Milton/Beehive Works, Milton Street - help please!

[SHsheff]

I'm doing some research into what I'm led to believe is called Milton Works. It's a building forming part of the courtyard that is Beehive Works, off Milton Street, and is about to be refurbished/redeveloped.

 

Does anyone have any ideas as to where I can go for further info? I know it's a listed building but I'm trying to find out something of its history.

 

I've a vague recollection of going to Kelham Island museum and there being photos of all sorts of industrial buildings.

 

I've found some websites, and have emailed as appropriate.

 

Just wondering if any SF members could contribute anything else!

 

[willybite]

I'm doing some research into what I'm led to believe is called Milton Works. It's a building forming part of the courtyard that is Beehive Works, off Milton Street, and is about to be refurbished/redeveloped.

 

Does anyone have any ideas as to where I can go for further info? I know it's a listed building but I'm trying to find out something of its history.

 

I've a vague recollection of going to Kelham Island museum and there being photos of all sorts of industrial buildings.

 

I've found some websites, and have emailed as appropriate.

 

Just wondering if any SF members could contribute anything else!

 

hiya i've been looking in my 1895 street directory it may or may not help you but i lived in the area and i seem to remember a gateway with a beehive above the arch in stone the feeling i have it was near headford st, but in the book at 115 there were 4 cutlery manufacturers and an agent, on the other side between thomas st and headford st was needham ,veal,and tyzack cutlery manufacturers, further on at no 80 were 6 cutlery manufacturers. sorry if i've wasted your time

[Guest]

I'm doing some research into what I'm led to believe is called Milton Works. It's a building forming part of the courtyard that is Beehive Works, off Milton Street, and is about to be refurbished/redeveloped.

 

Does anyone have any ideas as to where I can go for further info? I know it's a listed building but I'm trying to find out something of its history.

 

I've a vague recollection of going to Kelham Island museum and there being photos of all sorts of industrial buildings.

 

I've found some websites, and have emailed as appropriate.

 

Just wondering if any SF members could contribute anything else!

 

 

I worked on the premises in the 80's - at that time, it was owned by Gregory Fentons. They used the front part of the building and rented all the small shops in the yard to various "little mester" type outworkers. I don't know a lot about Fentons (as they were known to us) but I believe they made cutlery until the bottom dropped out of the market. At the time I worked on their premises, they seemed to do more paint scrapers than any other product. I know they had the contract for supplying paint scrapers to the Forth Bridge (where the painting never stopped - when they got to the other end, they started at the beginning again). I was told that most of the scrapers finished up in the river below which kept Fentons busy in a dwindling workaday world.

[RobertDSmith]

SHsheff, you might make some progress by investigating Gregory Brothers. Their trade mark etched on all their knives was a Beehive. Although their works was in Matilda Street when we dealt with them in the 1940s and 50s.

They are worthy of note because of the exceptional quality of their table knives. The blade backs were always swaged before mirror polishing and they continued to acid etch long after everyone else went electric. Their xylo handles also were pared down to fit the bolster, shaped we used to call them.

We only used to put them with with Staybrite or E.P. flatware.

We also used to deal with a branch of the Parkin family who operated from the factory with the sculptured beehive over the gate as described.

These marks are old established so a move may have taken place maybe in the 1930s. Some Sherlock Holmes needed here.

The bigger question ! who is going to write up the individual histories of all these wonderful cutlers who we took for granted all those years ago whose workmanship, I would suggest, could not be replicated to-day.

Bob.

[Fogey]

I worked for an Architectural Practice called Birkett Cole Lowe which was in Beehive Works. I think they have moved out now though. It was a lovely place to work. The practice was great and the buildings were cool, and their was a little sandwhich shop in one end of the building. One of the partners told me that in the small courtyard behind us there was a guy that used to shape and sharpen ceremonial sword blades for the army.- This was in 1999 I think. - Happy Days.

[samssong]

Was this factory near the Milton pub.

Any photo's inc the pub any one .