Does anyone know anything about Hatfields Steel that used to stand on the sight of where Meadow Hall is now. I have been trying to find some information about it because my Grandad worked there and I just wanted to know exactly where it was and when it finished trading, also if there are any books on the subject?

"mad-as-hell" was built in 1990, and the site had been derelict for some time before that.

my ex husband's dad worked at Dunford Hatfields. (my dad was a steelworker too, but at the one behind Lee's beginning with "s" - Shardlows? I can't remember, I'm having a blonde moment! lol)

Does anyone know anything about Hatfields Steel that used to stand on the sight of where Meadow Hall is now. I have been trying to find some information about it because my Grandad worked there and I just wanted to know exactly where it was and when it finished trading, also if there are any books on the subject?

I think you mean Hadfields. It was where I first started work in 1952 as a blacksmith.Was the name of the road Vulcan Rd.?

lazy, there was a Vulcan Road in the vicinity, yes.

apologies if I've mistaken the name. In our family, we pronounce the d/t in Hat/dfields the same way as we pronounce "bradford"- as " bra'-ford" it's called a "Glottal Stop", apparently, so it was always "a'-'fields" in our house.

Hadfields features in many of the books on Sheffield. The location of the road was where the Sainsburys garage is, on the Sheffield Rd end and Hadfields was at the end of that,probably where the main entrance to Meadowhell is.

I think you mean Hadfields. It was where I first started work in 1952 as a blacksmith.Was the name of the road Vulcan Rd.?

Im sure it was Vulcan Road because I used to go past on the bus. I dont miss the orangey smoke/dust they used to belch out, but it seems strangely quiet down there these days.

PT, there was a Shardlows too, and I think it was probably near Arthur Lees. My dad worked at Arthur Lees and he used to refer to Shardlows workers as Shardlow's millionaires, so they must have paid good money!

Im sure it was Vulcan Road because I used to go past on the bus. I dont miss the orangey smoke/dust they used to belch out, but it seems strangely quiet down there these days.

PT, there was a Shardlows too, and I think it was probably near Arthur Lees. My dad worked at Arthur Lees and he used to refer to Shardlows workers as Shardlow's millionaires, so they must have paid good money!
I had a pal work at Shardlows but I thought it was in the wooley wood area.They were well paid because they had a very strong union.

Hi,

The Hadfield's that used to be where the Meadowhall Shopping Centre is now was know as Hadfield's East Hecla Works. Off Vulcan Road, as noted by others.

The name East Hecla was to distinguish it from Hafield's orginal Hecla Works. These works were roughly behind where Attercliffe Church used to be, but a bit closer to town. Don't know where the main entrance was. Could have been off Newhall Road or somwhere off Oaks Green.

Somebody mentioned Shardlows. They used to be next to Arthur Lee's at Woolley Woods. Can't remember the name of the road that Shardlow's works was located on but I think it ran from Meadowhall Road throught to Grange Lane. All a long time ago.

Regards

What very few people realise is that Hatfield’s East works also made such things as large telescopes for space research as well as the electronics packages for space research rockets and satellites. There were a few name changes and acquisitions along the way from Dunford and Elliot to Dunford Hadfield’s. Dunford and Elliot were also responsible for the control system for the original Jodrell Bank telescope way back in about 1952.

Im sure it was Vulcan Road because I used to go past on the bus. I dont miss the orangey smoke/dust they used to belch out, but it seems strangely quiet down there these days.

PT, there was a Shardlows too, and I think it was probably near Arthur Lees. My dad worked at Arthur Lees and he used to refer to Shardlows workers as Shardlow's millionaires, so they must have paid good money!

It was on Vulcan Road. I went to work there in 1953 after my National Service with the RAF, worked as a clerk for 5 years. Your'e right about the orange smog, used to get coated in it waitng for the tram/bus to go home.

The steel bridge to the side entrance of Meadowhall Centre, is known as "Hadfield Bridge". It is an original from Hadfields. Shardlows workers (I was one of them) used to go straight from the night shift and support Hadfields workers, during the big srtike in the 70s.(20,000 every morning from all over the country) Big Dan Norton (MD) told them there was a job for life for those who broke the strike. (Sounds Familiar). Of course they all lost their jobs. The land the works were built on had already been sold. Hadfields was closing no matter how many denials "Big Dan" made. In it's hey day 10,000/20,000 worked there. Specialists in railway lines and points. My friends Dad was a Fitter, making the points. Oh, there still is a Vulcan Road.

