Davy United Group

Can anyone tell me the status of Davy United at Darnall. I worked for the Instument subsidiary for a while when it was known as Davy Ashmore

Hiya Buck, Davy have had a lot of changes and none of them for the better. I went down Prince of Wales road a few weeks ago and hte main office block is empty and To Let signs are stuck to it.

Davy Ashmore were taken over by Kaverner Engineering (Dutch?),

they had financial problems and abandoned Darnall. The building is now to let but I don't know if anyone is renting it yet.

Incidentally the sports club is still going.

I joined Kvaerner Davy as they were then in 1996, in 1999 the firm in Darnall was split, Manufacturing stayed there and Equipment Design and Supply were bought by VAIUK, the UK branch of Austrian VATECH.

The large office building was left empty when VAIUK moved to Sheffield Airport Business Park.

As far as I know it's still empty, and manufacturing still work out of the huge shop in the back.

I worked for VAIUK until 2003 at the airport.

The Darnall site is huge, you don't realise unless you walk round it. Has it's own railway and the manufacturing place is massive.

The big castings coming out of there used to really impress me!

Oh, and try the Guinness in the Sports Club, used to be great!

I went down there not long ago and it was just going dark,there`s obviously been some sort of work done on the outside of the building as it looks clean and more modern but it`s so long since i last saw it i can`t pick out exactly what`s been done. I couldn`t tell if it was occupied or not, there were sort of night lights on in the offices on one floor and the front of the building (as you drive down prince of wales road) has a purply colour light shining upwards illuminating the wall right up to the top, it looks rather impressive.

I remember it being called davy united, davy lowey and davy mckee.It has had lots of names before that like davy brothers and davy roberts etc.

The main office building on the front of POW Road was refitted and turned into a "call centre & office opportunity".

Aprroximately 8 months after completion, its still empty

dial, I remember going to the Christmas parties at the club quite a few years ago ... my dad worked at Davy Roll , & I worked at McKee from 1980 - 1992 ....... seems a shame the place has gone downhill ....

A lot of my family used to work for Davys from when it was Davy Utd or perhaps before. Here are a few. George Burford[my grandad], Ron Burford[my grt uncle], George Albert Burford[my dad] and John Burford[my uncle] My dad worked there until just before they changed hands and took redundancy. Every time I come to visit him I think of the open days I used to attend with him when I was a kid and what a shame it is that it is no longer Davys. I still have a few pictures from when he was there including a works magazine picture when he was an apprentice some where.

I went for an interview at Davy United in 1959. (All our yesterdays!).

I believe it was for an apprentice engineering job, even so I didn't get it and landed an apprentice electrician job at Spear and Jacksons on Saville Street.

I started work for VAI 4 months ago. I love it but everyone still refers to 'the good ol' Davy years' Alot still call it Davy. It was very confusing whenI first started.

i went to infant/junior school with a lad who's dad worked there (davy united) i always thought he was a footballer:rolleyes: :rolleyes: true story btw and the lad in question actually did end up being a footballer..how spooky's that then