As the Northern Powerhouse continues to evolve, I’m often reminded that many of the most important breakthroughs in engineering and industry came from people who didn’t wait for permission, strategy documents or government initiatives — they just built things.
One of the greatest examples is Henry Bessemer, the inventor whose process for manufacturing steel transformed global industry. Yet his story isn’t just about metallurgy — it’s about what happens when curiosity, experimentation and stubborn persistence collide. His life is a pretty good mirror for what the North actually needs today.
A childhood of experimentation
Bessemer grew up surrounded by innovation. His father, Anthony, was a talented engineer and prototype-maker, and encouraged young Henry to build and experiment constantly. There was no grand plan, no five-year strategy — just a culture of making things, testing them, and pushing ideas forward.
It’s incredible how relevant that feels today. The Northern Powerhouse talks a lot about infrastructure and investment, but the real foundation of growth — then and now — is people who are free to experiment, break things, and try again.
The breakthrough that changed everything
Bessemer’s steelmaking process, developed in the 1850s, did something extraordinary: it made high-quality steel cheap and scalable. This single innovation helped power railways, bridges, ships, construction, and later aerospace. It changed the world precisely because it emerged from a mind trained to tinker and test, not to sit through endless committee meetings.
There’s a lesson here for modern industrial policy. Big plans and glossy strategies don’t create innovation — capability does. Builders do. People who can design, fabricate, manufacture and iterate. That’s where the North has always excelled.
The Northern Powerhouse needs more Bessemer, not more reports
Whenever I hear about the latest taskforce or consultation designed to “unlock Northern potential”, I think about how Bessemer actually worked:
- He didn’t wait for funding calls.
- He didn’t expect permission.
- He didn’t ask for someone else to provide leadership.
- He built, tested, failed, refined and eventually transformed an industry.
That mindset — the culture of doing — is far more valuable than any policy document. The North doesn’t need more fanfare or slogans. It needs more workshops, more prototypes, more engineers, more founders, more people who are prepared to turn ideas into working reality.
Innovation is still built the same way
Today’s debates about regional growth often forget the most important truth: innovation is a contact sport. It happens in labs, factories, garages and workshops, not in boardrooms or press releases. It thrives in places where people can collaborate, test things, and learn from failure without being penalised for not hitting pre-agreed KPIs.
Henry Bessemer succeeded not because someone created a strategy for him, but because he had an environment that allowed him to build and improve relentlessly. If the Northern Powerhouse wants to live up to its name, it should start by creating the conditions for the next Henry Bessemer to thrive.
That means skills, tools, and the freedom to experiment — not more fanfare. Build that foundation and the North can (and will) power the next industrial revolution.