Hi,

The Hadfield's that used to be where the Meadowhall Shopping Centre is now was know as Hadfield's East Hecla Works. Off Vulcan Road, as noted by others.

The name East Hecla was to distinguish it from Hafield's orginal Hecla Works. These works were roughly behind where Attercliffe Church used to be, but a bit closer to town. Don't know where the main entrance was. Could have been off Newhall Road or somwhere off Oaks Green.

Somebody mentioned Shardlows. They used to be next to Arthur Lee's at Woolley Woods. Can't remember the name of the road that Shardlow's works was located on but I think it ran from Meadowhall Road throught to Grange Lane. All a long time ago.

Regards Granagemill Lane. Still there under another name (owned by Italians) and still making crankshafts :huh:

The steel bridge to the side entrance of Meadowhall Centre, is known as "Hadfield Bridge". It is an original from Hadfields. Shardlows workers used to go straight from the night shift and support Hadfields workers, during the big srtike in the 70s.(20,000 every morning from all over the country) Big Dan Norton told them there was a job for life for those who broke the strike. (Sounds Familiar). Of course they all lost their jobs. The land had already been sold. Hadfields was closing no matter how many denials "Big Dan made. In it's hey day 10,000/20,000 worked there. Specialists in railway lines and points. My friends Dad was a Fitter, making the points. Oh, there still is a Vulcan Road.

East Hecla Works closed down not long after the national strike of 1980. There was quite a lot of bother on the picket lines at the time, as many private sector steel workers kept working. The site was cleared in the mid-eighties I think.

Hadfields also took over Brown Bayley's old works on Leeds Road, near the baths. My dad worked there for a bit in the seventies.

That factory remained derelict for some years, and was finally cleared for Don Valley Stadium. I have some pics of both factories somewhere.

Vulcan road is still there.It is one of the roads that leads into "Meadowhell".
When the firm was known as Dunford Hadfields, they took over Brown Bayley's which was situated on Worksop Road,Attercliffe. When they eventually closed down in 1981 the works were demolished and it is now the site of Don Valley Stadium. I worked there from 1966 to 1980.

I started work as an apprentice electrician in 1964 at Hadfields East Hecla Works on Vulcan Road. The company employed many thousands of people on the huge site which is now Meadowhall.
Every aspect of Steel work was carried out there, huge Blast Furnaces and later Electric Arc Furnaces melted the scrap metal that was turned back into steel ingots. The steel ingots were then transported hot to the Rolling Mills where they were rolled into round bars etc. Some of the steel went to the forge where it was formed by giant hammer presses into large rolls.. These were then taken to the large machine shop where they were turned into the final product.
The company also embraced a foundry where the molten steel was poured into castings intricately designed to produce multiple cast items. A smaller foundry produced smaller castings by the lost wax method.
The company was also associated with defence and cast tank turrets. There was even a firing range where the turrets were tested by firing shells at them.
Mr. Hadfield was famous for concopting the original formula for Manganese steel which was used for railway lines.
Every skill imaginable was available and generally most people worked very hard.
As an apprentice I looked forward to the annual wage negotiation as the Union & Management stood their ground until finally the union went on strike ( a yearly event). As apprentices we were not allowed to strike so we all went to the Hadfields sports ground to play football or cricket & get paid. Good times for us but hard times for working men & women and their families.
At one stage Hadfield became associated with Jenson Cars & I remember a few of these posh vehicles appearing as Directors vehicles.
Hadfields was taken over by Dunford & Elliot and the company name changed to Dunford Hadfields.
This was a great time for me as this embraced a department within Dunford & Elliot called the Special Projects Division and as I came towards the end of my apprenticeship I was fortunate enough to move into this department.
They had been responsible for building the mechanical computer for the Jodrell Bank Telescope and they worked closely with Sheffield & Southampton Universities Space Research Departments.
We built Satellite and Rocket electronic payloads as well as a Meteorite counter that was sited out on the moors.
In addition, Infra-red telescopes were built that went to Tenerife & Hawaii.
All this seemed a far cry from the now ailing steelworks that occupied that site.
I remember watching the M1 viaduct cross the Hadfield property & I remember all those wonderful characters that helped shape my working life

My father in law worked at Hatfields, I think he worked with special steels. He retired in about 1968 ish.
He and his fellow workers used to buy Premium Bonds between them, he had quite a few when he died.

