Samuel Mills.

It produced good quality iron from the furnaces, which used a hot blast produced by a steam engine. All sizes and shapes of iron plates and bars were produced including boiler plates, hoops, strip, tank plates, rails, wire rods and small sizes of rounds and squares. Many kinds of steel were made using the cementation process, which were well known and appreciated in the market.

In 1864 after the death of the owner Samuel Mills, the business was sold to the Lloyd family, and in 1872 became the Darlaston Steel and Iron Company. The company's collieries and mines covered 850 acres and produced "Brooch" and "Heathen" coal. There were also ironstone mines producing "Gubbin" ironstone, "New Mine", Whitestone", and "Blue Flats" ore.

Everything went well until the depression in the late 1870s and 1880s when many blast furnaces, forges and mills went into liquidation, including the Darlaston Steel and Iron Company, which closed in 1877. The site was taken over by the Darlaston Coal and Iron Company, which also ran the Essington Wood Colliery. In 1882, during the continuing depression, the coal company decided to concentrate on the mining operation at Essington, and so the Darlaston Steel & Iron Company was auctioned at Wednesbury Town Hall.

In 1883 the site was leased to I. and T. Bradley, and B. G. and W. H. Bradley, who continued to use the two newer iron-bound brick blast furnaces on the northern side of the canal. In 1891 the southern part of the site between Heath Road and the canal was acquired by Charles Richards for his Imperial bolt and nut works.

Bradleys went into liquidation, and in 1918 was acquired by Messrs Tolley, Sons and Bostock who opened Darlaston Green Iron Works. Within a few years the site was acquired by G.K.N. in order to gain control of the supply of the steel used to produce their nuts and bolts.

In the early 1920s the site was acquired by Bradley and Foster Limited, who were there for many years.

Addenbrooke, Smith & Pidcock

In the 1840s John Addenbrooke, a coal mine owner, and his brother George, established the firm of Addenbrooke, Smith & Pidcock, Coal & Iron Masters, Rough Hay Furnace & Foundry, Darlaston Green. They were descended from the Addenbrookes of Wollaston Hall, Stourbridge, where they were born. Their father, Edward Addenbrooke, and grandfather, John Addenbrooke Homfray were both ironmasters.

For several years George ran the Moorcroft Ironworks at Bradley, which had two furnaces and produced around 100 tons of iron each week. John and George also owned many collieries in the area including a number at Leabrook in Wednesbury.

Their ironworks at Rough Hay, Darlaston became very successful. The brothers developed and patented a system for extracting hot combustible gases from the top of the furnaces, and using them to heat the air for the blast, and to generate steam for the blast engine, which also operated the hoist to lift the coal and iron ore etc. to the top of the furnace. This technique enabled iron to be produced more quickly, and cheaply, because the furnace remained at full operating temperature during the blast.

Addenbrookes were Darlaston's second largest employer, until the business closed at the beginning of 1882, putting over 1,000 people out of work. They had three blast furnaces at Rough Hay, all traces of which have now disappeared. Their products included bar, rod and sheet iron. They also owned Rough Hay Colliery, one of the largest coal mines in the area, employing 500 people. The business ended after the tragic death of John Addenbrooke, who was run-over by a train in Wednesbury.

Herbert’s Park Ironworks

Little is known about the venture other than it was run by David Jones & Son, and had one blast furnace producing good forge iron. By 1884 the factory had closed.

The Albert Works and Moxley Iron Works

The Albert works were built in 1827 and run by David Rose. The Moxley Iron Works were founded by brothers Daniel and David Rose in 1830. The factory produced iron forgings and charcoal sheet iron, and all kinds of bars including small rounds and fancy iron. Other products included pan and tank plates, galvanised and corrugated sheets, and pig iron.

The Victoria Works, founded by William Molineaux and James Jordan were also on the site, producing strip iron for such things as locomotive and boiler tubes. Two blast furnaces were added in the 1840s that could turn out 20,000 tons of pig iron annually.

David Rose owned a number of mines in the area, and a sand pit were sand was dug and sold for use in blast furnace and mill furnace bottoms. The clay from some of David's mines produced high quality fire bricks, and the mines contained sufficient coal to supply the factory for 20 years. By the1870s there were 40 puddling and ball furnaces, 5 sheet mills, 1 plate mill, 1 bar mill, and one hoop mill. In 1898 the factory was acquired by William Henry Wesson and became known as Wessons.

Bull's Bridge Iron Works

Bull's Bridge Iron Works were situated in Bull Lane, Moxley, next to Bull's Bridge on the Walsall Canal. They were owned by the Cresswell family until 1859. The factory occupied just over one acre and included eleven puddling furnaces, a bar mill, twelve other furnaces, a large cinder kiln, and a 25hp. steam engine which drove the machinery. Adjoining the main factory was a double office, a smith's shop, a storeroom, stable and coach house.