to operate. The main rolling mill was made by the German Company "Demag" introducing a quick order change system, where the Rolling machines (that weighed around 200 tonnes) were lifted out of the ground put in a dummy pit and the next machine for the next order was dropped in. This method reduced the time to change from one order to another down from around 8 hours to about 30 minutes. Shelton was a pioneer in the research of "spray steel" where iron was blown through a nozzle and oxygen added the result was steel. However the idea was scrapped due to the high amounts of slag that was produced. Shelton also experimented with linear motors to move the steel through the mill and constructed a magnetic stacking machine. Shelton produced the first "Guide Rail" (a "T" section) in the form of a "H" in a Universal beam housing and were able to snap them in half to make the "T". In this way they doubled production and the product cooled evenly preventing warping. They also perfected a very high quality flat section again in the Universal Housing and became known as "Shelton Flats". In art The industrial landscapes of Shelton Bar were depicted in art by Arthur Berry, in poetry by Charles Tomlinson and in fiction by Arnold Bennett. The human side of steelmaking was depicted on the stage and BBC TV as "The Fight for Shelton Bar" (1973). In fiction, the landscape of Shelton Bar was the setting of the short story "The Cone" by H.G. Wells, who had lived nearby. It's believed that Wells also found inspiration for The War of the Worlds there: he wrote in a letter to a friend from the area that "the district made an immense impression on me." The inspiration for some of his descriptions in it is thought to have come from his short time spent there, seeing the iron foundry furnaces burn over the city, shooting huge red light into the skies. Notes and references Company timeline Buildings and structures in Stoke-on-Trent Ironworks and steelworks in England Steel companies of the United Kingdom Companies based in Stoke-on-Trent Buildings and structures demolished in 2005