Marion

My dad worked for Arthur Lees for many years, he was a furnace man, I do have a coule of photos of him and his fellow workers taken in about 1960's/early 70's
He was called Bob Holmes but generally known as black bob!
Marion

What was your father-in-laws name and job while he was at Hadfields?

Also I have a friend Maurice Foster who worked at Arthur Lees back in the 60/70's.

... The company was also associated with defence and cast tank turrets. There was even a firing range where the turrets were tested by firing shells at them.

My grandfather John Arthur Whittles (1898-1958 ) worked at Hadfields and I remember him telling me about the tank turrets. Here is a photo (http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u219/twigmore/Grandad.jpg) of him, taken at East Hecla Works, being shown the workings of the finished product by two soldiers. The photo appeared in The Star in 1957.

Does anyone know anything about Hatfields Steel that used to stand on the sight of where Meadow Hall is now. I have been trying to find some information about it because my Grandad worked there and I just wanted to know exactly where it was and when it finished trading, also if there are any books on the subject?

the name is wrong it is hadfields and a very famouse name in steel making. they specialised in special steels and were noted for the quality. my father worked there from the late twenties until his death in 55.Hadfields did a lot of things as well as special steels but i`m not sure what.... general engineering I should think. I never knew how many worked there but have waited outside for my dad at clocking off time and it seemed that there were at the very least hundreds of men employed there at that time. Sad to see the site now, just another shopping centre, how long is it going to be before we lose all our manufacturing and can produce nowt for ourselves.

Sad fact is that Meadowhell actually creates more income for the local economy and pays more in taxes than Hadfields ever did. Personally I would however prefer a steel works on the site (I sell replacement parts into various factories). Sheffield as an area also produces more tons of steel now than it did in its hey day (2005 statistic)

Dunford hatfields was on weedon street just off attercliffe road. The main entrance into the site was directly opposite the TGI Fridays restaurant the main gate was about where the roundabout is between TGIs and the entrance to meadow hall. it was a masive site and there were small electric trucks to get about on. The back of the site ran down the lenght of the river near to the now oasis food hall.
The actual rolling mill was level with the wear on the river. I worked in the maintaince dept attached to the electric workshop. Our workshop was exactly where the outside playarea is behind the cinema.

Dunford hatfields was on weedon street just off attercliffe road. The main entrance into the site was directly opposite the TGI Fridays restaurant the main gate was about where the roundabout is between TGIs and the entrance to meadow hall. it was a masive site and there were dozens of small electric trucks to get about on. The back of the site ran down the lenght of the river near to the now oasis food hall.
The actual rolling mill was level with the wear on the river. I worked in the maintaince dept attached to the electric workshop. Our workshop was exactly where the outside playarea is behind the cinema.

I worked as an electrician in the melting shop in the early 70s.I remember a crane driver who was killed around that time, Health and Safety was not such a big issue then.I was actually sacked for being a naughty boy But Tony Parkin the engineer fixed me up wth a job at Brown Bayley's who Hadfields has just bought,

I wonder if there is anyone around who worked in the Sales R department at Hadfields in the mid-1950s. I recall that a smashing guy called Jack Bowles was the chief clerk in that department, and I worked for a time alongside a lad called Mike Williams. I believe that Mike died a few years ago after running a post office in Sheffield for many years.

During the late 1950's I was Secretary to Mr.F.A.Bailey, Engineering Controller at Hadfields Ltd Vulcan Road. The names I remember are Harry Torry, Jack Hickling, Mr.Credland.

East Hecla Works closed down not long after the national strike of 1980. There was quite a lot of bother on the picket lines at the time, as many private sector steel workers kept working. The site was cleared in the mid-eighties I think.

Hadfields also took over Brown Bayley's old works on Leeds Road, near the baths. My dad worked there for a bit in the seventies.

