Anyone worked at Firth Browns?

[PeterR 10]

Peter. There were also 4 other canteens scattered around the works; foreman's, which was at the 12 gate I think. Managers, which was opposite the head office. Staff & works which was opposite the light m/c shop, which is now Gripple.

It's no wonder that the Japanese were way ahead of Britain in labour relations. In their factories all the staff (including manual workers) ate together & played together.

I can also remember the works barber. A workmate of mine went to get a trim, only to be told it was staff only!

Firth Browns was a decent place to work & the apprenticeship scheme was second to none. However, if you worked on the shop floor you were always classed as a second class citizen.

 

Hi melv,

When I was 15 in 1959 I used the canteen sometimes, which was opposite the light machine shop which is now Gripple, along with my office colleagues. We took our own cutlery (never wondered why at the time, that's what they all did and I was only 15 and knew that I had to wash them all afterwards ).We would enter the doorway off Savile Street and walk past the doorway on the left where the 'blue collars' were and along the corridor through another door where the 'white collars' were, facing Princess Street. Never gave it a thought why, other than perhaps it was so we wouldn't get overall grease on our backsides I can't say I ever came across any sort of prejudice in the seven years I worked there.

Peter.

Edited February 11, 2016 by PeterR

[brian1941 11]

Hi Melv,

 

I was a clerk in Forgings Sales office in the early1960s. This was the next office to the drawing office in the Head Office buildings now preserved and named President Buildings. Would this be the drawing office you were in during your training?

 

Peter.

-----------------------

 

Hi Peter, Was down Attercliffe other week and wondered what the

6 shutes was used for and the Conveyor Belts. do you think they

were use for coke or coal to the furnacers.

Hope you understand what i mean. Brian.

Edited May 24, 2016 by brian1941
spelling

[PeterR 10]

-----------------------

 

Hi Peter, Was down Attercliffe other week and wondered what the

6 shoots was used for and the Conveyor Belts. do you think they

were use for coke or coal to the furnacers.

Hope you understand what i mean. Brian.

 

Hi Brian,

 

I've never been round there and only seen it when driving along Attercliffe Common, but I would think you are on the right track. Or maybe it could be iron ore?? Can't find any info on the net.

I imagine that whatever it is it may have arrived by barges at one time and now maybe by rail. They must have some sort of lifting system to load the shutes from the top. All guesswork I'm afraid

 

Peter.

Edited May 22, 2016 by PeterR

[brian1941 11]

Hi Brian,

 

I've never been round there and only seen it when driving along Attercliffe Common, but I would think you are on the right track. Or maybe it could be iron ore?? Can't find any info on the net.

I imagine that whatever it is it may have arrived by barges at one time and now maybe by rail. They must have some sort of lifting system to load the shutes from the top. All guesswork I'm afraid

 

Peter.

------------------------

 

 

Hi Peter, Yes your words are intresting i never thought about the

things you mentioned.

While i was taking that picture of Forgemasters i noticed this one

i enclose Tour De France taken in front of the Arena.

 

On sunday 6th of July 2014, thousands of people came onto watch

as the Tour De France came to sheffield.

The Italion, Vincenzo Nibali, was first to cross the finishing line here,

winning the 201km bicycle race from York to Sheffield in time of 5hrs

8minutes and 36 seconds.

Vincenzo claimed the prized yellow jersey to win the overall race.

Allez Sheffield. Brian

[stpetre 12]

Hi Brian,

 

I've never been round there and only seen it when driving along Attercliffe Common, but I would think you are on the right track. Or maybe it could be iron ore?? Can't find any info on the net.

I imagine that whatever it is it may have arrived by barges at one time and now maybe by rail. They must have some sort of lifting system to load the shutes from the top. All guesswork I'm afraid

 

Peter.

 

Not trying to solve anything here, just curious. Wasn't that building part of the old 'English (British) Steel' property beyond Milford Street between Hawke Street and Weedon Street-thus not Firth-Brown's-whatever they delivered there, the nearest barge terminal was (perhaps) Broughton Lane/Tinsley Park Road and rail (nearer to Brightside Lane) seems right.

[A Lad Insane 10]

Both my Grandad, Fred Clayton and my dad Roy Dolling worked at Firth Browns, Fred worked there for over 50 years and worked the last few years in the stores and dad worked there before moving to Firth Vickers,

When I was about to start work my dad asked me what I wanted to do and I said I wanted to join him and grandad in the steel works, he told me not to such a silly bugger and to get an office job. Now I'm retired and I still remember his words of advice,

[PeterR 10]

Not trying to solve anything here, just curious. Wasn't that building part of the old 'English (British) Steel' property beyond Milford Street between Hawke Street and Weedon Street-thus not Firth-Brown's-whatever they delivered there, the nearest barge terminal was (perhaps) Broughton Lane/Tinsley Park Road and rail (nearer to Brightside Lane) seems right.

 

Yes stPetre, I believe the building, which brian1941 posted, is as you decribe.

 

Regarding your comments re barge and rail, it seems that the final stage of delivery to the shutes/hoppers must have been/be by road.

 

There is, as you may know, a thread entitled ''English Steel (British Steel) 1960's'' on the Forum since 2010. A quick scan through the posts doesn't throw any light on the building.

 

Peter.

