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Change over Time in the Location of Industry (The British Iron and Steel…
Change over Time in the Location of Industry
The British Iron and Steel Industry
Before the Industrial Revolution - By Forests and Rivers
Britain's early ironworks were located by forest and rivers
These places provided the resources needed by industry
Local rocks, which were rich in iron ore
Forests, which provided the wood from which charcoal could be made. Charcoal was used as a source of energy to smelt the iron ore
Rivers, which provided water power as well as river transport
The industrial Revolution - By Coalfields
By 1800, most of the great forest had been cut down and a new, better source of power had been discovered. This was coal
As old ironworks declined, new works were built near Britain's great coalmines in places
From 1950 Onwards - On the Coast
During the second half of twentieth century, the great coalfield sites began to suffer industrial decline and Britain's iron steel industry moved to coastal sites such as Port Talbot and Teeside
Reasons for move
Britain's coal and iron ore mines were almost exhausted (used up)
Oil had become more efficient than coal as a source of power
Coal, iron ore and oil were by then all being imported by sea into Britain
Industrial Inertia
Sheffield in England is an old inland steel-making location
Why it stayed
Sheffield's steel is used to make specialised high-quality produced such as surgical instruments and cutlery. There continues to be a big demand for such products
Sheffield has such a famous reputation for making fine steel that business would decline if it were to move location
There workers are very skilled. It wold take much time and money to train a similar workforce
A great deal of money has been invested into the steel plant to make it modern. It would be costly to abandon it and build somewhere else
The British government gave subsidies (financial aid) to Sheffield steel in order to fight rising unemployment in the English Midlands
This is when an industry does not move to a new location, even when changing location factors seem to suggest that it should do so