A new sculpture has been erected at Workington’s railway station as the town celebrates its contribution to the steel industry.
The town was the home of Henry Bessemer, who invented the Bessemer Converter in 1856 – a new way of making steel that revolutionised the industry.
It already has monuments to his contribution – and Workington steelworks, which closed in 1996 – in the town centre and on the roundabout at Clay Flatts, plus Wetherspoon named its pub after him when it opened.
Now, a new sculpture has been unveiled at the train station, as part of The Rails Which Circled The World heritage project, run by Cumbria Council Council and Community Rail Cumbria.
It features the Bessemer Converter and a 7ft interpretation of Bessemer himself. It was created by Shaun Williamson, who also sculpted the lion at the crossroads by the library and the sheep outside Mitchells Livestock Centre, near Cockermouth.
Marjorie Rae, Cumbria County councillor for Harrington, sourced a piece of local Tendley carboniferous limestone, and commissioned Mr Williamson.
The project has seen the railway station become an exhibition centre to celebrate the time when the town was a world leader in rail technology.
Young and old have visited the exhibition since its opening, sharing stories about the iron and steelmaking process in and around Workington that used to employ thousands of local people.
The exhibition highlights the hard shifts in the local mines where both children and adults worked together in extremely challenging conditions; the locations of where ships docked to be loaded for transporting Cumbrian steel rails all over the world; how local women stepped in at the steelworks during the war; and how the Bessemer Converter helped to light up the night sky for all to see and to enable production to continue 24 hours a day.
While passengers wait for their train, they can also watch a short film screened in the waiting rooms on both platforms. The film portrays personal stories of what life was like, including some West Cumbrian characters who worked with and contributed to Bessemer’s unique process.
Cllr Keith Little, Cumbria County Council cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “We are delighted that we have been able to work closely with Community Rail Cumbria, and Cllr Marjorie Rae was able to source local materials and a local sculptor to tell the story of the British steel works.
“This is very much a part of the Workington and West Cumbrian history, and the sculptor Shaun Williamson has done an outstanding job. The exhibition is well worth a visit next time you are in the station”.
Warren Birch, community rail partnership officer, said: “This is a wonderful addition to the exhibition, remembering both the importance Henry Bessemer had to this unique process and the many people of West Cumbria who worked at the Workington steelworks.”
