The Tamar is a river in the far south west of England that forms the majority of the border that lies between the counties of Cornwall and Devon. The Tamar’s source resides less than 4 miles from the north Cornish coast yet it decides to head south for a total of 61 miles until it flows into the waters of Plymouth Sound and the English Channel beyond.
This is the beginnings of a long-term documentation that will focus on the landscape, people and culture of those that live near or engage with the river.
Tamar - Boyton - Devon
River Tamar - Between West and East Youlstone, Cornwall
Greg Bennett
Environmental Monitoring Officer for the Environment Agency
Cornwall
To me, the Tamar is an amazing resource of hidden treasures, many of which are overlooked by those passing by, largely owing to its often slightly turbid appearance!
Many will be unaware that the River Tamar is one of three index rivers in England and Wales for monitoring Salmon and Sea Trout. It is also the only index river reporting on the marine survival rates of these protected species.
We extensively monitor the Tamar at Gunnislake to provide information on the biology and status of stocks at a dedicated location. I currently lead on the fieldwork element of this monitoring programme which has been established for over 25 years, where we trap, count and assess health of these magnificent fish. It forms a large part of my job role within the Environment Agency. I am incredibly fortunate to have worked with some highly skilled, dedicated & professional colleagues who have made this project what it is today.
The consistently high quality of data collected helps influence decisions made across the business, helping environmental monitoring, conservation and management.
When not working at this location I feel fortunate to be able to engage across related disciplines including analysing invertebrate samples in our laboratory, many of which are collected from the Tamar and its many tributaries, and form part of our wider monitoring programme. Being able to link the various environmental parameters together is vital in understanding the bigger picture and the overall ecology of the river.
Tamar - Between Devonport and Torpoint
Tamar River - Woolley Moor
River Tamar - Southdown Quay, Millbrook
Lynda Ashwell - Residential Boat Owner
I'm not sure exactly how long my husband and I have been here. If I'm happy somewhere, years don't come into it. When you are content, you don't think about it. I feel that I may have the kind of life that people dream about. Its a bit ramshackle, but this is where I really want to be. Its a beautiful setting where you can watch the deer, the egrets, the swans and the herons. Its an ever changing landscape that is like a painting. I'm a water sign and have never been far from the water. I am at home here, love being here, feel that I was pulled here.
The river allows you to absorb its calmness, enables you to reflect, helps you to discover peace. The river gives life and it takes life. It doesn't make any rules, it just flows.
River Tamar - Southdown Marina, Millbrook looking across to Plymouth
River Tamar - Weir Quay, Devon
Andy Anderson - Local Resident
I’ve always been around water, the Tamar. All my life has been to do with the river. My first experience was the old ferry that used to carry cars and passengers across to Saltash before the road bridge was built in 1961. I went on days out with friends, mostly exploring different beaches to play football on.
My working life began at the marine engineering firm Fox & Haggart, which was based on the Barbican in Plymouth. I served my apprenticeship there, working on trawlers and coasters before moving on into the Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service that was based in the dockyard in Devonport and I ended up spending the rest of my career there.
I was born on the Isle of Man, but moved to Devon when I was two years old and always found that I was coming to spend time in Weir Quay, so it felt natural to move here in 1965. I go to the river bank every day. I wouldn’t say I’m drawn to it but certainly connected. I have come to know the river back to front - local knowledge you would say – the channels, the landmarks, the changes in the banks and wildlife that reflect the seasons.
The river represents freedom and a place to get away from people. I love the stillness and quietness of it – especially in a rowing boat when you can feel you are in the middle of nowhere.
River Tamar - Woolley Moor
Tamar River - Woolley Wood
River Tamar - Mendennick Barton, Millbrook
David Turner - Landowner and Farmer
There is a direct family connection to this land since 1597 and I myself was born and bred here. The central farm itself is around 450 acres but I have additional responsibility for estates on Maker, Anthony and Port Eliot which together totals over 1600 acres. You are conscious that there is a lot of history around here, with some settlements dating from the Iron Age. I feel that I am just passing through this land, hoping to improve it's condition, make the farm more up-to-date and leave a positive legacy which my son can carry forward.
To me the river represents a very convenient space between here and Plymouth. It is a barrier to development and in that sense a force for good. The estuary adjacent to my land is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and that has been very beneficial in establishing my organic business as an example of Higher Level Stewardship*. In that sense, the river has helped me again and I'm thankful for that.
*The primary objectives of Higher Level Stewardship are the conservation of wildlife; the maintenance and enhancement of landscape quality and character; the protection of natural resources; the protection of the historic environment; the promotion of public access and understanding of the countryside.
Tamar River - Woolley Wood
River Tamar - Border between West and East Youlstone
Left Image - Cornwall Right Image - Devon
John Britton - Tenant Dairy Farmer
Luffincott, Devon
My parents took over this farmstead in 1970, so there has been a family connection to this land for almost 50 years. I was only 8 years-old when I came here. Some of the land that I farm is on the Tamar’s floodplain, so my relationship with the river can be described as one of acceptance. Rainfall many miles away from here has a direct impact and the river can be constructive and destructive in equal measure. The topsoil adjacent to the river can be 6 or 7 foot-deep and is extremely fertile, but you could never plant crops here. The farming industry is precarious enough at the best of times, so you have to acknowledge and manage the risk that the river can represent. In that sense, you can never truly relax and enjoy it.
The landscape here has barely changed in my time, although fencing and mature trees are occasionally lost to the river’s meanders. I’ve known and worked this place for almost all of my life, so it is easy to forget how unique and beautiful it actually is. Looking down on this valley on a frosty Spring morning is just magnificent. I just take it for granted.
Tamar - Luckett - Cornwall
River Tamar - Garden Battery - Cornwall
Colbey Short (Aged 13)
I've been coming to this spot for over a year. The city is boring. I need to escape it. I feel drawn to the water and spend a lot of time by the river. There is no one around here, no one tombstoning. Its quiet. Most of my mates are sat at home on their X-Boxes. I like to come here by myself and explore at low tide. I like the freedom and the space. It helps me relax.
River Tamar - Border between West and East Youlstone
River Tamar - Southdown Marina, Millbrook
Tamar Valley Vineyard – South Hooe, Devon
Marcus and Heather Williams and Logan, Paula and Dave Williams
Marcus Williams…
Our family have owned this land on the Bere Penisular since 1958. My grandfather was a German prisoner of war who decided to stay in this country when the conflict ended. A builder by profession, he bought this plot and turned his hand to farming, but in his heart he always wanted a vineyard.
When my grandfather passed away in 2004, the land was passed down the family, which led to a process of rediscovery. Research uncovered that the patch of Devonian soil we owned was of a similar typography to the Rhur Valley which is so beloved by the Riesling grape. The area has a sheltered microclimate and further investigations led us to believing that the Madeleine Angevine, a white wine grape well suited for England’s cool climate and that is also popular in Germany, could actually thrive here. So, we planted our first vines in 2016 and have been clearing the land and developing it ever since.
My family is Bere Alston born and bred and we have deep roots in the area which we are even more conscious of now that we are land owners. Both my wife and I have spent time living and working away from the area, and I think there is a great deal of truth in the saying that you have to go away and then come back in order for you to appreciate what you have on your own doorstep.
This is an isolated and unique landscape that is slowly changing and we are aware that we are part of that process. We feel extremely privileged to be the custodians of this part of the Tamar Valley.
Tamar - Remains of the Merganser - Weir Quay, Devon
River Tamar - View from across St John's Lake to HMS Raleigh, Cornwall
St John's Lake is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and is of national importance for its wintering population of around 6,000 wildfowl and 10,000 waders. The alga and eel grass beds are particularly important as they provide feeding areas for populations of Wigeon, Mute Swan, Brent Geese, Shelduck, Black Tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Knot, Oystercatchers, Curlew, Redshank, Plovers, Turnstone and Teal.
