This book was first published in 1967. This volume explores the history of the British iron and steel industry from 1760, tracking its development, relationship with the British economy, regional hubs, technological developments and the final triumph of steel over iron.
PART 1
1. The British iron and steel industry 1760-1879
2. Iron in the economy of England and Wales in the eighteenth century
3. The rise of the coke-iron industry
4. The British iron industry during the Napoleonic wars
5. Ironworks and ironmasters during the industrial revolution
6. The ironmasters' associations in the early nineteenth century
PART 2
7. The expansion of the industry, 1788-1880
8. The regional development of the industry, 1788-1880
9. THe advance of technology in the wrought iron industry
10. The growth of large-scale industry: capital and enterprise in the iron and steel industry in the nineteenth century
11. The iron trade
12. The ironworkers
PART 3
13. The process of supersession: the age of steel
14. The development of mild steel
15. The new factors of industrial location: ores for steel
16. The triumph of steel over wrought iron
Biography
Alan Birch