Change Over Time in the Location of Industry Mr D Boland oKA

 We learned previously that there are factors that influence the location of industry.  The importance of these factors may change over time.  Some areas may suffer industrial decline due to this.  The British Iron & Steel industry is a good example of this.

Blast furnace

How steel is made Iron ore (rock with high iron content) is the main raw material used. Energy (coal, oil, gas) is used to smelt (melt) iron ore in steel furnaces. Steel plate & bars are main output. These are sold to engineering firms who make cutlery, parts for cars etc.

Iron making After 1860, steel production began to replace iron production. Steel was less brittle than iron.

Change of Steel Industry  Rivers and Forests  Coal Fields  Coasts

Why were iron and steel factories located beside rivers and forests????

1. Before the industrial Revolution - By forests & rivers  Britain’s early ironworks were located at the Forest of Dean (near Bristol) and the Weald (south-east England).  These places had resources needed: iron ore - rocks were rich in iron ore. wood to provide charcoal - forests had wood to provide charcoal. transport & power. - rivers provided transport & power.

Why move to coal fields??????

2. The Industrial Revolution -by the coalfields forests had been cut down & a better source of power discovered, coal.  1880: most of the forests had been cut down & a better source of power discovered, coal.  New works were built in South Wales, Yorkshire & near sites of great coalmines.  Newly invented railways  Newly invented railways were used to carry iron ore & coal.

Coal formation

Why did the coal industry prosper in the Valleys?

What was the impact of this industrial decline on the Valleys?

Why the change???

3. From 1950 Onwards - on the coasts  1950’s-Coalfields began to decline, Britain’s iron & steel industry moved to coastal sites such as Teeside because: 1. Coal/iron ore supplies were becoming exhausted. 2. Oil was more efficient & was being imported along with iron ore 3. Old steelworks were uneconomic & new ones were needed to compete with Japan & Germany.

Blast furnace

Industrial Inertia  This is where an industry doesn’t move location even if changing factors suggest it should.  Steel-making in Sheffield is a good example of Industrial Inertia.

Why Sheffield steel stays 1. Sheffield steel is specialised & high quality so doesn’t compete with cheap, ordinary steel. 2. Sheffield steel is a famous name. 3. Sheffields workers are skilled in steel-making. Training more workers would be expensive. 4. The goverment give subsidies in order to fight rising unemployment in the Midlands

Exam Questions

 EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INDUSTRIAL INERTIA AND FOOTLOOSE INDUSTRY (10 Marks)