Pru Barnes - Local Resident & Landowner
South Hooe, Devon
My family was originally from Chagford on Dartmoor. My father was a farmer but was also a keen sailor and he moved to be by the river to satisfy that passion. But my mother was a Moors person and the tides and the moon really affected her badly and that led to her hating the river.
At the turn of the millennium I inherited this farm, in the region of 40 acres, which is a traditional mix of beef, sheep and arable. It is an intensive form of farming and my husband and I want to change that, to be more ecological, to be self-sufficient and to create a refuge for wildfowl in the area. There has been a loss of freshwater wetland habitat in recent years and we would like to correct this. The Tamar loops around a portion of our land that is fortified by a tidal wall, so the plan is to breach that wall, flood those fields and restore the landscape for the benefit of local flora and fauna.
I’ve always felt a connection to this place, to its sound of birds on the wing. It wonderful to have such a variety of wildlife right on your doorstep. And the mud, you cannot forget about the mud.
I feel that I am a custodian, a lucky custodian, but one with a responsibility that is social and to nature. There are not enough people standing up for nature and I want to be one of those who are changing that.
River Tamar - Border close to Youlstone Ham Bridge
Left Image - Cornwall Right Image - Devon
Tamar - Torpoint Ferry, Cornwall
River Tamar – Weir Quay, Devon
Val Anderson - Local Resident
I’ve always lived by this river and I cannot envisage any other way of life. I remember living on a wooden ship called the Merganser, the remnants of which can still be seen here today. It was during the Second World War and was with two other families, so you can image the size. We moved to dry land and Kiln Cottage in 1947.
So, I have lived on the river, learnt to walk on the river, learnt to swim in the river and learnt to row on the river. The Tamar has been integral to my life and I have always had a connection to it, either emotionally or physically. A boat, in whatever shape or form has always been a family possession and a source of fun, which has been passed down the generations as my daughter and grand-daughter continue to live in the hamlet.
I’ve always been able to look out onto the river. Everything seems to slow down, but with just a whisper of the wind it can all change, especially with the spring tides – the river is in a hurry then. Its diverse, active, everchanging. Movement is constant.
During April through to October, from Cargreen up to South Hooe, the river gets congested with boats. For me it detracts from the naturalness that already exists. This area has been designated an Area of Natural Outstanding Beauty, but it’s being threatened by over-development. However much it changes though, I simply cannot imagine being without it.
River Tamar - Military Firing Range, Millbrook, Cornwall
Tamar - Luckett, Cornwall
Johnny Cotton
Ernesettle, Plymouth, Devon
Local resident and Crabber
There has been crabbing on the river for at least 30 years. Peeler crabs have a reputation as one of the finest sea angling baits and I come to this patch on a regular basis to harvest them for my own use. My uncle worked a different stretch close to here for a number of years and it seemed natural for me to follow him. I’ve been doing this for just over two.
There are 10 of us here with our own dedicated areas. The pots are actually pieces of guttering that the crabs shelter in when they are moulting. There are currently no by-laws in this area, so we self-regulate what we catch by only taking crabs of a certain size and returning all the females. It is not in anyone’s interest to deplete the numbers that live here. It is estimated that every square foot of mud contains a crab and they migrate up and down the river, reacting to the temperature, wind, pressure and tide.
I enjoy every aspect of the river - the landscape, the fishing, the wildlife. My day job is working in a call centre doing 12 hours shifts, surrounded by people and constant noise. The river is tranquillity for me. Its an escape.
Tamar - Polson Bridge - Devon
River Tamar - Looking across to Plymouth from Millbrook, Cornwall
River Tamar - Southdown Marina, Millbrook, Cornwall
Louise Spencer - Residential Boat Owner
I've slowly graduated to this place over a period of time and have been here for over 3 years now. I find the river soft, quiet, calming and healing. I enjoy the scenery, the space, the different weathers and the constantly changing view - it can be quite gripping. I love the freedom that this lifestyle gives me and I love this spot. I feel drawn to the water and it is ever present here. You develop your own sense of time. You could easily get lost.
Tamar - Horsebridge - Devon
River Tamar – South Hooe, Devon
Jim Barnes - Local Resident
I have always preferred to live in the countryside with plenty of space around and the chance for outside work and projects. Where we live now is ideal. Connected to the road system by a dead-end road and to the river system-which used to be the main transport system - at various points on the farm.
I am the secretary for the local mooring association so am very much aware of the river, its tides, depths, and various hazards ranging from mud banks to large floating tree remains. The farm has a small harbour from which we can take sailing boats for winter storage. Removal and launching can only take place at high spring tides and this often means an early start on an autumn or spring morning when the sun is just rising. I have experienced many a frosty morning when the valley is shrouded in mist and the early morning sun is trying to break through. The colours, noises of the river birds and general serenity affects you.
The geography of where we are, being continually surrounded by water, means that it is like living on your own little island. The river is a barrier. It is a boundary. When I first moved here with my wife, we used to travel up the river, moor overnight and absorb our surroundings. They are all now very much ingrained in our lives.
Tamar - Polson Bridge - Cornwall
Tamar - Higher New Bridge - Devon
Celine Artero
Scientist for the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust
Cornwall
I am involved in the European SAMARCH (Salmonid Management Round the Channel) Project, as the scientific lead in the tracking of wild salmon and sea trout.
Although the project involves working on a number of rivers in the Channel area, the majority of the data collection and research focuses on the five salmon and sea trout ‘Index’ rivers in the Channel area. Index rivers are those that have been collecting data on salmonids for a considerable time and these are the rivers Frome and Tamar in the south of England and the Scorff, Oir and Bresle in northern France. The project includes a number of partners from France and England who are a blend of research and regulatory organisations, and key stakeholders of which the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust is one.
The goal of the project is to accumulate new scientific evidence on the survival and migration of young salmon and sea trout in order to improve our understanding and management of the two species and hopefully increase their numbers.
My work involves me spending time on all the different rivers, capturing, measuring and tagging fish in order to solve the mystery of what they are actually doing in the estuaries and whilst they are at sea. I use acoustic tracking technology to follow the sea trout and salmon smolts through the estuaries of the river Tamar and with the help of the Environment Agency, collect samples of juvenile brown trout to build a common genetic data base.
I really enjoy working on the Tamar, not only because it is particularly beautiful but also because of all the passionate colleagues around me and the people that I meet.
The river and its tributaries are always full of surprises, constantly changing with the weather, the time of day and the seasons. It can sometimes make it difficult to work with, but at the same time you feel that the river is alive. But over time, you gain the knowledge that helps you tame the river just enough for it to reveal the secrets that it is hiding.
River Tamar - Garden Battery, Mount Edgecumbe, Cornwall
Tamar - Thorn Point - Devon
Over a third of UK employees dislike their office environment. Lack of control, difficulties concentrating and an inability to work without being interrupted cause stress, anxiety and illness.
The physical environment has a major impact on how employees feel at work and on their ability to perform. An office should be an asset to a business, but all to often it is merely toxic.
The town of Ebbw Vale, situated in an isolated valley in South Wales, owes its existence to the heavy industries of coal and iron that emerged there in the late 18th century.
From a population of just 500 in 1779, the town swelled to over 40,000 by 1920. During the 1940's and 1950's it was estimated that over 12,000 people were directly employed in the local steelworks as the economy of the region revolved around the production of steel. Nationalised by a Labour government in the following decade, British Steel flourished until the development of the global economy and foreign competition.
