I wonder if anyone has any memory or knowledge of a firm called Industrial Products (Refractories), who were based in Northumberland Road in the mid to late 1950s. The firm was run by a man called Paul Wagstaff and his partner, a guy named Gill. They had a sales manager called (Alan?) Barthorpe, and the accounts man was named Keith Parkin. They had a sales rep call Ray Plant, who was a very good golfer and came from the Worksop area.

Yes, I worked for IPR in 1964 at Wincobank.
At that time the 'bosses' were Paul wagstaff and Henry Gill. Sales were Barry Rowlands, and Ray Plant was a director, I think, of Furnace Linings.
I was there for only a short time, but other employees were: Kathleen Walton, Eric Wilkinson, Kevin Rowlands, Pauline ? , 'Doc' Holiday. I later met 'Doc' again at Surmanco Scissors, West St.
I have also 'bumped onto' Ray Plant, some years ago, as I now line nr. Worksop.
There was also a linked co. called IPR Electrical, run by Ray Malkin.
I shall be interested in your connection with this co.

I worked there in the late 1950s, but didn't stay long; and my interest in later years has been in discovering what happened to Ray Plant and Keith Parkin, who were friends in the time I spent at the office (then in Northumberland Road). I did find that Ray Plant, a friendly and genuine lad, had died a few years ago. I never did learn what happened to Keith Parkin, who was on the accounts side of things and lived in Bostock Road, Walkley at the time he worked for IPR. Incidentally, although I left in the late 1950s, I did have a brief contact with the firm in the mid-1960s when Paul Wagstaff was still the boss. I believe Wagstaff and Gill lived up at Moscar. But that was nearly 50 years ago!

I never knew Keith Parkin.
I last saw Ray Plant at the swimming baths in Worksop, but that must have been in the 80's. I did not know Ray that well, as he rarely visited the offices at Wincobank.
Interestingly ( for me), soon after I started work there, they bought 3 new Vauxhall Crestas, 3.3 litre: 1 for Wagstaff/Gill, 1 for Barry Rowlands (a Director), and 1 for Ray Plant. I used to love getting the job of going to the bank, using one of the cars - after all, I was just 19yrs old!
Wagstaff and Gill also shared a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud, but I never got to drive that. As you know, they lived at a nice house at Moscar Top, and I did visit there a few times.
We bought refractories off Craigend, Price-Pearson, and others, also imported from Sweden. We sold to English Steel, and supplied the contractors at the new plant being built at Lackenby, Tesside - a huge project. Also some export.
I worked there for about a year, having started as van driver (temporary job for me, but I loved it), then I moved into the office as Trainee Sales Manager, with day-release at Pond St Tech., studying Metallurgy.
Sadly, the attraction of working for a small friendly company tarnished, and I left to pursue a career in computing, emigrating to Australia in 1967.