That factory remained derelict for some years, and was finally cleared for Don Valley Stadium. I have some pics of both factories somewhere.

Would you be kind enough to send pictures of Brown Bayleys to me at stuartb47@yahoo.com as I used to work there.Thanks

Vulcan road is still there.It is one of the roads that leads into "Meadowhell".
When the firm was known as Dunford Hadfields, they took over Brown Bayley's which was situated on Worksop Road,Attercliffe. When they eventually closed down in 1981 the works were demolished and it is now the site of Don Valley Stadium. I worked there from 1966 to 1980.

What dept did you work in at Brown Bayleys?

My dad worked for Arthur Lees for many years, he was a furnace man, I do have a coule of photos of him and his fellow workers taken in about 1960's/early 70's
He was called Bob Holmes but generally known as black bob!
Marion

Would you please send scans of the photos to stuartb47@yahoo.com as my late father in law worked on the furnaces there.Thanks

I worked as an electrician in the melting shop in the early 70s.I remember a crane driver who was killed around that time, Health and Safety was not such a big issue then.I was actually sacked for being a naughty boy But Tony Parkin the engineer fixed me up wth a job at Brown Bayley's who Hadfields has just bought,My old man ken brooks worked there at the time that guy was killed,can still remember him telling me.

My great grand father was an electrician in the power house at Hadfields and retired sometime in the late fifties as I remember it was just before I left school he worked untill he was in his seventies to complete fifty years service there and was presented with a walking stick with an engraved siver band on it acknowledging his service there his name was George Butler.

Does anyone know anything about Hatfields Steel that used to stand on the sight of where Meadow Hall is now. I have been trying to find some information about it because my Grandad worked there and I just wanted to know exactly where it was and when it finished trading, also if there are any books on the subject?

HI THERE
I WAS A LOCO DRIVER AT HADFILD.
GRAHAMFUTTER@HOTMAIL.COM

i had my first inteview for a job at hadfields but took a job at firth brown tools instead same outcome

there has just been a programme on BBC4 about a day in the life of Sheffield in 1973 which featured Dunford Hadfields amongst other things. It showed the East Hecla Works and featured a guy who was retiring having worked there 50 years, showing him getting a presentation from 'The Board'! You can probably i-player it - nostalgic stuff if you remember Sheffield in the 70's

HI. I worked in Hadflelds in 1953, in the Cost office.One of our duties was putting the wages in pay packets.I think it was after I left that the Jaguar that was hired from from a local garage to transport the money from the bank to us was Hi-jacked on Tinsley Bridge. The gang were caught later. But a more lasting memory is of my father working there in the war-time. He worked in the foundry Their main jobs were casting tracks for tanks and railway lines. My ex brother in law (Jack Matthews) and his sons were the last of several generations to work at the Newhall Road site in the tool-room.,when it closed down.

I wonder if there is anyone around who worked in the Sales R department at Hadfields in the mid-1950s. I recall that a smashing guy called Jack Bowles was the chief clerk in that department, and I worked for a time alongside a lad called Mike Williams. I believe that Mike died a few years ago after running a post office in Sheffield for many years.

Hi, 1st post as I only 'happened' across this forum whilst, ironically, googling 'Hadfields' earlier. Mike Williams was my father - and joined Hadfields after completing his RAF national service in the early 50s - starting off as a clerk and then becoming one of the few non-degree qualified employees to be put through their new [at the time] graduate apprentice scheme - eventually becoming their Marketing Manager & travelling all over the world on the Company's behalf including to the states (when I was only 6 weeks old as my mother regularly reminded him!). He ''left'' in 1978 - shortly after the unsuccessful takeover bid for the company by Firth Brown resulted in Hadfields being bought out by Lonhro, under Tiny Rowland. Lonhro had promised no redundancies when they took over the helm - but the writing on the wall quickly became clear that this organisation with comparatively limited experience in this arena were really ultimately only interested in asset stripping & maximising the return on their original investment by steering the company toward its ultimate closure. Dad disagreed once too often with decisions being made at that time & was ultimately given the choice of leaving with his company car & on the remainder of his then current contract - or simply seeing it not being renewed the following year.

