The former Redcar steel blast furnace in Teesside has been demolished in a dramatic explosion on Wednesday morning, marking the end of an iconic steelmaking landmark.
The bulk of the structure was felled at 9am after air horns sounded, as part of the ongoing redevelopment of the Teesworks industrial zone in North Yorkshire.
The former steelworks site has dominated the Teesside skyline for four decades and once produced 3.6 million tonnes of iron a year.
Finished in 1979, the blast furnace stood 365ft (111m) tall and was ranked the largest in the UK as well as the second largest of its kind in Europe.
A 250-metre exclusion zone was put in place for the blast, which could be heard as far away as Hartlepool, more than 20 miles (32km) from the area.
The #Redcar blast furnace - a dominant feature on the Teesside coastline since 1979 - brought to ground in seconds. New green jobs are promised for the regenerated steelworks site. pic.twitter.com/C4hhwjgiXv
— Ian Reeve (@IanReevebiz) November 23, 2022
The demolition was carried out by Thompsons of Prudhoe using 175kg of explosives and involving months of preparation.
In October 2022, the Basic Oxygen Steelmaking Plant in Redcar was also demolished in what was one of the largest single explosive demolition operations in Britain in 75 years.
Teesside's skyline has 'changed forever'
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said the skyline had "changed forever" after the demolition, adding that "a new skyline will emerge" as construction on the UK's largest freeport continues.
He said: "We can never understate how much the steelworks site has defined Teesside's history and shaped our communities, but I've always been clear we need to look to the future to create new jobs on this site that will employ generations of local people, just as the steelworks once did".
Redcar's Tory MP Jacob Young described it as a "day of mixed emotions".
The co-chair of the Teesworks Heritage Task Force said: "Our steel industry spanned 170 years and has been a major part of what it means to be from Teesside.
"For many, the blast furnace holds a special place in their hearts as a monument to our proud history and so to see such a distinctive and evocative part of our skyline go is obviously a day to be met with mixed emotions."
He added: "The best way to honour everything that the blast furnace came to symbolise is to press ahead in creating a better local economy for tomorrow."
The site was put out of use in 2010 before being restarted by Sahaviriya Steel Industries UK (SSI) when it took over ownership from Tata Steel in 2012.
However, it entered liquidation three years later and over 2,000 jobs were lost when the furnace was shut down for the final time in 2015.
The four enormous gas stoves which heated the furnace are set to be demolished separately in the coming weeks.
