Northburn Steel Works
The Northburn Iron and Steel Works of Monklands, Coatbridge.
1881 The Waverley Iron Works commenced operations[1].
By 1901 a peak had been reached of 23 puddling furnaces employing over 380 men.
1912 the owners of the Waverley joined with other independent malleable iron works to form the Scottish Iron and Steel Co.
WWI During the First World War the Scottish Iron and Steel Co, supported by the Ministry of Munitions, set out to build its own steelworks. Construction started in 1916 but production did not begin until after the war.
1920 The Northburn Iron and Steel Works was completed. It had three 40-ton open-hearth furnaces and housed the first electrically-driven reversing mill to be erected in Scotland[2].
1938 the Waverley and the Northburn were part of the merger with Baird's Gartsherrie interests to form Bairds and Scottish Steel[3]. All the old malleable iron works became re-rolling works for Northburn steel but The Waverley retained one puddling furnace – the last in Scotland.
1967 both works were due to close along with the Gartsherrie but at the last moment Colvilles bought the Waverley and managed to keep it going for a few months.