Cowper Plaza

Did you know that …

… the Cowpers (hot-blast stoves) are named after the English engineer Edward Alfred Cowper (1819-1893), who designed their construction?

… the Cowpers at Blast Furnace 2 are exactly 33.25 metres tall? And the Cowpers at Blast Furnace 5 are no less than 45 metres tall.

… the cold air from the blowers in the Blower House is heated to 1200 to 1500 degrees Celsius in the Cowper? The furnace temperature could be precisely regulated by means of the controlled mixture of hot and cold wind.

… the vegetation which has established itself here since the closure of the works in 1985 mainly comprises plants of the ruderal species (Lat. rudus = rubble), in other words, plant types which are particularly at home on rubble and ash, slag and dust?

… the annual production of the ironworks was some 700,000 tonnes when Blast Furnaces 3 and 4 were demolished?