Sheffield History Posted April 7, 2020 Share Posted April 7, 2020 Photo of building on the corner of Rockingham Street and Devonshire Street. A.H Ralston Ltd on the left (anyone got any info on this?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 I know this is from a few months ago but I've only just come across it. I worked at Ralstons for a couple of years in the early 70s. Hard, mucky work but have some good memories 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tozzin Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 1 hour ago, Pete said: I know this is from a few months ago but I've only just come across it. I worked at Ralstons for a couple of years in the early 70s. Hard, mucky work but have some good memories What did they produce? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLongden Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 53 minutes ago, tozzin said: What did they produce? File manufacturer..... https://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?searchterms=Ralston_Ltd&action=search&keywords=all%3BCONTAINS%3B%Ralston_Ltd%%3B http://www.hawleytoolcollection.com/uploads/PDF/How it was made - Files.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tozzin Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 2 hours ago, RLongden said: File manufacturer..... https://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?searchterms=Ralston_Ltd&action=search&keywords=all%3BCONTAINS%3B%Ralston_Ltd%%3B http://www.hawleytoolcollection.com/uploads/PDF/How it was made - Files.pdf Its a pity that this Sheffield trade was lost to probably cheaper imports, but that’s how it still is buy something a bit cheaper, it may not last or do a better job of one costing a couple of bob more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLongden Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 20 minutes ago, tozzin said: Its a pity that this Sheffield trade was lost to probably cheaper imports, but that’s how it still is buy something a bit cheaper, it may not last or do a better job of one costing a couple of bob more. Although still a relative chabby’ in my mid-fifties, even I have seen times change where one could once make a choice to buy certain items that were ‘Sheffield Made’. Generally speaking, these were tools and engineering-based goods, but we had many thriving industries, from confectionery, through clothing, machinery and electrical goods, along with cutlery (and flatware) in silver and stainless steel, plus of course steel itself in its many guises. As a city and by extension an entire country, we fell victim to buying cheaper and building up the ‘low cost economies’ of APAC, where now they are the global hub of manufacturing and we are reduced to modest pockets of specialist manufacturing, where we still proudly excel and lead the world. The rest of our economy is made up of service industries, financial institutions and wholesalers / retailers...... until everything gets swallowed up by Amazon! Ruskin, a prominent social thinker and philosopher of the 19th Century, probably summed it up best, which in my view perfectly captures why we are where we are?........ “There is hardly anything in the world that someone cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price alone are that person’s lawful prey. It’s unwise to pay too much, but it’s worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money – that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot – it can’t be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better.” John Ruskin - 1819-1900 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Crawshaw Posted September 5, 2022 Share Posted September 5, 2022 The Hawley Collection at Kelham is having a free talk "File Making exploring a great Sheffield Industry" on Wed 16 Nov 2022 at 14:00. Ralstons is discussed in the lecture. The event is free and more details can be found here - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/file-making-exploring-a-great-sheffield-industry-tickets-403363199187?utm-campaign=social%2Cemail&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-source=strongmail&utm-term=listing The Hawley Gallery also has a new area in the gallery at Kelham recognising the scale of file making in the city and exhibits some of the fine work that was produced. Entry free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponytail Posted September 5, 2022 Share Posted September 5, 2022 https://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;s27864&pos=1&action=zoom&id=30253 File cutting at Alfred H Ralston Ltd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponytail Posted September 5, 2022 Share Posted September 5, 2022 https://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;s27865&pos=2&action=zoom&id=30254 File smoothing at Alfred H Ralston Ltd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
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 accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now