Round Oak donation to Dudley Museum at The Archives
Dudley Museum has recently received a donation to its Round Oak exhibition.
Local resident Roger Dean has donated the sign in accordance with the wishes of his late father Derek who worked there for 37 years. Roger also worked for Round Oak Steel Works and has donated the original gate sign from the Steel Works. The sign was salvaged by Roger’s Mother, Edna. She was passing by as the demolition works were taking place and asked if she could have the sign for her husband. She presented him with the sign and he was thrilled, especially as it just happened to be his birthday. The sign has been cherished by him and the family ever since.
Sadly Derek passed away in January this year and the family wanted the sign to be put on display for everyone to see. Dudley Museum is thrilled to have this piece as part of their collection and it is now on display above the Round Oak exhibition at the museum.
The sign compliments the wider exhibition which includes a display of items donated by former Round Oak workers incorporating safety spectacles, safety badges, measuring tables, safety goggles and worker’s clothes.
Councillor Paul Bradley, cabinet member for communities and economic delivery, said:
“The Round Oak Steel works played a massive part in Brierley Hill’s history and prosperity for over one hundred years. It employed thousands of local people over its 125 year history, and many former workers still live in the area and remember the impact of the business and its closure.
“We’re so grateful to Roger and his mother for donating the gate sign to our exhibition as an authentic token of this nationally recognised former factory and I hope that people visiting the cone take pride in the area’s achievements.”
Contact Information
Dudley Council
Notes to editors
Notes on Round Oak:
The Round Oak Iron Works were built in 1857 at Round Oak, near Brierley Hill, under the direction of Richard Smith, the Earl of Dudley's principal agent. The Earl of Dudley already owned coal and iron mines, limestone quarries, sand-pits and blast furnaces. It was massively successful over the years but by the late 19th century, steel began to take over from iron as a more popular, economic and adaptable form of metal, and the Earl of Dudley began a steel plant at Round Oak during this period.
It carried on, changing hands several times, made it through the first world war and in 1936, the firm changed its name to 'Round Oak Steel Works Ltd.' to reflect the fact that the production of wrought iron and chain was now being discontinued.
By 1977, Round Oak Steel Works was jointly owned by Tube Investments Ltd. and British Steel Corporation, operating as an independent steel producer. It was capable of producing half a million tonnes of carbon and alloy steel bars per year. Round Oak Steel Works was finally closed on 23rd December 1982, after 125 years of operation. The Round Oak Steel Works site, consisting of over 100 acres of land, was sold brothers, Don and Roy Richardson, who developed some of the land into office space, known as The Waterfront and also created the Merry Hill Shopping Centre.