A Conservative administration under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher oversaw privatisation, which led to a rapid shrinking of the workforce at Ebbw Vale to under 3,000. However, the plant was now leaner and more efficient and contributed to a £1 billion profit for British Steel in 1996.
That was not to last. Currency fluctuations coupled with a price collapse in the international steel market saw British Steel fall into debt and it was taken over by the Dutch conglomerate Hoogoverns in 1999 and renamed Corus.
In the year 2000, Hoogoverns claimed that its subsidiaries in Wales were losing over £1 million per week and that a major restructuring programme was being considered. The following year this plan was acted upon, meaning that the plant at Ebbw Vale would completely close in July 2002.
For Ebbw Vale, 220 years of an industrial association with steel was to come to an end. The plant was stripped of its assets and its buildings mostly demolished. There is little of this once industrial giant left to see, just token relics for posterity and history.
Over 800 people lost their jobs.
Quality was supposed to be their security.
Ron Jones - Pickle Line Operator - 32 years at the Works
Strand Annealing Line
Colin Hazlewood - Team Member 5 Stand - 32 years at the Works
Oil Marks - Creeping Grease
Ian Powell - Mechanical Shift Specialist - 35 years at the Works
Alan Harris - Electrical Fitter - 34 years at the Works
Pickle Line
Keith Edwards - Team member Galvanizing - 22 years at the Works
Vincent Keane - team leader Double Reduction Mill - 34 years at the Works
Entry Pickler - Warehouse
Jason Briggs (left) - Maintenance Fitter - 18 years at the Works
Brian Evans (right) - Maintenance Fitter - 34 years at the Works
Glyn Williams (left) - Exit Operator 3ETL - 33 years at the Works
Gareth Connor (right) - Exit Operator 3ETL - 29 years at the Works
Andrew Brace - Team Leader Cleaning & Annealing - 25 years at the Works
Alan Lewis - Anode Caster - 13 years at the Works
Girders - Entry Pickler
Mess Room
Hand Prints
Dilwyn Evans - Mechanical & Technical Engineer - 33 years at the Works
Lyndon Crosby (left) - Team Leader Annealing Welder - 35 years at the Works
Steve Watkins (right) - Team Leader Annealing Electrician - 35 years at the Works
Jonathan Griffiths - Lighting Engineer - 10 years at the Works
Showers - 5 Stand
John Sheppard (left) - Manufacturing Support Specialist - 34 years at the Works
Dilwyn Evans (right) - Mechanical & Technical Engineer - 33 years at the Works
Philip Lawton - Roll Grinder Roll Shop - 33 years at the Works
CO2 Fire Safety System - 5 Stand
Light Beams - Pickler Warehouse
Paul Price - Continuous & Annealing Line - 31 years at the Works
Paul Lewis - Team Leader Temper Mill - 18 years at the Works
Steel Roll
Stewart Price - Team Leader Roll Shop - 1 year at the Works
Brush - No1 Temper Mill
Mike Gardner (front) - Team leader Electronic Tinning Line - 32 years at the Works
Ian Lapham (back) - Team Leader Electronic Tinning Line - 33 years at the Works
Darren Powell - Team Leader Post Coating - 25 years at the Works
Electronic Motor Status - Equipment Packaged for Shipment
Byron Price - Team leader 5 Stand - 34 years at the Works
Hand Print on Steel Roll
Mike Tarr - Projects Engineer - 34 years at the Works
Notice Board - Apprentice Training Centre
Rob Collins - Team Member Roll Shop - 34 years at the Works
Glove
All imagery copyright of Joseph Murphy
All imagery and content copyright of Joseph Muphy
Allan Watkins - Pickler Team Leader - 29 years at the Works
The closure announcement came and we were all a bit stunned. Management kept saying how professional the workforce were by carrying on as usual but deep down people were gutted and hurt that this had happened after making team working at Ebbw Vale such a success.
And with the announcement came a complete change in people’s attitudes, as positions were being made available at other Corus plants. This meant filing in application forms and going for interviews which was very daunting. I personally had not had an external job interview since I started at Ebbw Vale.
The last shift I worked was the 6-2 shift on the day of closure itself. I walked the complete area of the Pickle Line from the Hot Mill Warehouse to the Exit Warehouse – just taking in as many memories as possible on the way.
I was gutted and hurt, but I knew deep down that we all had to pick ourselves up and move on.
Alun Hodson - Engineer on Pickle Line - 12 years at the Works
I started in Ebbw Vale in May 1990. I was 23 years old and I remember coming home after my induction day, which included signing up to the Works Club and becoming an Ebbw Vale Rugby season ticket holder. Oh, and we briefly talked about health and safety! And telling my dad, who had retired from the steelworks a few years earlier (he was a colour blind electrician’s mate) that I was going to be in the labour pool and would be sent to either the Tractors, the Temper Mill, the 5 Stand or the Pickler and he said
“Whatever you do, don’t go down the Pickler!”
The following day I was sent down to, yes you’ve guessed it, the Pickler and the rest, as they say, is history.
One of the younger breed of characters was a lad called Johnny Collins who was sent to the Pickler because nobody else would have him. Now John was a big ‘Rat Pack’ fan and would often serenade us with his impressions of Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Junior and his favourite Frank Sinatra. But sadly this came to an abrupt end on one particular night shift, because on this night shift, John with tannoy in hand, was giving it his all with a fantastic rendition of the classic ‘My Way’. Sadly for John, he had forgot that at 3 o clock in the morning, sound travels a little bit further in the dead of night and a resident who lived in Clovelly Avenue, which was a street less than 50 yards from the Pickle Line, got in his car whilst still in his pyjamas and drove to the Spotters (Security) Cabin at the North Gate and explained that
“Unless Frank Sinatra shuts the fuck up, I will shove that tannoy right up his fucking arse!’
Alan Lewis (left) - Anode Caster - 13 years at the Works
Nigel Davis (right) - Anode Caster - 15 years at the Works
Alan Harris - Electrical Fitter - 34 years at the Works
My strongest and fondest memory of the plant was the life- long friends and work mates that I had for the whole period I worked at Ebbw Vale. In the electrical Departments around the site, everyone looked out for one another – from the day’s regular boys to the shift boys. There were quite a lot of great mates and friends made during that time and they still are today.
It was never a chore to get up in the morning and go to work, because when you actually got to work, even if you were feeling a bit down, you could guarantee that someone would always say something or do something to bring you back up. Normally with a bit of a joke or the odd trick being played on you.
It was hard to know how I felt at the time. I had spent 34 years at Ebbw Vale from boy to man and I remember that the announcement came as a bit of a shock, not just for me but for everyone else who worked there and everybody in and around the town itself. I suppose that it took a long time for it to sink in that it was actually going to close. I loved every minute of everyday at that plant. I never imagined that the steelworks would ever close. My thoughts were - What were the people who worked there going to do? What were my mates going to do? What was I going to do?
Alun Rees (left) - Team Leader Warehouse & Distribution - 32 years at the Works
Howard Vaughan (right) - Team Member Warehouse & Distribution - 25 years at the Works
Alun Rees...
My strongest memories of the Works were…
Great workmates; Great friendships; Real internal customer satisfaction; A sense of belonging; Hard workers; Fun; True friends; True enemies; Life changing experiences such as the selection process and promotion; Bad management; Closure Teams; Demolition.
At the time of closure I felt…
Devastation! Sad; End of an era; Wanted to die; Relieved (knew it was coming); Cheated; Resigned to the fact; Helpless; Keen to move on; Wanted to prove people wrong about the closure; Cheated again and again.
The impact of the closure…
Made me almost commit suicide; Made me stronger; Made me really think of providing for my family.
Howard Vaughan...
