A man with an enormous Leica and a chap who had retired as technical manager at the nearby Skinningrove steelworks were also photographing and we struck up a conversation as photographers often do. Both were local and far more informed than I, an outsider to the area and industry. We were joined by a photographer who was working for the demolition company and had been documenting the site during demolition. Together we observed and commented on the scene before us as we waited for the light to improve – back lighting is rarely ideal especially when it’s low in the sky and with constantly varying cloud cover.

I took advantage of the backlit scene to overexpose and emphasise the skeletal structure. In my mind it began to look like a giant metal insect, the legs of the casting house structures supporting a huge body.