Staveley Coal and Iron Company
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Coal mining, Iron manufacturing, Chemical manufacturing |
| Founded | 1863 |
| Fate | Acquired by Stewarts & Lloyds Limited in 1960; merged to form Stanton and Staveley Ltd; later incorporated into British Steel Corporation; site closed and demolished by 2012 |
| Headquarters | Staveley , United Kingdom |
| Products | Ironstone, coal, sulphuric acid, nitric acid, picric acid, TNT, guncotton, chlorinated organic compounds, sodium chlorate, caustic soda, p-aminophenol |
The Staveley Coal and Iron Company Limited was a manufacturing enterprise situated in Staveley, close to Chesterfield in the northern part of Derbyshire.
History
Established in 1863, the firm utilized ironstone deposits from property owned by the Duke of Devonshire and later diversified into coal mining, managing multiple collieries. Its operations also extended to chemical manufacturing, initially focusing on products derived from coal tar distillation. The Staveley facility housed a plant dedicated to producing sulphuric acid through the Contact Process.
Throughout World War I, the company manufactured various chemicals including sulphuric acid, nitric acid, picric acid, TNT, and guncotton. After the war, it expanded into chlorinated organic compounds by acquiring salt-rich land near Sandbach, Cheshire. Salt production was undertaken by the British Soda Company, which was established specifically for this purpose and supplied mercury cells to Staveley. The first mercury cells began operation in 1922; in 1926, a collaboration with the Krebs Company of Paris and Berlin resulted in the development of the internationally sold Krebs-Staveley cell. This technology remained in use until being supplanted by German mercury cells in the late 1950s.
Staveley became the pioneer British producer of sodium chlorate, commencing production in 1938. By 1950, Imperial Chemical Industries recognized the Staveley Iron and Chemical Company as a significant rival in the manufacture of caustic soda.
In 1960, following its acquisition by Stewarts & Lloyds Limited, Staveley merged with Stanton Iron Works to create Stanton and Staveley Ltd. When Stewarts & Lloyds was nationalized as part of the British Steel Corporation (BSC) in 1967, Stanton and Staveley were incorporated into BSC as well.
By 1980, BSC began divesting non-core activities at Staveley, leading to the closure and clearance of most facilities by 2007. The last remaining operation was a p-aminophenol plant producing key components for paracetamol. This production ended in June 2012, marking the conclusion of more than one hundred years of chemical manufacturing at Staveley. Subsequently, the entire site was demolished.
A notable figure associated with the company is Eric Varley, former Chesterfield Labour Member of Parliament and cabinet minister, who started his professional journey as an apprentice at Staveley before advancing into trade union leadership and eventually chairing local business Coalite.
Plans have been made to repurpose the former industrial site as an infrastructure depot for phase 2B of the proposed HS2 high-speed rail project, which is expected to open in 2033.