Cocker Brothers, Nursery Street, Navigation Works & Wardsend

[Ponytail]

Cocker Brothers, (successors of Samuel Cocker and Son) Wire Mill and Offices, Nursery Street, at Navigation Works & at Wardsend. 

Advertisement, Engraving and Text from Illustrated Guide to Sheffield, Pawson and Brailsford 1862.

[Lysanderix]

I wonder, were they related to the Cocker Bros. who in the 1960/70s were spring manufacturers.?

[Ponytail]

Sheffield Flood Claim

Thomas Tildes Cocker and Samuel Cocker trading in Co partnership under the firm of Cocker Brothers, manufacturers of Steel, Files, Wire etc and general merchants, Nursery Street. 

https://sheffieldfloodclaimsarchive.shu.ac.uk/claimSummary.cfm?claim=5-4676

 

Cocker Brothers, for the workmen

 

https://sheffieldfloodclaimsarchive.shu.ac.uk/claimSummary.cfm?claim=1-343

(Click on weblink, then on Claim Particulars) 

[Archaeo]

There were archaeological excavations of the works prior to creation of pocket park: https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/library/browse/issue.xhtml?recordId=1154675&recordType=GreyLitSeries and https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/library/browse/issue.xhtml?recordId=1154678&recordType=GreyLitSeries

There was also a desk-based assessment setting out the history of the works but that does not seem to be available online. A copy will be held at the South Yorkshire Historic Environment Record though. There is a summary of their record on the works on Heritage Gateway: https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MSY13056&resourceID=1027

[Ponytail]

 

1752 Established. Manufacturers of Crucible Steel Wire. 

1830 Dissolution of partnership between Thomas Cocker, Henry Cocker and Samuel Cocker of Hathersage, Derbyshire, wire drawers and needle manufacturers "Cocker and Sons" 

Whites Directory, 1833. 

Listed in Hathersage section:

Cocker, Jonth, wire drawer. 

Cocker, Samuel, steel refiner and steel wire drawer. 

Cocker & Sons, mfrs of needles,fish hooks, awl blades, hackles & etc. 

 

At some point 2 business were combined as business of "Samuel Cocker" in Sheffield. 

 

Porter Works was believed to be at Meadow Terrace

y03632  from Drakes Road Book of the Sheffield & Rotherham Railway 1840 Local Studies Ref 914. 274 SST

 

Whites Directory 1842. 

Cocker, Mrs. E. E. (in firm of Samuel & Sons) h. Broom Parade. 

Cocker Samuel & Sons, merchants, forgers, tilter, rollers, steel convertors and refiners, and file, wire, needle, hackle and gill pin, spiral cutter & etc., The Porter Steel Works. 

Cocker, Mrs. Sarah, Hunter House, Ecclesall Road. 

Cocker, William, wire drawer (j) Tomcross Lane. (not sure if he fits into this business) 

 

1852 Widow Sarah Cocker trading under style of  Samuel Cocker, Porter Steel Works in Sharrow Vale. 

Whites Directory 1852. 

Cocker, Mrs. E. E.   h. Broom Parade. 

Cocker Samuel & Son, merchants forgers, tilters, rollers, steel convertors and refiners, and file, wire, needle, hackle, gill pin, spiral cutters & etc. manufacturers, The Porter Steel Works, Sharrow Vale. 

Cocker, Samuel, merchant and manufacturer, (S and Son) h. Collegiate Crescent. 

Cocker, Thomas Fildes, merchant and manufacturer, (S and Son) h. Hunter's  House. 

Advertisement from Whites Directory 1856

Whites Directory 1856.

Cocker Brothers (successors to S Cocker & Son) merchants steel convertors and refiners and file, wire, needle, hackle and gill pin, solid head pin, wire drawing plate, spiral spring & etc., manufacturers, Nursery Street. 

Cocker, Mrs. E. E.   h. 3 Broom Parade

Cocker, Henry, steel & etc mfrs (C Bros) h. Clarendon Villas. 

Cocker, Samuel, steel &, etc mfr (C Bros) h. 48 Collegiate Crescent. 

Cocker & Sons, wire drawers and needle, spiral spring, hackle and gill pin & etc manufacturers, Hathersage. 

Cocker, Thomas Fildes, steel & etc manufacturer (C  Brothers) h Broom Leys, Occupation Road. 

 

1856   Dissolution of partnership between Thomas Fildes Cocker, Samuel Cocker, Henry Cocker, Benjamin Thomas Bagshaw. Henry leaving partnership. 

1861.   Dissolution of Partnership Thomas Fildes Cocker, Samuel Cocker and Benjamin Thomas Bagshaw.  Thomas Fildes and Samuel Cocker carrying on partnership. 

 

Whites Directory 1862. 

Cocker and Sons, wire drawers and manufacturers of needles, spiral springs, hackle and gill pins. Hathersage. 

Cocker Brothers, merchants and manufacturers of files, saw, tools, wire, needles, hackles, grill pins, solid head pins, wire drawing plate, spiral springs etc., and steel converters and refiners, 33 Nursery Street. 

Cocker Brothers (Workman's Reading and Dining Room) 37 Nursery Street. 

Cocker, Samuel, steel & etc. mfr (Cocker Bros) h. 48 Collegiate Crescent. 

Cocker, Thomas Fildes, steel & etc mfr (Cocker Bros) h. The Rookery, Broomhall Park. 

When was The Workman's Reading Room and Dining Room started, must have been severely damaged in the Flood. Did they repair it and make it functional again? 

 

1875 Company Registered. 

 

Whites Directory 1879. 

Cocker, Benjamin Frederick, managing director (Bros Ltd) h. Holly Mount, Retford. 

Cocker Bros Ltd manufacturers of steel, wire and & etc. and general merchants, Nursery Street and Navigation Works, Effingham Road, Attercliffe. B. Payne sec.

Cocker, Thomas Fildes, managing director, (Bros Ltd) 59 Westbourne Road. 

By 1890 acquired Fitzalan Works. 

Became Cocker Brothers Ltd. Sheffield, Fitzalan Works. 

 

Comprehensive History of Cocker Brothers etc. and Family History. 

https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Cocker_Brothers

 

Picture Sheffield p01689 part of Tim Hale Photographic Collection. 

 

[Lysanderix]

Latterly, Cocker Bros became almost entirely spring manufacturers . They were taken over by Firth Rixson and closed around 1975.