The Bedlington Ironworks played a significant part in the Industrial Revolution in the north east. Amongst its achievements, the Ironworks produced boiler plates, axles and wheels for Stephenson's first locomotive, and then went on to produce 150 locomotives for both national lines and for export to Europe. The principal success, for which Bedlington achieved modest fame, was the production of cheap malleable iron rails which allowed the development of pioneering long distance rail lines, such as the Stockton and Darlington Railway which opened in 1825.

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BACKGROUND | MILLS | COAL | IRON WORKING | A HISTORY OF BEDLINGTON IRONWORKS WRITTEN IN THE 1930S BY CHRISTOPHER BERGEN (Download PDF)