My strongest memories of the Works were the friends I made. The work was just work at the end of the day - it was something you had to do to get a bit of a life. That work has now gone, but most of the friends are still around and those who are not, I will always remember with great affection. It’s the social aspects I remember the most - the five-a-side games, going to Glastonbury and Reading festivals together, the trips to Spain, many a night out watching bands in the pubs, going to international matches and attending friends weddings.
At the time of closure it was obviously a big step into the unknown for me, as I eventually decided I was getting out of the steel industry for good. But once you've made that decision, you just have to go with it. I had lots of feelings all rolled into one - a new job, new friends, a different way of working, different humour, the list is endless.
The closure impacted upon me in an unexpected but positive way. I started a new job in Caerphilly and was off the ‘continental shifts’ so I found I had more energy. I then met my wife, moved to Caerphilly, have every weekend off and just feel good and better in myself.
Andrew Brace - Team Leader Cleaning & Annealing - 25 years at the Works
Andrew Stokes - Team Leader 5 Stand - 16 years at the Works
I quickly made the decision to take my redundancy as both my wife and I had parents who were unwell and most of the jobs that Corus said were available were dependent on moving home to be in the location of the new plant. I’d previously unsuccessfully applied for a Team Leader rol twice (apparently I was too nice to manage a team) and felt the steel industry was not a career option for the future. As the months running up to the closure went on I was given a Team Leader’s role almost by default as people started to move to other plants. I spent just over a year trying to motivate people who had years more experience and knew they were going to lose their jobs.
I think the final straw for me was when we had to process work for Trostre in Llanelli because they couldn’t process the steel as well as we could. That left a really bitter taste especially, as in my opinion, Ebbw Vale was sacrificed to save Llanwern. There’d been talk of Llanwern closing but there was such an outcry that I believe the jobs were taken from Ebbw Vale to save the Newport plant.
Ambrose Pope - Steel Process Operator & Training Officer - 35 years at the Works
My strongest memories of the plant are the comradeship me and my fellow employees shared from when I first started work in 1967 until its closure in 2002. But there were times towards the latter years where the managements’ attitude changed. When people were deselected, some of the reasons given were quite bizarre.
For example – one crane driver was told he was being ‘let go because he did not communicate much during his shift’ – although how he was supposed to talk to anyone when he was 30ft up in the air is anyone’s guess.
During the 1980’s there was a sense of change as we saw the coalmines around us close and the way the miners were seen by Westminster and the media as left wing yobs. But to their families and us, they were heroes protecting their way of life. Little did we know it was going to be our turn next. I remember we went on strike and the anger of the workforce at that time. As we came nearer to the closure of the works, a sense of betrayal grew and a feeling of a great loss of all that had gone before.
At the time of closure I felt a great loss for the workforce, for the effect the closure would have on the community of Ebbw Vale and the surrounding areas and the lack of opportunities for future generations.
Alan Lewis - Anode Caster - 13 years at the Works
David Ashman (left) - Shift Specialist, Cleaning & Annealing - 24 years at the Works
Andrew Brace (centre) - Process Specialist, Cleaning & Annealing - 25 years at the Works
Keith Williams (right) - Stock Base Loader, Cleaning & Annealing - 29 years at the Works
David Ashman...
I have two distinct memories, one being the environment itself - namely the smell of the place. The smells could be the strong smell of the Five Stand palm oil coming off the strip going into the cleaning line. If you were unfortunate to be first for the end of shift shower then you were guaranteed to have this smell ingrained in your clothes for hours later on. There was also the smell of the caustic soda fumes that, as with the smell mentioned earlier, we took for granted and did not think of the long-term health effect.
From the time I started working at 16, I was looked after and mentored by the men I always knew they would be there to fight my corner, whilst at the same time knowing the support was reciprocal as I always was there for them. Like others, I have so many good memories like being sent down the stores for a glass hammer, sky hooks and a long weight. Four hours later they told me!
I felt numb struck at the time of closure. The closure announcement delivered in the Lever Hall lacked compassion, something that did not help with the acceptance of closure. One main factor with the distaste after the closure was epitomised by one of my very good workmates who I met collecting trolleys in a supermarket. He sat me down and told me that in the Works he was very good at his job, was respected and people liked him. He told me he doesn’t have any of that with his new job and that he’s got a 19-year-old boss who talks to him like shit. Unfortunately like many other good men, he is also no longer with us, dying at a young age. But I can be sure of one thing he’s not pushing trolleys up there in the heavens, but working on the cleaning line with Ron, Colin and the Bird.
Respect was something that was earned in the steelworks and was a cornerstone in Valley people’s lives. Having this taken away from so many people was never taken into consideration when closure was announced and the so-called support for job searching was given.
Bill Davies - Team Member Warehouse - 22 years at the Works
Bill Hill - General Labourer - 41 years at the Works
Jason Briggs (left) - Maintenance Fitter - 18 years at the Works
Brian Evans (right) - Maintenance Fitter - 34 years at the Works
Brian Evans...
It was a man’s world where the work could often be hard, but you all worked together for the common good. There was great comradeship and a unique sense of humour and everybody watched each other’s backs in more ways that one. Friendships there were always strong and shared for life. You looked after each other. After all, we were one big family.
At the time of closure I felt numb, betrayed and a victim of politics.
Numb – Because this was your life and you had not done anything else. You had worked there since school and you had invested your working life into it. Your life was planned around your working there till retirement.
Betrayed – Because you had done everything asked of you – the nights in college; training and exams; multiple courses; the unsociable hours to cover all eventualities. Ultimately, your plans had all been destroyed.
For a while I had a job with a contract firm who were dismantling the Works. It was surreal taking apart plant that I had been looking after all my life. Now I was dismantling it and putting it onto the backs of lorries to be sent all over the world and never seen again. I felt like I was desecrating a grave.
Since the day the Works closed up to now, there have been loads of people (literally hundreds) that I have not seen again, although I knew them all my working life. They all live in different towns and our paths never normally cross. Sometimes you hear of someone passing away and all the memories keep flooding back.
I guess all the people who worked there are still grieving in their own way.
Byron Price - Team Leader 5 Stand - 34 years at the Works
Clive Jones (front) - Team Member Warehouse - 22 Years at the Works
Nick Dallimore (back) - Team Member Warehouse - 24 years at the Works
Colin Hazlewood - 5 Stand Team Leader - 32 years at the Works
The 5 Stand was the place where nobody else from any other department wanted to work. It was a dirty place to work. I remember we used to call it ‘creeping grease’ because the grease would get everywhere. Anything and everything you touched would be coated in grease. Many times I would row with my partner due to the black grease making its way into our home.
I remember my work colleagues fondly and the camaraderie between us leading to lifelong friendship. We would each take in turn to cook or bring in a feast to fuel us for the busy shift ahead. This ranged from cooked breakfasts to curries to stews in winter. We would hold inter-departmental tournaments covering various sports with the winner having all the bragging rights for the year.
At first, I felt devastated when I heard about the closure. I felt let down and angry that the company decided to close Ebbw Vale when it was making money and improvements right up to the day of closure. We were let down by the company who used us as guinea pigs to trial new practices and procedures including cutting the workforce which we did successfully while maintaining output. Looking back, all the things we had done were a waste of time and money. I was under the impression that all these changes were happening in other works, but it was only in Ebbw Vale, so in my opinion they were deliberately pushing us to closure.
I felt angry as top management was lying to us all along. I felt frustrated because we were told that we were the best performing works with the highest quality. I believe that a mixture of politics and location led to the downfall of Ebbw Vale.
Daman Jukes - Team Member Pickler - 13 years at the Works
My strongest memories are playing a game called ANGLES in the Roll Shop. This involved throwing the little rubber balls (that came out of the sandblaster) around the corners of the mess room with the lights out. Plenty of black eyes and bleeding noses came out of that room. Loads of great memories from the Pickle Line but the one that will stick with me is where I got a three day suspension for playing badminton. We had a court marked out, net and all. Unfortunately the Works Engineer decided to make a visit….