Whilst all the above is relaid as I recall the way in which the information was imparted to me many moons ago - I do know Dad had many, many happy memories of the 24 years he spent working at the East Hecla works; he met & married my mum (Fay Hudson who worked in the Hadfields lab), met one of his childhood heroes Douglas Bader (of 'Reach for the Sky' fame who visited the works) & met & made many, many good friends over the years. He often used to say that it was the people who made a workplace good or bad - and that Hadfields was a great place to work in that respect.

Conversely, his watching & seeing the ultimate outcome of the strikes at the end of the 70s, and my taking him back up there from his [final] home in Cornwall many years later to see 'Meadow Hall' - were most certainly memories he would undoubtedly rather not have had. He certainly found the latter particularly traumatic - seeing a singular statue on the ground floor of the meadowhill complex as an apparent singular reminder of the sites former use most certainly did not, he felt, bare suitable memorial to all that was acheived & undertaken in the vicinity for so many years and by so many people. This said, at the time we visited I believe the local pub where he & colleagues occasionally met for lunch et al still remained standing!

I still have some of the Hadfields in house magazines and also some of the engraved ashtrays, parker pens, calculators & magnifying glasses Hadfields commissioned as gifts for current & prospective customers too - and have many photographs of the site and vivid memories of visiting Dad at work myself.

It would be great to hear from anyone who knew him or indeed to read of further memories of people who worked at Hadfields, too; I've certainly found it very interesting reading through all the memories recorded here :)

G'day... like you I was idly googling Hadfields and came across your thread. I worked at Hadfields in Vulcan Road in 1964 in the cost accountancy office straight out of school. My boss was Dennis Hudson. There were some good blokes there such as John Barker, Cass (?) Peter Ford (who was killed in a car crash that year) John Welbourne, Steve Shaw. Our neighbour Steve Draycott was a turner there although he had retired before I started. I have fond memories of wandering around the works watching the pouring of the castings for turrets and also watching the moulds being prepared for the lost wax process. A great guy whose name I can't remember was in charge of the casting plant and when queried on discrepancies with the number and weight of certain jobs would always respond "thems niver that!!". It became a signature comment! The cold mornings were always made tolerable by the bacon butties we got from the canteen which I recall was quite close to the main entrance. These were the days when punched card sytems were giving way to punched tape. A number of the best and brightest were seconded to what we would call today the IT team. I was not one of them but I used to sneak a look at the work they were doing.... in retrospect it was prettty basic programming but good on Hadfields for having the nouse to invest in their own for this R&D. I left after a year and joined the National Provincial Bank on the Moor.

I wonder if there is anyone around who worked in the Sales R department at Hadfields in the mid-1950s. I recall that a smashing guy called Jack Bowles was the chief clerk in that department, and I worked for a time alongside a lad called Mike Williams. I believe that Mike died a few years ago after running a post office in Sheffield for many years.

I also worked in the offices at Hadfields as a young woman around 1968/71, and had some wonderful times there. I worked in the Shipping Office as a typist and worked for Mr. Mayhew and Mr. William Shakespeare, both very smart and great to work for. There were some real characters in the office, and the older ones all looked out for you. I also had a cousin who worked in another office there called Linda Denial. My uncle, Sid Bird, who has now passed away, also worked in the steelworks there. I think the Main Gates were right at the bottom of Vulcan Road off the main Road. Happy Days.

Does anyone recall or did anyone out there work closely with Richard Lamb of Hadfields

Would you be kind enough to send pictures of Brown Bayleys to me at stuartb47@yahoo.com as I used to work there.Thanks

Sorry I do not have photos, but my dad worked at Brown Baileys in the melting shop for many years. He was a melter (1st hand) on the small high frequency induction furnace. He was transfered to Hadfields to a similar role and took part on the picket lines when Thatcher decided to destroy South Yorkshire. As a scotsman he was known as 'Jock'.
I worked at Brown Baileys for about three months a year each summer for about four years when I was a student. I was a 'spareman' in the melting shop (12 hour days and nights) occasionally picking up a spare job on either the casting pit side, or the melting side on the electric arc furnaces. I remember several characters, 'Cyril' the works manager, and a labourer called 'Wincobank Jack'. He used to wonder round the melting shop with a shovel full of dust which he put down at meal times, and at the end of his shift. He would pick up the shovel again at the start of his next shift and carry the same pile of dust around for another eight hours! Jim the 'Stopper Lad' who used to assemble the brick and iron-rod stoppers for the ladles used in the shop. I was known as 'Jock's Lad'.

