt Yates Titcomb (1858–1930)

Oil on canvas

H 114.5 x W 152.7 cm

Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust

Furnace/Smelting at a Steelworks
© the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

Furnace/Smelting at a Steelworks

Charles Ernest Cundall (1890–1971)

Oil on board

H 60 x W 49 cm

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

Feeding a Steel Furnace
Image credit: Tate

Feeding a Steel Furnace 1941–2

Graham Vivian Sutherland (1903–1980)

Oil on canvas

H 90.2 x W 86.4 cm

Tate

Bessemer Process Plant, Abbey Works, Margam
© the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

Bessemer Process Plant, Abbey Works, Margam c.1958

Charles Ernest Cundall (1890–1971)

Oil on canvas

H 84 x W 64.8 cm

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

Feeding the Furnace
Image credit: Hartlepool Museums and Heritage Service

Feeding the Furnace

John William Howey (1873–1938)

Oil on canvas

H 65 x W 63 cm

Hartlepool Museums and Heritage Service

Tinsley Park, Sheffield, Electric Arc Furnace Receiving a Charge of Scrap
Image credit: Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust

Tinsley Park, Sheffield, Electric Arc Furnace Receiving a Charge of Scrap

Roy Tingle

Oil on board

H 92 x W 62 cm

Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust

The Furnace Man
© the estate of Stanley Spencer. All rights reserved / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Worthing Museum and Art Gallery

The Furnace Man c.1940–1944

Stanley Spencer (1891–1959)

Oil on hardboard

H 37 x W 25 cm

Worthing Museum and Art Gallery

The Furnace Man
© the artist's estate. Image credit: Carmarthenshire Museums Service Collection

The Furnace Man c.1988

Tony Evans (1920–2001)

Oil on board

H 75.7 x W 101.3 cm

Carmarthenshire Museums Service Collection

Testing for Steel, Kryn and Lahy Steel Founders and Engineers Ltd, Letchworth
© the artist's estate. Image credit: Garden City Collection

Testing for Steel, Kryn and Lahy Steel Founders and Engineers Ltd, Letchworth

Sylvia Molloy (1914–2008)

Oil on canvas

H 71 x W 92 cm

Garden City Collection

Tilt Hammer, 1930
© the artist. Image credit: Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust

Tilt Hammer, 1930 2000

Robert Penistone (b.1946)

Oil on board

H 43 x W 63 cm

Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust

The Steam Hammer
Image credit: Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust

The Steam Hammer 1895

William Holt Yates Titcomb (1858–1930)

Oil on canvas

H 110 x W 148 cm

Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust

A Steam Hammer at Work
Image credit: Science Museum / Science & Society Picture Library

A Steam Hammer at Work 1871

James Nasmyth (1808–1890)

Oil on board

H 40 x W 50 cm

Science Museum

Interior of a Rolling Mill
Image credit: Science Museum / Science & Society Picture Library

Interior of a Rolling Mill 1855–1865

Godfrey Sykes (1824–1866)

Oil on canvas

H 100 x W 125 cm

Science Museum

The Rolling Mill
© the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Leeds Museums and Galleries

The Rolling Mill c.1904/1905

Frank Brangwyn (1867–1956)

Oil on canvas

H 165.1 x W 541 cm

Leeds Museums and Galleries

Hand Rolling Mill (Steel), South Wales
© Will Roberts' estate. Image credit: Bangor University

Hand Rolling Mill (Steel), South Wales

Will Roberts (1907–2000)

Oil on hardboard

H 64 x W 74.5 cm

Bangor University

Hot Strip Mill
© the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Ebbw Vale Works Archival Trust

Hot Strip Mill c.1952

Norman Hepple (1908–1994)

Oil on canvas

H 75.5 x W 63 cm

Ebbw Vale Works Archival Trust

Rolling Mills, Corby Steelworks
© the copyright holder. Image credit: North Northamptonshire Council

Rolling Mills, Corby Steelworks

Horace Copson (1903–1980)

Oil on board

H 69 x W 90 cm

North Northamptonshire Council

The Munition Girls, 1918
Image credit: Science Museum / Science & Society Picture Library

The Munition Girls, 1918 1918

Stanhope Alexander Forbes (1857–1947)

Oil on canvas

H 103 x W 127 cm

Science Museum

Women at Work: The Belgian Steel Factory, Goldhawk Road, W12
© the artist's estate. Image credit: IWM (Imperial War Museums)

Women at Work: The Belgian Steel Factory, Goldhawk Road, W12 1918

Edgar Seligman (1867–1958)

Oil on panel

H 34.2 x W 44.4 cm

IWM (Imperial War Museums)

An Unknown Crawshay Employee
Image credit: Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

An Unknown Crawshay Employee c.1835–1840

William Jones Chapman (1808–after 1870) (attributed to)

Oil on canvas

H 36.3 x W 25.6 cm

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

The Black-Country Steelworkers
© Andrew Tift. Image credit: The New Art Gallery Walsall

The Black-Country Steelworkers 1992

Andrew Tift (b.1968)

Acrylic on canvas

H 99 x W 98 cm

The New Art Gallery Walsall

Explore artists in this Curation

View all 44
  • Pickford Narrow Boat 'Hope' at a Lock
    unknown artist
  • Testing for Steel, Kryn and Lahy Steel Founders and Engineers Ltd, Letchworth
    Sylvia Molloy (1914–2008)
  • An Experience, a Man Alone on a Beach
    Kenneth Cozens (1920–2000)
  • Black Country Furnaces
    Edwin Butler Bayliss (1874–1950)
  • Valley in Merionithshire
    Nan Youngman (1906–1995)
  • The Luncheon Hour: The Belgian Steel Factory, Goldhawk Road, W12
    Edgar Seligman (1867–1958)
  • Canadian Fireman, Overseas Contingent
    Norman Hepple (1908–1994)
  • Potato Lifters
    Will Roberts (1907–2000)
  • Memorial Painting
    Andrew Tift (b.1968)
  • Cardiff, Local Scene
    Charles Byrd (1916–2018)
  • View all 44
View all