Abstract
Crucible steel is usually seen as a product of Sheffield. It is defined as a key element of Britain's Industrial Revolution; in turn, it defines the Industrial Revolution as something essentially provincial and vernacular. This paper proposes a shift in perspective. It examines the alternative genealogy of crucible steel to be found in Henry Horne's Essays concerning Iron and Steel (1773). Horne presented crucible steel as something metropolitan and enlightened: it was a product of London and its scientific community. It is a suggestion that runs counter to the accepted history of crucible steel as a process and a product, but it there something to be gained by taking Horne's suggestion seriously?
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 79 - 88 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Historical Metallurgy |
| Volume | 42 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2008 |
Keywords
- steel
- britain
- enlightenment