The sights, sounds and smells of steel-making form one of the most relevant and evocative exhibitions forged on Teesside in recent years. Steel Stories puts visitors in the shoes of the workers whose toil shaped our industrial heritage whilst also looking at Redcar’s current industry and the future of the region.
On entering the museum, visitors are able to dress-up and clock-in as steelworkers before visiting a lab with samples of the raw materials used in the steel-making process, as well as diagrams, literature and video footage illustrating the processes involved.
The centrepiece is a 3D printed model of the Redcar blast furnace made by two local apprentices from the firm Primetals Technologies Ltd. – a legacy company of Davy Ashmore who originally designed the furnace and who hold the original 1970s technical drawings in their company’s archive.
Other highlights include a recreation of a locker room, which offers a unique experience of day-to-day life for many in the iron and steel industry. There are interviews with former steelworkers talking about their experiences and a timeline which details the history of iron and steel on Teesside from the mid-19th century onwards. The final gallery explores the closure of SSI UK, and efforts to rejuvante Teesside now and inthe future. This is all topped of with an archive show reel of films from years gone by.
