Information AboutBritish Steel |
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British Steel was a major British Steel producer, consisting of the assets of former private companies which had been Nationalised , largely under the Labour Party government of Harold Wilson (1964-1970). In 1971, it sponsored Sir Chay Blyth in his record-making non-stop Circumnavigation against the winds and currents, known as 'The Impossible Voyage'. In 1992 they sponsored the British Steel Challenge , the first of a series of 'wrong way' races for amateur crews. It was . INCORPORATED COMPANIES CHANGE IN THE BRITISH STEEL INDUSTRY With nationalisation in , Scunthorpe , Teesside and Scotland . This policy continued following the Conservative victory in the 1979 General Election . As a result Corby suffered and the early 1980s saw the loss of 11,000 jobs leading to an unemployment rate of over 30% {Link without Title} . Another town that suffered was Consett ; the closure of the British Steel works in 1980 marked the end of steel production in the Derwent Valley and the decline of the areas. In Scotland, Western Europe's largest hot strip steel mill at Ravenscraig , Motherwell , North Lanarkshire , was closed by British Steel in 1991 , leading to huge unemployment in the area. It also led to the closure of several local support and satellite businesses, such as the nearby British Steel Clydesdale Works in Mossend , Clyde Alloy in Netherton and equipment maker Anderson Strathclyde . Demolition of the sites landmark blue gasometer in 1994 , and the subsequent cleanup operation, has created the largest Brownfield site in Europe . This huge area between Motherwell and Wishaw is in line to be transformed into the new town of Ravenscraig , a project partly funded by Corus . British Steel's chairman at one point was Ian MacGregor , who would become famous for his role at British Coal and the UK Miners' Strike (1984-1985) . During the strike the " Battle Of Orgreave " took place at British Steel's coking plant. TRIVIA The English art/punk rock band XTC has a controversial song, Making Plans for Nigel, which frequently mentions British Steel. British Steel is also the name of a 1980 album by Heavy Metal band Judas Priest . SEE ALSO REFERENCES |
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