Sheffield Cutlery Manufacturers

[kenny gray]

a lot of the machinery from harris millers went to isreal,my step dad harry gray had to go over and set up most of the machinery.no one as mentioned him but he worked there many years,they would not make him redundent and gave him jobs like sweeping up the shop floor to try and make him leave,he was treated terrible.my mother eliza gray also worked there she was a buffer at many of the cutlery firms.i nworked at chas.kirkbys who made the wooden boxes for the cutlery,and my wife lined some great cases for mappin and webb.

[Nameboy]

Moving on to the Press Department. Firstly I see kenny gray has mentioned Harry . Yes I remember that Harry worked in my days but unfortunately cant visualise him , amazing how these names spring to mind still . I reckon kenny worked there as well !! Onto Press , Ran by My Ibbotson . A bald headed serious man always in a white works overcoat , could have passed as the medic ! Once came bouncing into my office in my early days ( upstairs ) and accused me of spreading gossip that he had affair with someone . I seriously didnt know anything about it , denied it and never heard anything else about it . Suppose it could have been a cover up or somthing , i,ll never know . The rumblers was next door to the Press , both on ground floor although the Press could have been slightly lower level. I dont remeber the manager in the rumblers but he was on a steady decline being an alcoholic and I think he dies there in my time . Keith Taylor visited him at home often . Press Cont Nameboy

Edited February 19, 2010 by Nameboy

[Nameboy]

PRESS dept Cont Nameboy . Mr Ibbotson certainly knew how to pick his young attractive female workers . I did a bit of time and motion down there , the girls I remember here were Sharon Elvin , Sharon Casey and a Marie Ward these were the younger whilst there may have been an elder Dorothy "Dot" Hession . Dot had an eye disablity , it seemed to roll arround and when she talked i felt i was some 5 ft to one side when she looked at me ! Dot always looked as though she been she,d done about 3 weeks work without a break , poor lass . She lived on the Wybourn but I did bump into her in the 80,s in Norfolk Park , shed moved to the flats and hadnt changed at all ! Now, the other girls , well Simon took a fancy to Sharon Elvin whilst I did so to Sharon casey and Marie Ward . S Elvin and Maria lived on the Wybourn and the other Sharon lived in the Hyde Park flats with her mom and sister . I dated Sharon Casey and stayed a while one xmas at her flat . We often frequented the Queens head , a pub on duke street corner next to funeral place and the police ( or railway) W/m club on queens road . Sharon apparantly went to London as I bumped into Her mom at Parsons cross in the 80,s .I cans see how folk could easily settle down to a relation in this Co as rickhornloom seemingly did !!A big familyran Co it was in early days . Now Maria I did date once to a Woodhouse pub , didnt come to anything , I remember she was an avid Bowie fan and other lads in the area were chasing her ! Mt Ibbotson did frequent Isreal more so than other managers with old man Krauz or Nevill and frankel . Cont , i,ll move you into the old mans hide out , what I remember !Nameboy

[Nameboy]

Harris Miller and Co ( The bosses office ) Now this office was were the old man was dominant . It was situated beetween the main office and the warehouse . Entrance both ends if I,m right . Mr Krausz as rickhornloom stated , did always ware his creamish suit on and to this day reminds me of Master spy , the evil character in GerrY Andersons Supercar ( prior to Thunderbirds ) This was the guy with a somewhat triangular shaped head . Every week the old man held a managers meeting , my job was to present the production figures formulated from each managers department together with statistical costings . Mr Whittacker the Accountant as mentioned was the reader of the minutes of the managers meetings and I think I had the job of reading the production figures out , always in sheer silence !! When Whittaker was absent , oops it was my job to read out also the minutes of the previous meeting , I apsolutely hated this , but ohh what experience. On one occasion I recall a meeting which broke out into sheer silence again where the old man shouted out in total rage " who is this blagard , I shall dismiss him immediately " I cant remember the story behind this now , but I do remember I was in collusion with Keith Taylor and I took the wrap for it . I actaully put my hand up in the meeting in response to his question , I never got the sack , but I was ****ting it . One thing is I knew every single manager there each week always dreaded the good old meetings especially if the production was down . The office was generally the place where the workers went in for a " backhander " i,m coming on to the end of my postings now , but next is the Grinders Shop before I leave you . Nameboy