At the time of closure I had three young children, so I felt panic to start with. Plant closure had always been talked about since the day I started, so it didn’t come as a massive shock. I had ten good years and three bad years there, the last three was when they decided to put graduates in as managers. Most didn’t have a clue. In a way I was glad to see the back of it in the end. I did miss my workmates. I spent more time with them than I did with my family due to the nature of the shift work and it took a while to adjust to that.
Darren Powell - Team Leader Post Coating - 25 years at the Works
Darren Roberts - Team Member Stockyard & Warehouse - 18 years at the Works
David Lloyd -Team Member/Deputy Team Leader on 3 ETL - 25 years at the Works
The camaraderie and the adaptability of the workforce at Ebbw Vale are the memories that will always stay with me.
At the time of the closure I felt very sad that an era in the Valleys was ending. As I chose not to be relocated, I was extremely anxious wondering what the future held for myself and my family as I had worked at Ebbw Vale since leaving school and all my skills and qualifications were for the steel industry. I was given 3 months notice and advised of training opportunities outside of the steel industry. Job opportunities in other local steel plants were very few and far between so I decided that I would pursue an HGV driving course.
However, during the very last week of my 3-month notice I was offered a job in the Hot Mill Down Coilers at Llanwern Steelworks. I was lucky.
David Wilkshire - Bench Joiner - 36 years at the Works
Delwyn Evans - Store Keeper and Team Leader - 35 years at the Works
My strongest memories of the plant are working with a great bunch of people who became mates. The socializing, not just with work colleagues but also with their families.
How did I feel at the time of closure? Devastated. I think that all the workers felt down in the dumps. Myself, I felt very sad. The Works was a big part of my life. Almost the whole of my life.
The impact was enormous. It hurt me very much. I lost all my friends and mates. I lot moved away to find work elsewhere, although I have still managed to keep contact with some through social media.
Deri Noble (left) - Warehouse Team Member - 33 years at the Works
Robert Russell (right) - Warehouse Team Member - 28 years at the Works
Robert Russell...
My strongest memories of the plant are all about the camaraderie of the work place and the characters there. It was unique.
I had an overwhelming feeling of sadness when the Works closed. It truly was the end of an era. Fortunately I managed to get relocated to Trostre, but it was a time of great worry for me and the family at the time.
Dilwyn Evans - Mechanical & Technical Engineer - 33 years at the Works
Glyn Williams (left) - Team Leader Tinning Line Operator - 33 years at the Works
My strongest memories are from when I first started at Ebbw Vale - the enormity of the plant and the diversity of work being done. Jobs like maintenance architects, boiler makers, and all the skills on show I miss and will probably never see again.
When the closure was finally announced, my worries were firstly for my crew, which I worked with, wondering what lay ahead for them. Most of then had children and loved ones to look after and also mortgages to pay.
It seemed to me that help was not given to most of them in their hour of need. Myself, I decided to leave the steel industry behind fearing its demise and follow a different path of employment.
Was I apprehensive? Yes. Was I disappointed? Yes. Did I feel betrayed? Yes.
Ian James - Roll Grinder Roll Shop - 13 years at the Works
Ian Powell - Fitter Turner - 39 years at the Works
Everybody in the modern world talks a bought the concept of "Team Working" which I find rather amusing, because the camaraderie and the friendship of all my workmates were second to none and if we hadn't worked together as a team the works would have ground to a halt.
One of the proudest moments of Ebbw Vale has to be the last coil that was run through number 3 E.T.L. It was a prime coil. They should have made a film of the workers in the run down to closure to show people how a proud work force acts in adversity. It would have been so easy for them to say ‘why bother?’ but they stayed proud of their work and carried on regardless. So some of my strongest memories are of the great friends I made in the Works and also observing some of the great skills of the people working there.
Eventually sad times came and the bad news of the closure of the Works was announced and I then became part of the Decommissioning Team. My job entailed isolating hydraulic systems, pneumatic systems, working with contractors and generally making safe the plant for closure.
It was a very sad time in my working career because after 37 years of maintaining the plant to keep running I then had to work the last 2 years of my career closing down the machines that I had kept running. I worked for 39 years in the steel works and enjoyed every minute of my working life. I can never ever remember not wanting to go to work. It gave me a great living and helped me to put my two sons through University, so when the news of the closure came I was 51 years of age and I wasn't ready to finish work.
I had the opportunity to transfer to Port Talbot but having to re-locate was too much of an upheaval, so sadly I took early retirement and I remember crying as I was walking through the North Gate with a black bag with my working clothes in over my shoulder for the last time. A very sad moment I will never forget.
John Chaffey - Fitter Turner/Roll Grinder - 37 years at the Works
I felt stabbed in the back at the time of closure! We did everything they asked us to do and they still shut us down. The director told us they were shutting down the wrong works – Trostre should have been shut and not Ebbw Vale, but it was a political decision.
The Labour Government did nothing to keep us open, they didn’t support us, although this was a Labour stronghold. I felt frustrated at the lack of investment in infrastructure for rail and road networks that could have influenced the decision not to close.
They just didn’t care if we went to the wall, financially or mentally. We were just a number to the Directors and MPs - to do with us as they wanted. As long as they were OK that was all that mattered to them. We were dispensable.
John Riley - Team Leader Stores - 33 years at the Works
The closure of the Works was a travesty as the Plant was a profitable one, but having been taken over by Hoogovens of Holland, the decision was taken out of our hands.
On a personal note, the closure didn't impact on me greatly as I had just turned 50 and was eligible for my pension (albeit not a full one). Nevertheless I felt really sad about the turn of events for the younger workers who now had an uncertain future.
John Sheppard (left) - Manufacturing Support Specialist - 34 years at the Works
Dilwyn Evans (right) - Mechanical & Technical Engineer - 33 years at the Works
John Sims - Crane Driver - 30 years at the Works
The main thing about the Works was that we were all good friends and would always help one another out. It was just like one big happy family.
At the time of closure I felt gutted. It took me a very long time to get over it. It was my life. I enjoyed it there so much. When it happened, all my family were devastated. But I was lucky as I managed to get a transfer to the Orb steelworks in Newport. I was very lucky indeed.
Keith Edwards - Team Member Galvanizing - 22 years at the Works
Jonathan Griffiths - Lighting Engineer - 10 years at the Works
Keith Williams - Annealing Bay Stocker, Base Loader and Crane Driver - 29 years at the Works
Ebbw Vale was a great place to work as mostly everyone knew everyone else. My strongest memories are of all the great friendships I made.
I remember the closure being a very sad day. I was on ‘nights’ the evening before the official announcement. I finished my shift as normal and went home to bed. But later that morning my wife Wendy came in and woke me to tell me that it was all over the news that Ebbw Vale was to close. At first it felt like a dream until I got up then saw it on the television.
I felt sick to my stomach at that time. On the next shift it was all everyone was talking about. The atmosphere was not very good, as no one could believe it.
Lyndon T Crosby (left) - Welder - 35 years at the Works
Steve Watkins (right) - Team Leader Annealing Electrician - 35 years at the Works
Lyndon Crosby...
I was extremely apprehensive during the time of closure, but remember feeling fortunate. Fortunate at having left school and starting work within a week and lucky enough to be employed for 35 years and leave with a considerable lump sum and a small pension. I was also fortunate enough to gain further employment, albeit with a great sadness, in the demolition of the Works. That time was tough emotionally.
Initially, for a short while, I missed the daily routine and the work, which I had always enjoyed. But overall, I think about how lucky I was to have been employed for so long and to be now comfortably off while so many others were forced to find lesser work or even have to move themselves and their families away.
