Jump to content

History of Sheffield steel industry and people

Recommended Posts

A book by David Hall who was behind the tv programmes of Fred Dibnah is on the shelves now.

Its called "Working Lives" and is all about people who worked in heavy industries after world war two.

Agreat read, and many Sheffield people are included .

Check it out.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Comeing from Attercliffe at night when you were in bed you could hear the hammers in the firms working. If you lived beside a company that had hammers working you could feel the vibration, like in my grandmothers house on Coleridge road side of Brown Baileys

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Comeing from Attercliffe at night when you were in bed you could hear the hammers in the firms working. If you lived beside a company that had hammers working you could feel the vibration, like in my grandmothers house on Coleridge road side of Brown Baileys

 

 

When I was an apprentice joiner at the ESC we used to put the foundations in place for the drop hammers. They were bases of solid oak that was nine inches thick to absorb the shock of each hammer blow.

They had to be dead level too and before final finnishing a lot of it was done with an Adz.

Hard work it was and pretty medieval:loopy: but it was the only way to get the rough out of the oak bed.:help:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
When I was an apprentice joiner at the ESC we used to put the foundations in place for the drop hammers. They were bases of solid oak that was nine inches thick to absorb the shock of each hammer blow.

They had to be dead level too and before final finnishing a lot of it was done with an Adz.

Hard work it was and pretty medieval:loopy: but it was the only way to get the rough out of the oak bed.:help:

 

Every time I come back to Sheffield, at some point I visit Meadowhall shopping centre and I always checkout every shop location with the old memory bank. I worked from 1961 to 1969 in that very location and as an apprentice with Hadfields and then Osborn Hadfields, I was shunted all over the plant and can stand in the shopping centre and remember exactly what was in the spot I was standing at.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Every time I come back to Sheffield, at some point I visit Meadowhall shopping centre and I always checkout every shop location with the old memory bank. I worked from 1961 to 1969 in that very location and as an apprentice with Hadfields and then Osborn Hadfields, I was shunted all over the plant and can stand in the shopping centre and remember exactly what was in the spot I was standing at.

 

Hi TORONTONY,

I do exactly the same when I visit the site of, the almost totally demolished, Firth Browns on Carlisle Street East where I worked from 1959/66. As an office junior, aged 15 in 1959, I would take documents to other offices and walk through the works. My old office is now a car park for the preserved Head Office buildings (now President Buildings) and I can stand exactly where my desk was 56 years ago. Lovely memories :).

See the thread 'Anyone worked at Firth Browns ?' on this Forum.

Peter.

Edited by PeterR

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Every time I come back to Sheffield, at some point I visit Meadowhall shopping centre and I always checkout every shop location with the old memory bank. I worked from 1961 to 1969 in that very location and as an apprentice with Hadfields and then Osborn Hadfields, I was shunted all over the plant and can stand in the shopping centre and remember exactly what was in the spot I was standing at.

 

Hi All,

 

Have responded to this post TORONTONY as a new post from me immediately after my last post will not come up on today's page. Want to keep this thread alive :)

 

''One in ten of working people in Sheffield will lose their jobs''.

 

That was the conclusion of research made by the Chief Economist of Sheffield City Council and his Assistant (my wife) in 1986.The following are my wife's recollections from 1984 to 1986 when she was involved in a commission to document the impact of steelworks closure in Sheffield and also the Templeboro corridor and Parkgate.

 

This entailed visiting directors and works managers, over a two year period, of every steelworks which were closing down, or dramatically reducing production facilities, to obtain information such as closure plans and how many jobs would be lost, historic info on types of steel and tonnage produced.

 

A total of 54 companies such as Firth Browns, Forgemasters ( who were to close a big portion), Hadfields, Wire Ropes, TWIL, T.W. Wards and many smaller companies. Some companies were unable to assist.

My wife says that she often found these interviews, and being shown around the works, emotional and upsetting and afterwards on many occasions had cried her eyes out, but felt the need to stay onboard.

 

30,000 jobs were lost in 1984 and 30,000 losses were planned for 1985 with an estimate of the same figure for 1986.

