Forges de Clabecq - Tubize - Belgium

[lilli]

Day 3 of a trip to Belgium at the end of last year saw us head towards the vastness that is Clabecq

Dodging the trucks that routinely appeared every few minutes and also some demo that seemed to be going on around the back of the site but a quick dash of faith and a duck into an empty room to catch our breaths and we were in

All was going well until on the way to the far end, we encountered signs of very recent life in a former control room, bags of clothes, trainers and hi-vis, a warm kettle and a mobile phone on the side! Looking down the walkway it was too clean and recently swept rather than tempt fate we decided to back out slowly the way we came, we had spent over 5 hours in there and I had left my cigarettes in the car!!

Some History .......

The Forges de Clabecq, a 100-year-old family firm run by the last representative of the founding family until 1995, kept out of the regroupings in the Belgian steel industry which occurred at the end of the 1970s. It then still employed 5,000 workers and had its own markets and specific products. The public authorities became shareholders in the 1980s, but left the power of decision with the private shareholders, the families and their banking groups. Non-profitable installations were closed, but a modern steelworks was built, and in 1991 there were still 2,250 employees. A year later, in 1992, the firm entered a critical phase. A strike broke out in protest at the management's proposals to dismantle the operation and to cut jobs and wages.

To get the enterprise out of difficulty, the Walloon regional government granted a loan on the condition that the workforce accepted the management plan. The dispute ended only when the enterprise's trade union delegation was brought into the talks and the wage cuts were considered as a debt the firm would in future owe to its employees. The 1992 dispute remained in people's memory; the Forges workers and their delegation acquired the belief that they were alone in having the will to continue the struggle against the public and private shareholders and even against the Socialist and Social-Christian parties in the coalition government of the Walloon region.

In 1996, the private shareholders withdrew from the board of directors, leaving the public shareholders mandated by the Walloon region to manage the heavily indebted enterprise on their own.
The bankruptcy of Forges de Clabecq

The Walloon region then hesitated over the attitude to adopt: the expert's report it had requested from Jean Gandois, general manager of the Forges' competitor, Cockerill-Sambre, which had always refused to merge with the Forges, turned out to be negative. Despite the risk of prohibition by the European Commission, the regional government decided to recapitalise the enterprise to the tune of BEF 1.5 billion over two years. That decision was considered political, as closure would have had disastrous consequences for the region which was already seriously affected by deindustrialisation and, as such, had become a powerful symbol.

Bankruptcy was declared at the beginning of 1997, after the refusal of assent by the European Commission, and all the Clabecq employees were dismissed. Resources were insufficient to pay back the bank loans or pay the legal compensation and the debts owed to the workforce.

Yah!! my 200 lens finally finds a use

EEK!

 

[james.s]

What an amazing place, what were the headstocks used for if it was a forge? Was there an onsite mine?

 

[ashless]

Sweet!

 

[thompski]

I like this alot, thanks for sharing your pictures lilli

What an amazing place, what were the headstocks used for if it was a forge? Was there an onsite mine?

From what I gathered, George Stephenson discovered iron deposits building Clay Cross tunnel for the Derby-Leeds line, and until late last year there was a sizeable foundry there

 

[Trinpaul]

That's a really interesting and by the looks of it, intact site is that a river next to it or a canal I like the greenery between the buildings

 

[Reaperman]

What an amazing place, what were the headstocks used for if it was a forge? Was there an onsite mine?

Forge is a word that loses a lot in translation, FDC was a large Steelworks and these Blast furnaces used to make Iron.

The framework and wheels around the top of the furnaces are not headstocks there are none at FDC. It's actually the mineral elevation system: Ore/Coke/Lime etc are loaded from the bunker at the bottom into a skip which is then hauled up the to the top of the furnace by the cable system, powered by a winding motor at the base.

Its a system that has largely been replaced by conveyor belts now. I don't think any UK Blast furnace uses the skip system now.

 

[james.s]

From what I gathered, George Stephenson discovered iron deposits building Clay Cross tunnel for the Derby-Leeds line, and until late last year there was a sizeable foundry there

Wow, is there any trace of it?

I am now enlightened, thank you reaperman

 

[Foxylady]

...we had spent over 5 hours in there and I had left my cigarettes in the car!!

Now that's what I call dedication!

Cracking explore and pics, lilli. So many interesting things.

 

[night crawler]

Brilliant good explore that though as you say bit shock at the end.

 

[Lusker]

Nice picture the location is killa
looking forward 2 visit it next month

 

[nutnut]

WW That place is industrial porn!!!

I really wanted to comment on at least one particular picture, but......

They are ALL awesome!

It's posts/places like this that give me sleepless nights Thank You

 

[Dystopia]

Nice lighting, machines and pipes! I love industrial pipes!

 

[BigLoada]

Class stuff! Love the style of the headgear. How on earth could you go 5 hours without a ***? An explore without smokes would be unbearable!