North Lonsdale Iron & Steel Co. was incorporated October 1863. It was always known as 'the Ironworks' and never produced any steel.
The Iron works were established in 1874 about a mile south of Plumpton junction and the first two (of four) furnaces were blown in May 1876.
William Gradwell and James Bush bought half of the Conishead Estate including the Brickworks and opened Gasgow Quarry, contracting it to supply limestone to the Ironworks. Standard gauge tramways were built to link the sites.
From 1870-82 rail access to the site was by a steeply graded spur from the main line at Six Arches along the west bank of the Canal.
In 1882 the brach line from Plumpton Junction via the Rolling Bridge was opened.
In 1932 the Ironworks merged with Millom & Askam Iron Works.
There was no production at Ulverston from 1932 to 1936 and only one furnace was in operationfrom 1937-38.
The Ironworks closed 1938 following accident and explosion.
Refining continued at the works foundry until 1949.
The Ironworks site was sold in 1947 for the building of the pharmaceutical factory of Glaxo.
Walking along the slag bank its interesting to not how the quality changes as the processes improved, the early slag containing significant lumps of iron.
Best approached along the shore from Canal Foot. Easy access from the shore up gentle slope to top - see weypoint
Prior to the original Glaxo factory being built significant quantities of iron were recovered from the early slag by a simple separation process. The Glaxo playing fields, the site of their new factory sits on the original slag bank site. Many thousands of tonnes of slag were removed and the area contoured and grassed
