Middlesbrough’s Steel Magnates 1880-1934: A Philanthropic Elite?

This paper, presented at the Voluntary Action History Society Conference 2010, considers the extent the town’s ‘steel magnates’, that is those that owned or had significant financial interest in the (iron and) steel works central to Middlesbrough’s fortunes, continued to be involved in the life of the town during the period most closely associated with ‘withdrawal’. The paper looks specifically at the philanthropic engagement of Middlesbrough's chief industrialists with the town's Guild of Help, Juvenile Organisation Committee and two
individual-led initiatives - Middlesbrough Winter Gardens and Dorman Girls' Club.