Mark Ford - Roll Shop Engineer - 10 years at the Works
I think that we had taken such a pounding over the years, cuts after cuts (so called efficiencies), workloads increasing, pressure increasing, it seemed like it was bad news every day. When the closure announcement finally came, it seemed inevitable. However, the camaraderie was fantastic. It was a dirty, heavy and potentially dangerous place to work but everyone stuck together and still managed to have fun. People who managed to deal with everything thrown at them and still made jokes of it.
Against this background I suppose I had mixed feelings, on the one hand I was absolutely gutted for us all that our livelihoods were at threat and our families could suffer. Some of the men in the Roll Shop had only ever worked in the Works. They hadn’t had to produce a CV or apply for a job in thirty years, or more in some cases and you could see the anguish, torment and anxiety in their faces.
On the other hand, I was personally relieved that the continual pressure and negative atmosphere was coming to an end and that I could now focus on getting a job where both myself and the people I worked with could be valued.
For me personally, although worried and concerned, I looked at it as an opportunity to move on. Ebbw Vale had allowed me to go back to college, see some of the world (Japan, Venezuela) and gain some experience and confidence. I thought this may be an opportunity to put some of the things I had learned into practice and move on.
Mike Gardner (front) - Team Leader Electronic Tinning Line - 32 years at the Works
Ian Lapham (back) - Team Leader Electronic Tinning Line - 33 year at the Works
Mike Gardner - Team Leader Electronic Tinning Line - 32 years at the Works
My strongest memory of the plant is comradeship. The experience of working in that environment will be with me forever. You met people from different areas and different ways of life. Some were strong characters, some were comedians, some were more serious than others, but when you put them all together you had a brilliant place to work. To give an example, when I worked in the Coal and Coking plant you relied on your workmates to wash your backs in the showers – just as it was in the coal industry.
At the time of closure, I felt very sad. Even in the 1970s there was talk of a full plant closure. It may only have been scare mongering, but it was always there in the background. Myself and all the other teams were doing all we could to make the Ebbw Vale Works the best in the industry. We did all things from mechanical repairs to lab testing, and attended endless meetings – anything that was asked of us.
When closure did finally come, it was a sad time to see the younger workers with young families and mortgages and no prospect of new employment that would pay the wages that they were used to. I was sad not for myself, but for the ones who had bigger commitments than me.
So all this ‘Team Working’ and ‘Total Quality Performance’ and ‘High Quality Output’ seemed like a total waste of time. It was a worrying time ahead with questions about a bleak future.
Mike Tarr - Projects Engineer - 29 years at the Works
My strongest memories are all my friends and work colleagues that I worked with during my 29 years service at the plant. It’s difficult for many on the outside to understand the camaraderie that the steel works had. Only the coal industry could equal it. Ebbw Vale, and its surrounding area, is a very close community.
We socialised together, our children and grand-children played and went to school together. Ever since the early 1800s, the Works was part of the community, which our children have now lost. The heavy industries of iron, steel and coal, all working together, are what made the valley towns successful.
The closure of the plant had come as a complete shock. We were expecting redundancies to be made, but not complete closure. Especially with the plant being up-to-date with new technology and the work force being the most highly trained when compared to other plants. Craft and production was at a high level and work force IT skills were second to none.
So the feeling of being let down by Corus and the Government was high. It was felt that closing of Ebbw Vale instead of another plant would cause less backlash in the press.
I had expected to see my working life out at Ebbw Vale Works. We were on good wages and I loved going to work. It was on my doorstep, so travelling was no problem. But after the Works closure, along with other personal things, life became very hard. That took its toll on my family and myself, I became very ill, and did not go out for two years. I had made my mind up to take a long time off work and found it very difficult to think positively. In my eyes, I felt finished. So the impact on myself and on many others of the work force was devastating. Fortunately though, time is a good healer.
Mike Williams - Team Leader - 32 years at the Works
My strongest memories of the plant are the banter and the friendship. Work was your other family. In fact, looking back, I probably spent more time with colleagues in and around work, than with my wife and children.
At the time of closure I was gutted. Disappointed. Sad. I really couldn’t believe it would happen to us, especially after being told by the directors of the company, not twelve months before, that we were the best in the world and that we should be proud for what we had achieved. Needless to say a lot of the workforce did not believe a single word senior management said after that.
Following the closure, I was extremely lucky to be selected as part of the Decommissioning Team. Lucky in the sense as in still having a job and a wage coming in. I had mixed feelings about the decommissioning work itself, as parts were shipped out to other plants in the UK and even abroad.
I don’t think that the big picture hits you until a lot later. When people were selected for jobs in other plants it sometimes meant their whole family had to go with them and that had a significant impact on them and in the local community that they left behind.
Neil Mitchell - Electrician - 38 years at the Works
My first memories of the Works was as a child. I visited my grandparents with my Mum and Dad every Sunday for tea. They lived in a white washed terraced building in Augustus Street, practically inside the Works. It had stone floors and a stone staircase, a tin bath to bathe in with an outside toilet up the top of a long garden. If you used the toilet, as I did a few times, it was scary. It was basically a hole carved in wood with torn paper and if the Works were tipping slag, the toilet would light up red. I couldn’t get out of there quick enough.
To go home we would wait for the bus in the dark outside the railings of the Works, watching the sky grow red, smoke rising, steam hissing, sparks flying and the pungent smells emanating from the Works.
My first impression of the plant as we walked through the different sections was the vast size, the number of employees, the noise inside the mills, the overhead cranes carrying huge 20 tonne metal coils, the dust in the air and the different smells.
Also, having a job in the General Offices and seeing the Boardroom and General Managers Room which were full of ornate antique carved chairs, tables and huge fireplaces and thinking of my grandparents who were living in sparse housing conditions whilst the managers enjoyed the opulence of the well paid bosses.
I remember the closure being announced on the television news and I had that sickly sinking feeling. Before then, there were just rumours in the workplace, but then it became a reality. My first thoughts when the closure was announced was that of complete bewilderment, so many emotions of feeling totally insecure, being worried and stressed. How was I going to provide food, pay the gas and electric bills, and of course the mortgage?
An official meeting was announced to tell us our fate and I remember walking towards the entrance of the Works on the morning of the meeting – it was dark and cold and raining. I was on my own and a camera crew and interviewer approached me for an interview and asked me what I thought the outcome of the meeting would be. I replied very emotionally and near to tears, that I never gave up hope but dreaded the outcome.
The last days were very sad, just a few electricians working together and on the final day going to the pub for a final get together and finding it hard that I would not returning to work anymore. 38 years of work had ended.
Paul Lewis - Team Leader Temper Mill - 18 years at the Works
Paul Price - Production Operator & Team Leader - 38 years at the Works
Two funny memories come to mind, though there are very many. The first is that of when we were all having food in the mess room. Alan Morgan, who had turned to Christianity, said to Alan Sandy that he would pray for Sandy’s guidance as he was going to Chapel tonight (it was a Sunday). Sandy replied,
“When you go to Chapel tonight Alan, don't pray for guidance for me, pray for stiffness (in his lisping voice) and I will guide the fucker myself!”
The second memory is that of ice cream making! We were all again in the mess room taking our food break. Gerry Tyler (no longer with us sadly) said to the boys,
“I’m going to make ice-cream and will need two large coal buckets.”
Big Mac (Brian McCarthy also no longer with us sadly, who was a really lovely person), said to Gerry,
“If you make the ice-cream in coal buckets then the ice-cream would be black!”
Gerry replied,
“You use clean fuckers!!”
As the banter was going on the mess room was in uproar with laughter.
