IT is great news that at last Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has been able to start demolition and development of the vast Teesside steel works site (Echo, Aug 14).
The huge blast furnace has been a prominent feature of the steelworks for nearly 50 years, being clearly evident from as far away from Hartlepool in the north and Roseberry Topping summit in the south.
Has Mr Houchen ever considered saving – at least the basic outline – of the huge blast furnace as a memorial to the hard work of the thousands of Teesside steel workers who have toiled there?
Neither Bolckow or Vaughan who built the first blast furnace at South Bank, Teesside in 1851 were slave traders so at least that should not be a problem to a memorial.
Rodney Wildsmith, Great Ayton
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