Naval Ordnance Inspection Establishment (Admiralty)

I worked for some time at the above. I now live in Scarborough and give talks on the First World War bombardment of the town. During my time at the Admiralty I learned things which are pertinent to the talk, however, I have yet to meet anyone who knew there was any sort of Naval establishment in Sheffield and even more surprisingly few people in Sheffield. How many of you remember it?

Are you referring to the one on Janson Street?

Why were they based in Sheffield? Was it to take advantage of the industry that was there?

I didn't know about it, so please do feel free to give us some info, or a few stories!

My uncle worked on the security at the Admiraity

Why were they based in Sheffield? Was it to take advantage of the industry that was there?

 

I didn't know about it, so please do feel free to give us some info, or a few stories!

I worked near the place and I was always led to believe it was for testing the steel that the navy would use in their armaments.

Yes it was on Janson St. In the early part of the last century nearly all the major steel firms had orders for the Admiralty, armour plate, guns etc. Before they got paid for finished work it had to be inspected by Admiralty inspectors to make sure it was up to scratch. So much inspection was required that they decided to establish a permanent base where skilled steel workers also made the precision gauges to test gun barrels and the like.

When I worked there it was responsible for all of the north of England and Scotland and inspectors would travel to any firm which was making anything for the MOD. Like all shore based naval establishments it was officially given the name of a ship, in Sheffield's case HMS Scylla. There was method in the strange custom of naming shore based establishments as ship as because it was officially one of her Majesty's ships it meant the local authority had no jurisdiction over it at all. When David Blunkett was leader of Sheffield council he made a remark that Sheffield would always be a nuclear free zone! He didn't know we had a small nuclear research lab there.

When it closed and was retracted to London in the early eighties in one of the cost cutting measures I left and joined STD and became a bus driver (no one had any use for a guy who could make a torpedo run in a straight line!) and eventually left as a senior inspector.

Are you referring to the one on Janson Street?

I think so and the other side was on Cardiff Street.

---------- Post added 08-08-2017 at 18:10 ----------

I worked near the place and I was always led to believe it was for testing the steel that the navy would use in their armaments.

Did they also make 'nautical' instruments, gauges etc ?

My grandfather worked there ,he was a Metalurgist for the Navy with Honorary rank of Captain . His underling was a Monte Finneston former Chairman of BSC

I went on a school trip to the Janson Street site in 1970.

To me it was an engineering establishment making items such as measuring gauges for gun breeches.

All the boys were invited to fill out job application forms.

I was offered a position on their apprenticeship scheme but I had already accepted another apprenticeship elsewhere.

On another thread about The Norton Aerodrome someone mentioned an Admiralty site at that end of the city.

I went there in the early seventies (I worked for Post Office Telephones as it was known then). I seem to remember there was a figurehead near the entrance, or am I just imagining it??

Yes as the establishment was officially known as HMS Scylla the old figure head from that ship was mounted on a plinth complete with flag pole at the main gate. HMS Scylla was a screw steam corvette launched at Sheerness dockyard in 1886. The figurehead is now preserved at Blue Town Heritage Centre in Sheerness.

As mentioned, precision gauges were made there but the nuclear testing of steel was done in Bragg Laboratory in a separate building.

Yes it was on Janson St. In the early part of the last century nearly all the major steel firms had orders for the Admiralty, armour plate, guns etc. Before they got paid for finished work it had to be inspected by Admiralty inspectors to make sure it was up to scratch. So much inspection was required that they decided to establish a permanent base where skilled steel workers also made the precision gauges to test gun barrels and the like.

When I worked there it was responsible for all of the north of England and Scotland and inspectors would travel to any firm which was making anything for the MOD. Like all shore based naval establishments it was officially given the name of a ship, in Sheffield's case HMS Scylla. There was method in the strange custom of naming shore based establishments as ship as because it was officially one of her Majesty's ships it meant the local authority had no jurisdiction over it at all. When David Blunkett was leader of Sheffield council he made a remark that Sheffield would always be a nuclear free zone! He didn't know we had a small nuclear research lab there.

When it closed and was retracted to London in the early eighties in one of the cost cutting measures I left and joined STD and became a bus driver (no one had any use for a guy who could make a torpedo run in a straight line!) and eventually left as a senior inspector.

I worked near the place and I was always led to believe it was for testing the steel that the navy would use in their armaments.

Thank you!! Good info!!