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A view of Steetley Pier approaching from Hartlepool Headland.
(Note the small sea coal, but a very clean beach cf Horden, Dawdon, etc.)
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What became known as the Steetley Magnesia Works was important for WWII steel, and production was ramped up further in the early 1960s, when Steetley Pier was built to extract more seawater, which contains magnesium. Magnesium removes sulphur from steel and can improve its mechanical properties, although this must be balanced against increased corrosion. Steetley (a Derbyshire minerals company) also operated limestone quarries at Coxhoe producing dolomite. which contains magnesium, and using Durham coal as a heat source reacts with seawater to produce magnesia, So raw materials and a ready market for steel production existed in the Hartlepool area.
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| Hartlepool Cemetery North Junction in 1939 - Sunderland lines from the north west diverge SE into the dockland and south to Hartlepool station. The palliser works had recently opened to produce magnesia for the steel industry. The pier was built 20 years later. |
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| A 1960s aerial view showing the works & pier. Note the precursor pipelines & exchange sidings. |
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| Steetley works, with vacuum-braked HC D1346 of 1965. When passing on the coast line in the 1960s I recall Q6s & WDs handling coal, dolomite & the magnesia output in the exchange sidings. |
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| A later photo from roughly the same position as above, with a more modern Hunslet & air-braked stock. |
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| The pier showing the extraction tubes & well/pump head; remains of an earlier pipe in the foreground |
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The works closed in 2005 - the break cut into the pier is intended to prevent public access.
The pier was scheduled for demolition during housing development of the Steetley site. |
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| Showing the heavy construction - seven 12" x 12" longitudinal timbers supporting the deck |
There are several interesting on line references to Steetley, magnesium & steel production, including:Further reading: IRS Handbook L Industrial Locos of Durham p195 Steetley Hartlepool, p193 Steetley Coxhoe.
Footnote: Restricted output from China, now by far the leading supplier of magnesium, caused problems for steel production worldwide in 2021.
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