Fascinating to read the thread by Steveninusa and having read some of the other posts I wonder what has happened to Sheffileld's history.Some of the vague comments make me wonder if it has any relevance at all.
I worked at Edgar Allens in the melting shop across the road,Vulcan Road, from Hadfields and the contribution to modern life by both Companies was enormous.
After all everything that we use in life started life in a foundry.
Just think about it.Oil and oil products ie plastics, do not jump out of the ground.Iron ore and all sorts of minerals in use today do not fall from the skies.
Think back to the opening scenes of the Full Monty and the promotional film about the Steel industry in Sheffield (Sheffield on the move) and now that it has nearly all gone we still owe a lot to Companies such as Hadfields.

My dad, Fred Moss was a toolmaker at Hadfields. He worked there until his stroke in 1975.

I came across this site by accident, and I am so pleased that I did. It was with great sadness that I saw that Mike Williams passed away. It was so lovely to read about him. I worked with Mike in the Marketing Department, we became great mates and me and my then husband often used to get invited to Mikes house. I remember is lovely wife Fay.
It was such a lovely old building to work in, but I hated having to go down into the basement to look for certain files, very spooky down there!
We used to be always going out to the many local pubs at lunch time, and I still remember Mikes car a Triumph I think. Great memories, it would be lovely to hear from anyone who worked there same time as me.
I remember Sam Thackur, I think he went onto lecture in Sheffield somewhere.

Lovely memories :)

My brother in law, Peter Lax, started work as an electrician when he was 14 and stayed there until he was made redundant in the 80's from East Hecla. He started about 1959.

I came across this site by accident, and I am so pleased that I did. It was with great sadness that I saw that Mike Williams passed away. It was so lovely to read about him. I worked with Mike in the Marketing Department, we became great mates and me and my then husband often used to get invited to Mikes house. I remember is lovely wife Fay.
It was such a lovely old building to work in, but I hated having to go down into the basement to look for certain files, very spooky down there!
We used to be always going out to the many local pubs at lunch time, and I still remember Mikes car a Triumph I think. Great memories, it would be lovely to hear from anyone who worked there same time as me.
I remember Sam Thackur, I think he went onto lecture in Sheffield somewhere.

Lovely memories :)

Hi - from my own memories I can ellaborate a little on Sam - he and his wife Krishna were good friends of my parents and Sam is still in touch with my mother [Fay] you reference, above. Several colleagues of my father's at Hadfields (and indeed their families) serve as lasting memories for me: a guy called Neil Wilkinson in sales (with whose wife & children my sister, mum and I would often go to either Chatsworth or Bakewell's Thursday market during holidays); a lady called Beverley who worked with Dad & who came round once a week to desparately try to teach my sisiter and I to play the piano!); a guy called Howard Grinrod (if memory serves me correctly) - who lived a few houses down from us on Muskoka Ave. in Ecclesall.......I could go on and on! Would be great to hear more from you, 'Jancot'; my mother refers to herself as a 'technical philistine' (sounds more like a quote my Dad would have made!) but would, I'm sure, be interested to hear more of your Hadfoelds experience and working with Dad.

I also came accross this site by chance(so glad i did)Istarted work at hadfields in 1963(it became dunford hadfields later)as an apprentice blacksmith.approxamately 6000 people worked there.my clock in number 6066(how strange i can remember this)must go now but i will be back

I'm sure this is the place my dad worked at he was a welder, but if my memory is correct i'm certain it was called Osborne Hadfields.
My dad's name was Jack Bishop it would be great if anyone remembers him, orhas any photo's.

So glad I've chanced upon this thread. I'm a writer, currently working on a novel and researching for my story.

What pubs were frequented by workers from Hadfields around mid 50's/early 60's?

I have the Bridge Inn, Meadowhall Road in mind but I'd welcome any other suggestions. And any descriptions/info would be really helpful.

