Panteg Steel Works

The Panteg Steel Works was situated in the village of Panteg, adjacent to Sebastopol, and Griffithstown, in the district of Torfaen, South Wales. The steel works was founded in 1873, and operated for over 130 years until its closure in 2004. A number of 'firsts' occurred at Panteg Steel Works during its long life, including the first full production of stainless steel in the UK outside Sheffield in 1944, the installation of the first production vertical caster in the UK in 1960 and the commissioning of British Steel's first Argon Oxygen Decarburizer in 1972. Planning permission was given to turn the works into residential housing in 2010, when the site became the Parc Panteg housing estate.

In 1873 the Panteg Steel and Engineering Company Ltd was founded by Sampson Copestake & Co, to produce steel rails and other items for export to India. The works were supervised by Captain J.R. Wright, Isaac Butler and Benjamin Smith. It is claimed that the first sheet steel in Britain was rolled in Staffordshire in 1876 from a bloom made in Panteg by Isaac Butler. In 1882 the site was acquired by Wright, Butler and Co Ltd. The works was taken over by Baldwins Ltd in 1902 and a Wellman furnace charging machine was installed, the first machine of its kind to be introduced in Wales. During the First World War, Panteg Steel Works was engaged in making steel for munitions, much like other steel works throughout Britain.

In 1935 an electric arc furnace of 5 tons capacity was introduced, followed by 10 ton electric arc furnaces in 1940 and an increase in electrical capacity in 1944. These developments enabled production to be increased during the Second World War, when Panteg produced armour plating, armour piercing steel and high manganese steel for helmets. In 1945 Baldwins Ltd merged with Richard Thomas Ltd to form Richard Thomas and Baldwins (RTB) Ltd. Panteg then became one of the leading producers of high-grade alloy steels, including stainless steels. In 1951 the works was nationalised briefly under the Iron & Steel Corporation of Great Britain, but later in 1951 it reverted to Richard Thomas & Baldwins Ltd and a cold strip plant was installed.

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