The announcement of the closure of the plant was devastating. I remember I was working a night shift on the eve of the announcement. We were all talking amongst ourselves of the outcome. I remember saying to the boys that I thought they would put us on Monday - Friday working, rather than shut us down. At the end of the shift I went home to bed. I got up at 1 pm and my partner was watching the Welsh news and she said
“They are shutting the plant with 18 months grace.”
I was absolutely devastated.
Paul Skinner - Production Worker 5 Stand - Entry End Operator - 30 years at the Works
When they announced the closure of Ebbw Vale, I along with many hard working men were shattered and devastated. After all they had asked the work force to do and to take on new skills. It was hard, but I remember a colleague saying,
“They can take away our jobs but they can’t take away our sense of humour.”
Peter O’ Callaghan - Fitter/Roll Grinder - 15 years at the Works
At the time of closure I was sixty and would liked to have had five more years to take me to retirement. But I was devastated seeing young men with families losing their jobs. My strongest memories are of my work mates. We all had a good relationship with each other, so to recall the atmosphere at the time is emotional.
Most managed to find jobs elsewhere at Llanwern, Newport; Trostre, Llanelli; Port Talbot, Swansea. You have to remember that the Ebbw Vale Works never had one strike and that it made the best steel in Britain.
I was very emotional the day I picked up my last pay. It was a sad time, but you have to get on with your life.
Philip Lawton - Fitter/Roll Grinder - 34 years at the Works
At the start of my apprenticeship in 1968, there were approximately 10,000 people working at the Richard, Thomas and Baldwins (RTB) Steel Works in Ebbw Vale.
The Apprentice School was situated at the South end of the works, in Victoria, and the enormous size of the Steel Plant was locked into my memory when in my first year of employment I had to walk to work through the snow. Walking through the various Mills and Departments along the length of the works was the easiest and quickest option. The sounds and sights I experienced on that trek left a lasting impression on someone who had only just left school. The constant noise from the Tinplate Lines, the smell of the acid being used to clean the steel coils in the Pickler, the sight of a large hot steel ingot as bright as the sun, being reduced to a thin steel slab, together with the bright light emanating from the Converter Shop lingers in the mind.
Standing out amongst my memories of the Plant, are the characters that enlivened the working day. From the workmate who often performed his version of the floral dance, wearing steel clogs, on an empty oil drum, to the workmate who used paraffin to show his prowess as a fire breather. Unfortunately he set fire to the hair of a fitter working near him and spent the rest of the shift, playing hide and seek with the gentleman who had a smoking head.
The closure impacted on everyone. No matter what age group you were in, you had concerns, not only for your own future but also that of the people you had been working alongside for the best part of your life.
The younger element had mortgages and family to worry about. The older workers had the worry of their pension options/prospects to be added to the list of the unknown problems that would face everyone with the sudden loss of earnings and probable long-term unemployment.
Many of those working at Ebbw Vale had to suffer the upheaval of moving home and family to the Swansea area. Others have constantly commuted between Ebbw Vale and Port Talbot on a daily basis. The closure of Ebbw Vale Works obviously had a detrimental effect not only on the majority of those who had worked at the plant, but also on the future job prospects of the younger people in the area.
Ralph Stevens - Double Reduction Mill Operator - 32 years at the Works
Ray Best (left) - Fitter/Turner - 40 years at the Works
Philip Blackmore (right) - Fitter - 46 years at the Works
Ray Best...
When I started working at the plant, it seemed everybody either had a relation or knew someone who worked there. At that time, 1962, there was a workforce of over 10,000 people. And the Works seemed to dominate the valleys for 24 hours a day.
Whenever you met friends or relations socially, the first greeting was always along the lines of
“What are you working?”
meaning what shift rota you were on. You felt very secure in your job and happy to know your future, at least at that time, was in safe hands.
When the works finally closed, everything changed and there was a feeling of doom, which still exists to this day in the valleys.
Philip Blackmore...
I cannot overstate the camaraderie, and even allowing for the dangers, I loved working there. The Works dominated the town. There could not be many factories where you could get up at 5.50 in the morning on a day shift and clock on at 6.00am.
One instance of danger that I recall was on an afternoon shift in the Open Hearth when a ladle crane transferring hot metal to the teeming landing (where the molten metal from the ladle would be poured into ingot moulds) suffered a broken gear-box (hoist) shaft and dropped the ladle containing 180 tonnes of molten steel all over the floor. That no one died was a miracle, although it took a couple of hours for the heart-rate to subside!
At the very end I was working for the contracting firm ‘Vinci’ and after the official closure I had 3 months work removing assets that were to be sent to other plants in other countries, mainly Holland and India. I found that I was more than annoyed that other countries could see the advantages of keeping this equipment and we could not! I felt like a grave robber!
When I visit Ebbw Vale now, if I am honest, I feel that it is a sad place as its heart is gone and the good living that I had there is not available to others. It really once was a vibrant town.
Rob Collins - Team Member Roll Shop - 34 years at the Works
Robert Plummer - Boiler Plant Operator - 25 years at the Works
Ron Jones - Pickle Line Operator - 32 years at the Works
Steve Timothy - Team Member Pickle Line - 16 years at the Works
Steve Watkins - Maintenance Electrician - 33 years at the Works
During my 33 years at the Ebbw Vale Works, I worked in the steel-making end known as ‘Victoria’, the Hot Mill and the Cold Mill and I can truly say that the men I worked with and for were, and still, are an inspiration to me.
I still meet men who are now elderly and who made time for me as a ‘boy’ and I make sure that I now have the time for a chat about old times with them.
The time of closure was upsetting. There had been rumours flying around, so it wasn’t a complete surprise. But I remember after the meeting at which it was announced, that I finished work early feeling sick and went home with a tear in my eye.
I always thought I would have a job at Ebbw Vale and then retire. All of a sudden at 50 years of age, I had to go out and work in a completely different environment with a completely different type of person to those I had been used to inside the Works.
Stewart Price - Team Leader Roll Shop - 1 year at the Works
Tony Wilson (left) - Team Leader Mechanical Services - 37 years at the Works
Brian Evans (centre) - Maintenance Fitter - 34 years at the Works
Bob Warfield (right) - Maintenance Fitter - 35 years at the Works
Tony Wilson - Team Leader Mechanical Services - 37 years at the Works
That I never ever minded going to work. It didn’t matter whether it was the day, afternoon or the nights; once you entered through that gate you entered a different life. Working with skilful people in difficult conditions with plenty of humour was a delight to behold. I enjoyed every minute of my time there, as it was always a pleasure. The only regret for me was that it closed too early.
Having worked at Ebbw Vale for the whole of my career, we always lived under the constant threat of closure. Nevertheless, when the eventual closure arrived, it dealt a devastating blow to the area.
My job kept me in contact with most of the employees at the Works as I was covering the plant with maintenance down days. With closure came the end of many of the friendships that I had made during my lifetime. People who you saw everyday you now very rarely see again.
When it finally ended, it really hit home to me that I had never realized what skilful people, characters and enjoyment fulfilled the place. I never realized how great the job was until it was taken away.
Vincent Keane - Team Leader Temper Mill - 33 years at the Works
I remember there being over 12,000 men when I started in 1968, at the very young age of 16 and a half. Back then the steelworks ran the full length of the Ebbw Vale valley and was the heart and soul of the area. All of my family have worked there over the years - my grandfather, my father, my two brothers and so did my son. It was basically expected of you.
I started as an apprentice in the ‘Slab Yard’ as a ‘Spare Boy’ and progressed from there. I remember there being an amazing camaraderie amongst us all and there being a real positive atmosphere when being at work. It was hard work, but fun at the same time. Once we managed to catch a lone sheep that had wandered into the Works. We guided it inside through the buildings to a cabin where all our seniors were gambling and playing cards. We turned off the lights and pushed it in. Chaos.