Hadfields became Dunford Hadfields around 1966/67.When i recieved my apprentice served Blacksmith certificate it had DunfieldHadfields on the top of it and this was 1968.At the same time the foundry (which was at the time the longest foundry in the world 440yards long) was taken over by Osbourns thus giving Dunford and Osbourn Hadfields.Hadfields had their own sports ground on bawtry road and a number of football teams and cricket teams.We used to play inter-departmental matches as well.

Has anyone seen this? http://www.songsofsteel.com

It's a history project they've been doing about Steelos and Parkgate in Rotherham. They have a film with old archive footage coming out. It's an interesting website. There's also a performance at the Rotherham Civic on March 14th.

My dad from what i can remember worked there all his life til he was made redundant at 60. He worked for Firth Brown as well.

He was an engineer and one memory I have of him taking me to work, for the unveiling of a telescope they had made parts for. Just had a look around and found it on Wikipedia. All I can remember is being so shocked at how big the place was.

I was an electrician for contractor F.H. Wheelers and my first proper apprenticeship started when I was taken to Dunford Hadfields one afternoon in August 1968. Bill Bottomley was the Wheelers chargehand and their cabin was quite a walk into the plant from Vulcan Road. Being a blue collar worker, I shouldn't have used the main gate at the end of Vulcan Road, but I defiantly always did, but one morning I'd walked from the bus stop with a young woman only to be re-directed to the small wicket gate further along the road. Christ I was humiliated and angry, I hated that, workers through one entrance and office staff through the main gate next to the weigh bridge.
I managed to get to work in the offices with a young electrician called Ken Nelson, he'd secured the job of working on office electrics rather than the industrial side. Whilst installing a ring main in the offices, which were immediately above the main entrance, I recall a very attractive, leggy blonde who stood out from all the others, probably in 1968 in her late twenties. I was 16 and I thought she was absolutely gorgeous.
One saturday morning working there, I had a play on their electronic calculator. It was a huge thing with neon nixie tubes and as I recall, they had just the one in accounts.
I worked on the electrics in the office conversion that included an old dark room. There were loads of photos strewn around and I collected them all up and took them home. These were fabulous 10x8 shots of bygone years of the staff and workers, young lads wearing weskets and flat caps from the turn of the century. All were of recognisable parts of the works. Some photos showed what many won't know and that is that the river Don used to go straight through the middle of the Hadfields plant but was diverted to the northern boundary alongside Meadowhall Road where it runs to this day. In 1969 whilst working at Shepcote Rolling Mills, the gaffer, Jack Childs, who'd worked at Hadfields as a youth, asked to see the photos. Big mistake, I never got them back and I would still have them today because I love old photos like that. I would pay good money to have those photo's back.
Oh and by the way, as an apprentice in 1968, I used to take home £4 19s 6d for five days and for seven days I got £6 4s 2d ha ha

I remember Hadfields very well. I started there in 1965 as an apprentice and worked in No1 M/C shop, it used to have the big clock on top that you could see from the motorway. I moved from the machine shop in 1968 and went to work in the Electric workshop which was sited close to the river near the steel bridge. I became the chargehand doing all the fitting and machining for the electrical department and had a great set of guys working for me over the years, (I think 'Toastmaster' -Mick (Max) Wall was one along with Terry Bingham, Mick McKee, Stevie watts, Stuart Dunham, Steve Bell, Trevor Mason, Neil Hellewell and many more. We had some good 'gaffers' Albert Sherwood and Tony Parkin in particular.
I remember Pete Lax also, he worked as a 'trician and was big mates with Brian Bailey. Pete ended up as an Engineer. I also remember the crane driver being killed as the melting shop was next door to our department.
The river that runs behind Meadowhall used to run through the centre of the firm but was diverted many years ago. Evidence of this was apparant when there were heavy rains as the rolling mill used to flood. I left in 1984 when the firm finally closed but I still have fond memories of the place. I would love to hear from anyone else who worked there about the same time.

