In 1848, the local steel firm of Daniel Doncasters and Sons built a cementation furnace on Doncaster Street in the St Vincent's Quarter of Sheffield city centre. It was designed to produce steel by the cementation process. By 1860, there were 250 cementation furnaces in Sheffield capable of producing 80,000 tons of blister steel, and large conical structures were a characteristic feature of the city's industrial landscape.
The furnace on Doncaster Street is the only remaining example of this type of steel making furnace to survive intact in Great Britain. It operated throughout World War II, during which a blackout cover was fitted to the furnace outlet as a precaution against air raids - a feature that remains in place today painted white. The furnace ceased operation in 1951.
After standing unused for 40 years, the furnace was restored in 1992/93 with financial assistance from the HSBC (then Midland) Bank. Today, it is a Grade II Listed Building. The site is surrounded by low fencing and a locked gate, with the key available from the curator at the nearby Kelham Island Museum.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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