[Nameboy]

Harris Miller Co Cutlers Grinders Dept

Before we go into grinding , rickhornloom mentiioned a Pam , coming back slightly to me was it a Pam Goodison ! A Janet Handisides has sprang back to mind on this note and I think Janet worked in teaset packing under Harry Hunter.A Sadee Rodgers has sprang back here , anyone recall her ? Zazarus mentioned a George Waite, could have been here or Forge !

The Grinding section was ran by an elderly chap named Jim Smith when I first started my employment in Millers . Now Jim was a great chap , a friend of every one I would say and not just because of his money lending help . It was often the case I would visit Jim in his office and ask him for a temp loan while payday , no questions asked a £5 er was there for me , always paid him back and I guess he helped others out likewise .Jim was a keen angler like myself and he drove an 1100 Blmc . He always had his flat cap on and to me was one of the friendliest people arround . He once asked me about the girls and why I was chasing them arround all the time , when i could have stuck it in a jar of worms !!! Life on every shop floor was fantastic ...Anyone remember Jim? I think he died shortly after he left , may be wrong . I,ll never forget good old Jim though , a down to earth salt of the earth really nice genuine guy .In the grinding dept was a big family name of Pantin or Panting . A Bernard Pantin was there . Other names I recall were the females by time sheets in order ..Fretwell Clayton and Barnes and a Flanaghan and Greaves rings a bell . Harry Gray as pre mentioned may have been here ! Another name I remember was a character named Malcolm Whitworth . When my offices moved downstairs , shortly after Simon whom I worked with took over Grinders from Jim Smith . Simon went on to run his shoe shop empire and is still ( I think ) doing ok to this date . Finally i finish the next post by where i started in the Time and motion office and hopefully may remember other names for you !!! See you soon Nameboy

Edited February 19, 2010 by Nameboy

[kenny gray]

i never worked there but harry was there right to the end as i explained he was there until the end having worked there a long time.i worked at kirkbys as stated who made the cutlery cases.when i realised the poor pay and conditions of the trade i got out quick.

[wharnie]

Sorry to hijack this thread but i wondered if i could find out some info about some of my family, who were apparently cutlery manufacturers. This was in the 1830s to late 1800s and the family were called Wild.

Thanks

 

Could be an interesting story here. As I understand, Hiram Wild saved a boy from drowning in a reservoir, (poss. Strines) His grateful dad started Hiram off in Cutlery.

Mike

[patsycher]

Sipelia was a trade name for Sipels on Blast Lane, the firm ran along side the Canal and the Canal is full of pieces of Cutlery that was thrown out through the windows. I dont know if the building is still there as I have not been down that way for over forty years.

 

yes the building is still there i am told its going to be converted and used for the homeless at the moment i believe it is used to sell second hand furniture i know sipples very well i worked there 1n 1950 s i was a buffer girl and i was the firsl person in sheffield to work on the bank polisheing machines

[sparkyfred]

Tibits of information I know:

Cooper Brothers were based on Arundel Street......

 

I worked there for a couple of months as a drop stamper when I first left school in 74. It was all hand made stuff. I worked with a Jamaican guy, he set the dies up etc and held the blanks in place and I pulled the rope and dropped the top die. Once I let it go before he was ready and hurt his thumb, so I had to hold them on while he pulled the rope until his thumb was better. I didn't enjoy that, I was always worried the same would happen to me so I didn't have a very steady grip!

[barton123]

i workt at cooper bros in the 1980s with my dad jess douglas