[Redfyre]

Anybody still around who worked at the Arundel Street premises of the Sheffield Smelting Company in the era of Denys Bryars, Tommy Knowles, Jim Gregory and many others? In the early 1950s there was a lad called Alan Kite working in the office. The late Ivan Priestley, who was well known in local cricket circles, also spent many years there.
The firm later closed down the A Street branch and everyone went to Royds Mill down Attercliffe...but Arundel Street (No 95) was a bit special.

[gatoruby]

My Dad worked for them don't know if it was Arundel St though don't even know what he did there although he was lorry driver may be that's what he did

[Texas]

Was that the company that processed precious metals? I thought they were on Howard Street.

[shelby46]

My cousin worked at the Arundel St one, but in the 70s and 80s

[lexia]

WAREHOUSE Ernest Blackwell Alan Jones
PACKING Frank Johnsene
OFFICE Joe Handley
WORKS Alf Keane Ron Horner Harold Andrews Ted Boot Frank Tyson Alf Dolphin Harry Moore

[Redfyre]

I remember Ernest Blackwell in the warehouse. He had a colleague called Arthur, a tall, slim chap who was a musician in his spare time.
As for Harold Andrews, he was once involved in a humorous episode when someone sent me to him to "ask for the long stand". I was waiting quite a long time before the penny dropped! Mind you, I was only 15 at the time.
Ron Horner, I also recall. And Frank Johnstone. He was a tall man, yes?
Does anyone remember a Polish chap who was in the same part of the works as Harold Andrews, but had a part-time job as a photographer. In fact, I think he went on to work as a newspaper photographer.
The name Harry Moore rings bell. Was he tall and thin, with grey hair?
There was a young woman in the office called Doreen (I think she was Tom Knowles' assistant or typist) and her husband George worked in the warehouse.
Another typist was a girl called Moseley (Pat?), who came from Kiveton Park.
There was another typist, a ginger-haired girl who, if I'm not mistaken, went on to marry a chap out of the works called Preston.
I've just remembered that another of the people in the warehouse was Clare Armstrong.

[euclid]

Originally Posted by Redfyre

.but Arundel Street (No 95) was a bit special.

I was born on Arundel St near the junction with Furnival St,if you were around in the 50s you would probably remember my grans shop on the corner,that sold sandwiches to the surrounding works,at the side was a row of terrace houses going down Arundel st and at the end was a small works called i think Wall Kays...the building is still standing.....tho' the rest have been replaced by Roberts Belk.

[Redfyre]

Yes, I remember the corner shop on Arundel St/Furnival St that sold sandwiches, but I remember better the post office which, I think, was on the corner of Charles Street/Arundel Street. I used to have to take some ofthe Sheffield Smelting Co's parcels there, helping a young woman whose name I seem to remember was Kathryn (or Kathleen) Wild --she also worked the switchboard.

[Redfyre]

I wonder if anyone remembers any of the local silversmiths and other craftsmen who used to be popping into the Smelting Co's premises to buy small bits of silver and gold (This was in the 1950s). There was a chap who had a workshop in the yard behind the Howard Street pub on the corner of Arundel Street, can't remember his name; and a guy called Cyril Plant, who had a workshop just above the Marie Gentles chip shop/cafe.

[smartya]

was the man in the yards name,Joe?

[euclid]

Originally Posted by Redfyre

the Marie Gentles chip shop/cafe.

It's a long time since i heard that name(didn't it become the harlequin cafe?)my mother (and grandmother/aunts/uncles/cousins) who lived on arundel st in the 40's/50s always referred to mary gentles as the best chippy in town..........

[Redfyre]

Originally Posted by smartya

was the man in the yards name,Joe?

Sorry, I can't remember. I'm going back to about 1954, and while I remember certain names very well, others I have completely forgotten.

[Redfyre]

Originally Posted by euclid

It's a long time since i heard that name(didn't it become the harlequin cafe?)my mother (and grandmother/aunts/uncles/cousins) who lived on arundel st in the 40's/50s always referred to mary gentles as the best chippy in town..........

Yes Marie (or Mary) Gentles Cafe was a smashing little place --a chip shop at the front and a cafe behind and upstairs. In the early 1950s, I was just a lad fresh out of school and couldn't always afford to eat in the cafe, but every Friday I used to treat myself and join some of the older Smelting Co folk for a sit-down meal --I really thought I was grown-up dining out!
There was one waitress in the cafe (sadly, I have long forgotten her name) who was very kind. She took what you might call a motherly interest in ensuring I got a good plateful of fish and chips.
A few years later, when I was again working in the city centre, I made a point of looking up the Gentles Cafe. It was still in business and standards were still high --and I had another run of dining there regularly. This was really the period when I came across a guy called Cyril Plant, who was a silversmith and a great character. I seldom saw him without his trilby. It turned out that he was a keen Wednesdayite, and many years earlier he had written a weekly column in the Green 'Un. I thought he was kidding until he brought me some cuttings, and showed me pieces he had written signed "CP". Apparently he just used to stand on the Kop and listen to the banter among the fans, then write it down and turn it into an entertaining item for the Green 'Un.
Long after those days, I always looked for what had once been the Gentles cafe whenever I went down Howard Street.

[planetllou]

Deleted my details for matter of privacy

[Redfyre]

Originally Posted by planetllou

Sorry for the bump, but i have been researching my great grandad Ernest Blackwell, I wrote to my grandad but sadly he was to ill with lung cancer, and died soon after. All I know is he was born in 1896, played for sheffield united 1919-1921 and scunthorpe, and was a tallyman in the industrial areas of sheffield and his warehouse was near spital hill, well the canal near there. My dad said he would buy the goods wholesale and put them in his morris miner and drive round and alot of the traders were jewish. Apart from that, this is all I know and any infomation would be greatly welcomed.
Thanks. By the way I am Louis Ernest Blackwell, age 14, grandson of Don Blackwell and son of Grant blackwell.

As I have said elsewhere, re the footballer (goalkeeper) Ernest Blackwell, I should try to contact Denis Clarebrough, the Sheffield United club historian. Re the Ernest Blackwell who worked at the Sheffield Smelting Company in the early 1950s, I never associated him with football and never heard that he was a former player. My feeling is that they were different people, but I could be wrong. You might appeal for info in The Star, or the Sheffield History site might be a good back up --for you can post pics on there.

[jjbarnesfan]

Gordon Marshall was the caretaker there. He and his wife Joan emigrated to Australia in the early 1960's. Stephen , Geoffrey and Janet were their children . My wife and Janet were friends when they were young and I know she would like to contact Janet again. Hopefully someone might know their whereabouts.