 

At the end of the process, in 1986, the map on the wall back at the office showed a sea of blue pins over Sheffield denoting steelworks which either had closed or were shortly to close down. A sprinkling of red pins showed the few left that were reducing in size. My wife clearly remembers stepping back from the map to absorb this devastating impact, and her boss saying.....

 

''We are the only two people in Sheffield, at this moment in time, who realise the immensity of what's about to happen''.

 

The overall assessement was that 250,000 Sheffield workers in the steel making, supply and ancilliary trades would lose their jobs.

 

Please respond to this post and keep the thread alive.

 

Peter.

Edited by PeterR

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Hi All,

 

Have responded to this post TORONTONY as a new post from me immediately after my last post will not come up on today's page. Want to keep this thread alive :)

 

''One in ten of working people in Sheffield will lose their jobs''.

 

That was the conclusion of research made by the Chief Economist of Sheffield City Council and his Assistant (my wife) in 1986.The following are my wife's recollections from 1984 to 1986 when she was involved in a commission to document the impact of steelworks closure in Sheffield and also the Templeboro corridor and Parkgate.

 

This entailed visiting directors and works managers, over a two year period, of every steelworks which were closing down, or dramatically reducing production facilities, to obtain information such as closure plans and how many jobs would be lost, historic info on types of steel and tonnage produced.

 

A total of 54 companies such as Firth Browns, Forgemasters ( who were to close a big portion), Hadfields, Wire Ropes, TWIL, T.W. Wards and many smaller companies. Some companies were unable to assist.

My wife says that she often found these interviews emotional and upsetting and afterwards on many occasions had cried her eyes out, but felt the need to stay onboard.

 

30,000 jobs were lost in 1984 and 30,000 losses were planned for 1985 with an estimate of the same figure for 1986.

 

At the end of the process, in 1986, the map on the wall back at the office showed a sea of blue pins over Sheffield denoting steelworks which either had closed or were shortly to close down. A sprinkling of red pins showed the few left that were reducing in size. My wife clearly remembers stepping back to absorb this devastating impact, and her boss saying.....

 

''We are the only two people in Sheffield, at this moment in time, who realise the immensity of what's about to happen''.

 

The overall assessement was that 250,000 Sheffield workers in the steel making, supply and ancilliary trades would lose their jobs.

 

Please respond to this post and keep the thread alive.

 

Peter.

Yes Peter, the coal miners got most of the publicity for south Yorkshire pit closures in the 80's. Sometimes the loss of jobs in the Sheffield steel industry takes a back seat. I was fortunate to have obtained employment abroad in 1981, which kept me in the metal trades until my retirement in 2014 at 69 years old. I do remember when I left, things were getting bad and a lot of my friends, who were good tradesmen were out of work and told me how much they envied me going to Canada. Sad times indeed. Cheers

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Yes Peter, the coal miners got most of the publicity for south Yorkshire pit closures in the 80's. Sometimes the loss of jobs in the Sheffield steel industry takes a back seat. I was fortunate to have obtained employment abroad in 1981, which kept me in the metal trades until my retirement in 2014 at 69 years old. I do remember when I left, things were getting bad and a lot of my friends, who were good tradesmen were out of work and told me how much they envied me going to Canada. Sad times indeed. Cheers

 

Thanks for your response TORONTONY,

 

I was fortunate in that I left the steel industry in 1966 and moved on to careers in other areas.

My wife, who I met a few years after her role described in my previous post, went on to work in the Housing Benefits Section at the Town Hall, where we eventually met. She recalls that such was the impact of her experiences described in my previous post, she had the desire to try to help people who had become victims of the circumstances described.

 

Peter.

Edited by PeterR

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi yes I remember some of it I left in 1974 to come to Canada with awife and 4 boyseven then the were going down hill Idid good I was a Millwright my boys when they left \ school they all went in the Navy and they have done very good 2 of them are waiting to retire so it was the best move I made Brian

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Hi yes I remember some of it I left in 1974 to come to Canada with awife and 4 boyseven then the were going down hill Idid good I was a Millwright my boys when they left \ school they all went in the Navy and they have done very good 2 of them are waiting to retire so it was the best move I made Brian

 

Hi Hampson,

 

Seems it certainly was the right move then Brian. A heart warming story :)

 

Peter.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.