 

---------- Post added 23-05-2016 at 11:16 ----------

 

Both my Grandad, Fred Clayton and my dad Roy Dolling worked at Firth Browns, Fred worked there for over 50 years and worked the last few years in the stores and dad worked there before moving to Firth Vickers,

When I was about to start work my dad asked me what I wanted to do and I said I wanted to join him and grandad in the steel works, he told me not to such a silly bugger and to get an office job. Now I'm retired and I still remember his words of advice,

 

Hi A Lad Insane,

 

I have a story with some similarities,

 

My Dad worked at Firth Vickers and took me for an interview for an apprenticeship in 1959. I wasn't succesful but got myself a job in the offices at Firth Browns shortly after. Haven't done too bad since that start in working life all those years ago

 

Peter.

Edited May 23, 2016 by PeterR

[Meltman 311]

-----------------------

 

Hi Peter, Was down Attercliffe other week and wondered what the

6 shutes was used for and the Conveyor Belts. do you think they

were use for coke or coal to the furnacers.

Hope you understand what i mean. Brian.

 

The "chutes" are for collecting dust when it has been removed from the fumes and smoke from the electric arc furnace. The big trunkings are not conveyor belts but big ducts with large fans in them above the furnace to extract the smoke/fumes from the melting shop and send it to the filter building where the dust is removed.

[PeterR 10]

The "chutes" are for collecting dust when it has been removed from the fumes and smoke from the electric arc furnace. The big trunkings are not conveyor belts but big ducts with large fans in them above the furnace to extract the smoke/fumes from the melting shop and send it to the filter building where the dust is removed.

 

Hi Meltman,

 

Thanks for that info. Seems we were on the wrong track then

 

Peter.

[Meltman 311]

Hi Brian,

 

I've never been round there and only seen it when driving along Attercliffe Common, but I would think you are on the right track. Or maybe it could be iron ore?? Can't find any info on the net.

I imagine that whatever it is it may have arrived by barges at one time and now maybe by rail. They must have some sort of lifting system to load the shutes from the top. All guesswork I'm afraid

 

Peter.

 

The River Don works is not connected to the canal, as already said the nearest connection to the canal is at Broughton lane. I know it is a bit obvious but the River Don flows through the works, the melt shop and stampings on one side and the machine shops/ foundry etc. on the other.When I first went there after moving from Firth-Browns there was the remains of a sunken barge in the river which I am told was used to transport "materials" (don't know what) up and down the river to different departments. I could not go far due to the weirs in the river.It was broken up and removed shortly after I joined Forgemasters....1962 I think. Whilst on the subject of canals ,Firth-Brown had their own wharf/warehouse on the Sheffield canal. This was on the right hand side as you are going towards Sheffield just before the canal goes under the old Great Central line (the line that went through the Sheffield Victoria station), and was used to bring materials into Sheffield for use in the Firth-Brown steel works melting shops. I know of imported materials such as Manganese, Chromium, Silicon etc and the purest form of pig Iron from Sweden.These materials must have been delivered from the wharf to the works by horse and cart, later by lorry....probably using the fleet of Scamell 3 wheelers.

 

---------- Post added 30-05-2016 at 00:17 ----------

 

Hi Brian,

 

I've never been round there and only seen it when driving along Attercliffe Common, but I would think you are on the right track. Or maybe it could be iron ore?? Can't find any info on the net.

I imagine that whatever it is it may have arrived by barges at one time and now maybe by rail. They must have some sort of lifting system to load the shutes from the top. All guesswork I'm afraid

 

Peter.

 

The River Don works is not connected to the canal, as already said the nearest connection to the canal is at Broughton lane. I know it is a bit obvious but the River Don flows through the works, the melt shop and stampings on one side and the machine shops/ foundry etc. on the other.When I first went there after moving from Firth-Browns there was the remains of a sunken barge in the river which I am told was used to transport "materials" (don't know what) up and down the river to different departments. I could not go far due to the weirs in the river.It was broken up and removed shortly after I joined Forgemasters....1962 I think. Whilst on the subject of canals ,Firth-Brown had their own wharf/warehouse on the Sheffield canal. This was on the right hand side as you are going towards Sheffield just before the canal goes under the old Great Central line (the line that went through the Sheffield Victoria station), and was used to bring materials into Sheffield for use in the Firth-Brown steel works melting shops. I know of imported materials such as Manganese, Chromium, Silicon etc and the purest form of pig Iron from Sweden.These materials must have been delivered from the wharf to the works by horse and cart, later by lorry....probably using the fleet of Scamell 3 wheelers.

[johnpm 18]

The "chutes" are for collecting dust when it has been removed from the fumes and smoke from the electric arc furnace. The big trunkings are not conveyor belts but big ducts with large fans in them above the furnace to extract the smoke/fumes from the melting shop and send it to the filter building where the dust is removed.

 

Meltman is quite right. These plants are called "Bag Filter Plants" & have been used to extract the particulate matter from Arc Furnaces since the Clean Air Act was applied to industry around the 1960's I think. When I was a kid there was always smog pollution hanging over the Don Valley when looking from Wincobank Hill. I recall quite vividly the first time I went up to Wincobank Hill & saw the Whole Don Valley clear of the pollution. It was an amazingly different sight & you could see clearly for miles.

[brian1941 11]

Meltman is quite right. These plants are called "Bag Filter Plants" & have been used to extract the particulate matter from Arc Furnaces since the Clean Air Act was applied to industry around the 1960's I think. When I was a kid there was always smog pollution hanging over the Don Valley when looking from Wincobank Hill. I recall quite vividly the first time I went up to Wincobank Hill & saw the Whole Don Valley clear of the pollution. It was an amazingly different sight & you could see clearly for miles.

---------------

Hi Johnpm, Is this the sort of muck-smog- pollution that stuck to the bedsheets when mum hung out the washing.

This picture is around Weedon St.

I remember Sheffield Smog, Bramalls on Petre St was always getting

fined for their pollution. Brian.