taylomax Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 My father was employed for all his working life by Sheffield Forge and Rolling Mills (variously taken over and renamed) on Millsands. Some years after he retired, I took him there, and we were surprised to see what seemed (at least to me in my memory as a child) an enormous works was now a fairly modest car park. He has been dead for many years, but I still have vivid memories of visiting him at the works, and watching the rollers (of whom he was one) working. I feel enormous pride in his work. Does anyone else have memories, or knowledge of the history of Sheffield Forge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 My father was employed for all his working life by Sheffield Forge and Rolling Mills (variously taken over and renamed) on Millsands. Some years after he retired, I took him there, and we were surprised to see what seemed (at least to me in my memory as a child) an enormous works was now a fairly modest car park. He has been dead for many years, but I still have vivid memories of visiting him at the works, and watching the rollers (of whom he was one) working. I feel enormous pride in his work. Does anyone else have memories, or knowledge of the history of Sheffield Forge? Welcome to Sheffield History Taylomax and thank you for posting Sheffield Rolling Mills in1974 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukelele lady Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 Welcome to Sheffield History Taylomax and thank you for posting Sheffield Rolling Mills in1974 Where is this picture taken from, earlier Millsands was mentioned. What is the bridge in the picture. I didn't know anything like this was at Millsands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vox Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 That's Hillfoot Bridge so the photo is taken from somewhere on Lime Street I'd say. I never realised Millsands extended that far up river. I thought it was just down near Bridge Street area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 Where is this picture taken from, earlier Millsands was mentioned. What is the bridge in the picture. I didn't know anything like this was at Millsands. I took the picture and i have posted it previously I would have walked to Hillsborough corner from town along Langsett Road and I am sure I went down a side street just off Langsett road which looked down the hill towards Penistone Road amd the river Don in the valley. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveHB Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 My dad worked in the mills at Millsands, he started sometime after the war and retired in 1977. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 My dad worked in the mills at Millsands, he started sometime after the war and retired in 1977. So was he a steel roller of the traditional type then who worked in pairs and they had to feed and catch the ever lengthening piece of red hot steel as it passed between the pairs of rollers. This is the sort of work I used to see them doing down at SRM. It was very skilled, very labour intensive and above all a very dangerous job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vox Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 I took the picture and i have posted it previously I would have walked to Hillsborough corner from town along Langsett Road and I am sure I went down a side street just off Langsett road which looked down the hill towards Penistone Road amd the river Don in the valley. That's Hillfoot Bridge so the photo is taken from somewhere on Lime Street I'd say. The photo was taken (I am now sure) from where I previously suggested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 The photo was taken (I am now sure) from where I previously suggested. There was a motorbike shop on Langsett Road I used to go to. Beyond it closer to town there was a gap with no buildings which looked down the hill towards Penistone Road, Hillfoot bridge and the SRM building. In 1974 there was no MECCA Bingo Hall to get in the way and spoil the shot. So I am fairly sure I was stood on Langsett Road just next to the motorbike shop I had decent 90mm and 135mm telephoto lenses for my Contax camera at the time so would not need to get in really close to get the picture. However, I may have gone down the side street to take if I didn't have my normal 50mm standard Sonnar lens (ukelele lady can identify this lens by it's characteristic uncoated lens flair that sometimes makes pictures look like they were taken through a bedroom window) then I may have wandered down the side street to get a bit closer. Is Lime Street (a name I associate with Liverpool) off Langsett Road between the motorbike shop and where Mecca Bingo is now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmdee Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 The billboards at the lower end of the picture were set on Penistone Rd., and by their position, I would suggest the shot is from Langsett Rd., in the vicinity of Wilcox's furniture shop. from about 1954 until 1971 my folks had a corner beer off/ grocery at the corner of Neepsend Land and Farfield Rd. They served sandwiches, tea, etc. to the workers at Andrews Toledo, as it was known then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vox Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 I assumed it was here. Lime street was a bit longer then than it is now. But, yes, I suppose it could have been taken from further up hill with a zoom lens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 I assumed it was here. Lime street was a bit longer then than it is now. But, yes, I suppose it could have been taken from further up hill with a zoom lens. Interestingly your map shows 2 motorcycle shops on Langsett Road within yards of each other. I can't remember which one of them it was I used to go to now, - probably both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 However, I may have gone down the side street to take if I didn't have my normal 50mm standard Sonnar lens (ukelele lady can identify this lens by it's characteristic uncoated lens flair that sometimes makes pictures look like they were taken through a bedroom window) then I may have wandered down the side street to get a bit closer. Somewhere on the site there is a topic called something like "Where was DaveH when he took this photo" (LINK FAIRY PLEASE) which Stuart started to jokingly wind me up a bit. The picture in question was taken on Stannington Road looking over the Rivelin valley towards the old fire station. It was in this topic that ukelele lady accused me of taking pictures out of peoples bedroom windows. Strange how it is my north of the city shots around the Hillsborough area that get the most comments about where the shot was actually taken from as it is an area of Sheffield I do not go to very often and so I am least likely to remember exactly where I was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 I assumed it was here. Lime street was a bit longer then than it is now. But, yes, I suppose it could have been taken from further up hill with a zoom lens. Also on the map, the Hillsborough Hotel is / was the home of the Crown Microbrewery which was run by an old steam club friend of mine, Brian Hendry. We had a few good night in there in our steam club days, drinking beers with exotic names like Hillsborough Pale Ale and Stannington Stout. Unfortunately they never made one called Arbourthorne Ale! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vox Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 Interestingly your map shows 2 motorcycle shops on Langsett Road within yards of each other. I can't remember which one of them it was I used to go to now, - probably both.They've marked Mick Finn's shop wrongly on the map.It is actually next door to The Hillsborough Hotel. There is another Mick Flyn's across the road from it, next door to what was the brewery (then the scrap yard)If you look on Streetview you will see that the image was taken at about the time when mick died. There are tributes hanging on the shop front. <iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?num=100&hl=en&safe=off&q=wood+street+sheffield&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Wood+St,+Sheffield+S6+2,+United+Kingdom&gl=uk&ll=53.394789,-1.488059&spn=0.001112,0.003036&t=h&z=14&vpsrc=6&layer=c&cbll=53.394834,-1.488953&panoid=TvY2jB89B8jSRNftrH45tA&cbp=12,166.96,,1,2.74&source=embed&output=svembed"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?num=100&hl=en&safe=off&q=wood+street+sheffield&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Wood+St,+Sheffield+S6+2,+United+Kingdom&gl=uk&ll=53.394789,-1.488059&spn=0.001112,0.003036&t=h&z=14&vpsrc=6&layer=c&cbll=53.394834,-1.488953&panoid=TvY2jB89B8jSRNftrH45tA&cbp=12,166.96,,1,2.74&source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 They've marked Mick Finn's shop wrongly on the map.It is actually next door to The Hillsborough Hotel. There is another Mick Flyn's across the road from it, next door to what was the brewery (then the scrap yard)If you look on Streetview you will see that the image was taken at about the time when mick died. There are tributes hanging on the shop front. I can't remember if it was Mick Flyns bike shop or the other one I went to and from the Google Street view which is modern I actually don't recognise the area at all any more. It's never been the same since they got rid of Kelvin Hall flats and built the supertram route which effectively forced you off Langsett Road and detoured you down onto Penistone Road instead. This picture was taken on Langsett Road looking towards town in the same photo session as the shot of SRM Was the viewpoint along Langsett Road used here close to the one where I would have taken the SRM shot from ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vox Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 About 200yds further towards town Dave Google Streetview Google Map Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 About 200yds further towards town Dave Google Streetview Google Map WOW!!! It looks totally different now doesn't it. What is the side street which can be seen going off Langsett Road to the left? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vox Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 The ones either side of The Sally Army place are Barrack Lane (closer to town) and Flora Street Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 The ones either side of The Sally Army place are Barrack Lane (closer to town) and Flora Street Thanks vox, I can locate the viewpoint I used fairly accurately now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taylomax Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 I thought this may be of interest. I found it on ebay (a picture for sale), and it is described as cica 1920's. The dress of the man at the side may well suggest that date, but the working mens clothes and the structure of the bar mill is very much as I remember when visiting it as a child in the early 1950's. I also found the following on http://www.sfbhistory.org.uk/Pages/SheffieldatWar/Page05 I remember my father talking about this kind of specialist steel work during the war. The Sheffield Forge & Rolling Mills Co. Ltd IN the early days of the war The Sheffield Forge & Rolling Mills Co. Ltd., Millsands Works, was called in to help, with its special sections, in the development of new weapons. The first request was for a special bomb-release section for heavy bomber planes, and this product was supplied continuously throughout the war, saving many thousands of man-hours in machining. Forgings were next required for reciprocators on multiple A.A. guns; and then came a demand for forged shafts for the main drive on naval landing craft. All this time various experimental sections were being made at Millsands Works for the ever-changing Barracuda dive bomber. Then the Air Ministry wanted a special "V" section to fit over the wing edges of Mosquito planes for cutting balloon cables when in flight. This again was accomplished to the satisfaction of the authorities. Considerable tonnages of rectangular section were supplied for the links of flail tanks, and a very large output was maintained, over several years, of bright cold drawn bars for Hispano cannon shell and of black rolled bars for the Oerlikon gun. Hundreds of tons of 2-lb. tank-piercing shell steel were produced, and after the Battle of Alamein, when the superior penetrating power of the German 6-lb. shell was discovered, a rapid turnover on to a British counterpart was ordered and dispatched in big tonnages. When the submarine menace made it necessary for our ships outside Coastal Command range to be protected, an urgent priority instruction was received for steel sections for making the catapult mechanism used in launching Spitfires from ships. This demand was successfully met in time to save many ships and their cargoes. The Company was also largely engaged on the production of agricultural plates, sheets and special sections. Over a third of its plant was devoted to this work, producing more than 40,000 tons of such material during the war. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardB Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Most interesting. Thank you. (The link doesn't work; I've emailled Ted Mullins @ sfbhistory.org.uk to see if he can assist; I think it's one of his.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveHB Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Most interesting. Thank you. (The link doesn't work; I've emailled Ted Mullins @ sfbhistory.org.uk to see if he can assist; I think it's one of his.) Link works, I must have been repairing it when you clicked on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardB Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Thank you Steve, maybe I'll have a new mate in Ted; he's got a link to SheffieldHistory on his Site, so he's not a man of poor taste ! Link works, I must have been repairing it when you clicked on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chavey42 Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 that mill looks like SK2 i worked in that mill as cogg backer i started at sheffield forge in 1957 till 1969 untill i moved to australia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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