I remember Hadfields very well. I started there in 1965 as an apprentice and worked in No1 M/C shop, it used to have the big clock on top that you could see from the motorway. I moved from the machine shop in 1968 and went to work in the Electric workshop which was sited close to the river near the steel bridge. I became the chargehand doing all the fitting and machining for the electrical department and had a great set of guys working for me over the years, (I think 'Toastmaster' -Mick (Max) Wall was one along with Terry Bingham, Mick McKee, Stevie watts, Stuart Dunham, Steve Bell, Trevor Mason, Neil Hellewell and many more. We had some good 'gaffers' Albert Sherwood and Tony Parkin in particular.
I remember Pete Lax also, he worked as a 'trician and was big mates with Brian Bailey. Pete ended up as an Engineer. I also remember the crane driver being killed as the melting shop was next door to our department.
The river that runs behind Meadowhall used to run through the centre of the firm but was diverted many years ago. Evidence of this was apparant when there were heavy rains as the rolling mill used to flood. I left in 1984 when the firm finally closed but I still have fond memories of the place. I would love to hear from anyone else who worked there about the same time.

You probably knew my dad,Pete Campbell,who worked in No.1 M/C shop office 1962-74 after he had a serious accident in the 4-ton hammer shop.

Yes,
The name certainly rings a bell and I will certainly have known him if he worked in the m/c shop office at that time.

Blade,

Did you play football for the firm in the late 60's earl 70's?

My Father,Tom Webster,worked in the Foundry at Hadfields for 51 years.He started there as a boy of 14,his first job was straightening nails for the Moulds,he then became a Moulder,during the War,he made Moulds for Tank Turrets & Tank Tracks.
Afterwards he made Moulds for Dredger Buckets among other things.
I think it was about 1952/3 Prince Phillip came & opened a new press,which at that time was the biggest in Europe & afterwords all the Workers Familys were invited down to have a look round,&have a Buffet Meal & Drinks in the Canteen.

My father , Alf Ray, worked at Hadfields all through the war up to the early '60s he worked in No1 Machine Shop Extension & was a Horizontal Borer.

He left & went to Danial Doncasters on Penistone Rd, but died in 1966 aged 49 from a brain haemorrhage.

Anyone remember him ?

Barbara

So glad I've chanced upon this thread. I'm a writer, currently working on a novel and researching for my story.

What pubs were frequented by workers from Hadfields around mid 50's/early 60's?

I have the Bridge Inn, Meadowhall Road in mind but I'd welcome any other suggestions. And any descriptions/info would be really helpful.


Dear WriterDeb,
I worked at Hadfields from 1962-65 as a very Junior Clerk, starting in the Post Office and "progressing" to the Sales floor. The pub I remember was the Plumpers Arms on Bawtry Road, which is still there. I was officially too young to drink but sneaked in one Christmas and felt quite ill after one gin-and-lime. My Aunty and Uncle lived in Bawtry Road, and most of my family worked at Hadfields: my dad, at least 2 uncles, 3 aunties and 2 cousins.
Many memories as it was my first job. I will be back on the site another time, with more names and memories.

I also worked in the offices at Hadfields as a young woman around 1968/71, and had some wonderful times there. I worked in the Shipping Office as a typist and worked for Mr. Mayhew and Mr. William Shakespeare, both very smart and great to work for. There were some real characters in the office, and the older ones all looked out for you. I also had a cousin who worked in another office there called Linda Denial. My uncle, Sid Bird, who has now passed away, also worked in the steelworks there. I think the Main Gates were right at the bottom of Vulcan Road off the main Road. Happy Days.

Hi -I knew Linda Denial, she was well known for her very short skirts and high heels. I distinctly remember she had a short black leather skirt which she wore usually with a frilly white blouse, sheer black stockings and black stillettos. She used to cause quite a stir when crossing the yard. One man was heard to say he "felt sorry for that lass because she had grown out of all her clothes!" Nonetheless, we younger ones were envious of her aplomb and style. There was also a cousin Terry Denial, who I was at school with.

I remember frequenting the two pubs that were situated on Meadowhall Road in the late 60's and through the 70's whiilst I worked at Hadfields. One was the Fox & Grapes (this was situared near the low bridge) and the other was, I think called the Pheasant which was about 100 yards from the gate of the iron bridge at the back of the firm.

Thank God someone corrected him - I thought my old lady memory was playing tricks again :-0)

I worked there for a coupl of years and I walked from Worksop Road across to Zion Lane and walked down that way but I think I was going in the back entrance as the lorries (SCOW men) used to come in another gate. I had to work an hour or two each day in the gate house and it was the first time I had heard a Welsh accent - I used to go weak at the knees! Lovely they were.