We did a similar thing on a night shift once. Some of our seniors were in a cabin, trying to grab some sleep. We grabbed a couple of sulphur sticks, used to light the furnaces, set them off and threw them into the darkened cabin. They all came out coughing and spluttering. You could never get away with that kind of stuff now.
When the closure was announced, I was totally devastated, gutted and hurt. There were rumours about potential closure years before the actual announcement. But nobody believed it because we were still producing such good steel. I was actually in the Works when I was told. We were told to down tools and called in to be spoken to senior management who broke the news. We were all numb really.
And for me as well, it was an additionally difficult time as I was a union shop steward and friends and colleagues kept asking me what the union was doing in all of this. But there were greater politics at play. About a week before the closure was announced, there was a big meeting in London between the Westminster elite and Corus managers. Paul Flynn, the MP for Newport was present there as well. Then there came the announcement that Ebbw Vale would close and the Llanwern plant, in Newport, would stay open. It was a stich up. There was a feeling that it was all out of our control.
The last day was very muted with little conversation. I felt terrible. Some people were taking photos at the gates, but most people clocked in, stayed for a couple of hours and then left quietly, alone with their thoughts.
Locations of incidents of extreme violence in the City of Plymouth.
This project was a response to the passing of a friend who is the focus of one of these images. The city itself was my hometown. These are normal, mundane locations that have had a very different context forced upon them. There is no attempt to glorify or sensualise what happened, but what is briefly described did happen, however unpleasant that is to accept. The tragic events that occurred here have passed. The place is now the only tangible that remains.
Violence in our society is a truth that we should not shy away from.
Barn Park public toilets, Central Park
Stabbing and mutilation resulting in death of male
Bath Lane
Multiple rape of female
Ford Park Cemetary
Multiple rape of female
Western Approach car park
Multiple rape of female
Richmond Walk
Multiple stabbing, rape and asphyxiation resulting in death of female
Alice Street
Physical assault by multiple assailants resulting in death of male
Manor Gardens
Altercation resulting in the death of male crushed with paving slab
Drake Circus car park
Rape of female
Flora Street
Rape of female
St Peter's Primary School
Rape of female
Wyndham Mews
Multiple stabbing resulting in murder of male
Cecil Street Flats
Rape of female
Bretonside Bus Station
Stabbing resulting in death of male
Mutley Plain car park
Rape of female
Bath Place
Rape of female
Devonport Park
Rape of female
Devonport Road
Rape of female
Western Approach overpass
Rape of female
Bretonside Bus Station
Multiple rape of male
Exeter Street underpass
Rape of female
Bath Place West
Beating by multiple assailants resulting in death of male
Mayflower Street car park
Rape of female
Devonport Park
Rape of female
Linketty Lane
Rape of female
Wyndham Mews
Multiple stabbing resulting in death of male
Royal Navy Avenue
Multiple stabbing resulting in death of male
Tugley Woods
Rape of female
Western Approach car park
Rape of female
Charles Cross car park
Rape of female
James Street
Rape of female
All imagery copyright of Joseph Murphy
Southside Wandsworth Tower Blocks, London.
Invisible Britain
Domestic Violence
Domestic abuse is a largely hidden crime, occurring primarily in the home. It is estimated that 1.2 million women experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2017. However, it is difficult to quantify the true scale of the issue as official crime surveys often fail to take into account the true extent and range of mental and physical abuse and the full context of power and control that is perpetrated.
On average the police receive over 100 calls relating to domestic abuse every hour, yet it is estimated that less then 24% of domestic violence is actually reported. Two women are killed by their partner or ex-partner every week in England & Wales. Unofficial statistics suggest female suicides due to the abuse they have suffered amount to twelve individuals every month. Less than 10% of incidents reported to the police will end in a conviction.
In Britain as a whole, 20% of all children have lived with an adult perpetrating domestic violence and 62% of those children are directly harmed. The physical, psychological and emotional effects on children can be just as severe and as long lasting as it is in adults. Some become withdrawn, some blame themselves and all have suffered extreme levels of stress. More than a third of residents in refuges are children and it often requires specialist staff to help them to rebuild their lives.
Since 2010, Britain has lost almost 20% of its specialist domestic violence refuges.
Jay Ryan - Mentoring Co-ordinator
Cyfannol Women’s Aid - Monmouthshire, Wales
Portrait sitting in the same room of the refuge she was taken to after escaping from her violent husband 20 years previously.
I grew up in Cwmbran and knew nothing of domestic violence until I met my future husband at the age of 15. I was locked in his flat and prevented from going to school until I fell pregnant at the age of 16 and things gradually got worse from there. In the following seven years I was continually punched and kicked and bruised, even when pregnant; had knives held to my throat; had bleach poured over me when bathing; had my clothes ripped off me in public; shot at with a pellet rifle; drugged to keep me compliant and physically imprisoned in my own home. I only married out of fear. The mental and emotional abuse was just horrendous. I was so afraid he would take my daughter away from me. Threats to kill me, my daughter or members of my family were a daily occurrence. I was continually criticised and torn apart, reduced to such a poor mental state that I believed everything he said and that I was ugly and worthless.
I was 23 and had lost my family, lost my laughter, lost the sparkle in my eyes. I felt like a little invisible shadow. People knew but I couldn’t tell anyone as I was so scared that my child would be taken away. I thought that if I kept my mouth shut then at least I had my daughter.
The trigger point to me leaving came when he started to mentally abuse my daughter more and more. She was petrified of him and repeatedly asked to be taken away to a happy house. One day he was injecting with one of his mates whilst I was locked in an outhouse cupboard. I managed to push my way out and just ran. All I had was my child benefit book. With my younger sister’s help we collected my daughter from school and went straight to the local Women’s Aid charity. They brought me to this very room in this very refuge in Monmouthshire. At that time I knew nothing of women’s aid organisations.
And that was the start of a very long journey of self-discovery. Twenty years ago I had no confidence or self-esteem and I needed to reinvent myself as I didn’t know who I was. I was nothing. I felt nothing. My life started the day I left him. I went to performing arts college; learnt to drive; did a degree and slowly forged a career in working with children. It is only over the past year, since I got my job at Cyfannol, that I’ve managed to really ground and distance myself from the girl who turned up at this refuge in all her complete and utterly broken state.
I see and feel the transparency and invisibility in the women who come to Cyfannol for the first time. I recognise the turmoil in their minds, the not knowing where they fit in place and in time. It is my role to work with them, and primarily their children and help them rebuild their lives. It is a specialist position, being one of only three in the whole of Wales. I deal with children who are traumatised and who are emotional numb and its my passion to bring them to life again.
I’ve been involved in a mentoring capacity for over 10 years and have witnessed serious cutbacks in overall funding during that time. The current period of austerity has not only resulted in a reduction in the number of refuges for women, but has also impacted on legal aid entitlement and on mental health service provision. Whilst rates of domestic violence are increasing in the region, there is no extra money to cope with the demands on the services we provide. The lack of a holistic approach at the national governmental level means we really are at breaking point. Cutbacks in the police, in education and in health all impact on our ability to rebuild the lives shattered by domestic violence. My post is only funded for another 12 months and I’m not unique in that. It means that I myself, and we as a charity, are unable to plan for the mid-term let alone for the long-term. For the women and children who experience domestic violence first hand, the physical and mental consequences are there for years afterwards, not days or months.
I really hope that in the future we invest in our children. In their education, in their wellbeing and in their mental health. That we emphasise positive relationships and address the growing fragmentation in our society. That domestic violence, both physical and mental, is confronted openly and debated seriously and is no longer hidden away behind closed doors. Sadly, I cannot see this happening in the current political climate.
