Newton Chambers & Company Ltd

[bri bloomer]

When I started work at Thorncliffe in the late 70s, I was shown some nearby houses and told they were made of iron panels, made at NCs. I think that they might be on Mortomley Close. Does anyone know if this is correct, and if it is, how were they constructed?

the houses you refer to were built in 1925 in Mortomley Close ,they also built an estate i think it is in Derby 500 hundred houses,they are built of tank plates about 4ft square which are then bolted together .>>>>>>>>>>>

[bri bloomer]

Hi Ted i have been talking to Graham Blackburn regarding Bernard,s second name it was Scott,is nickname was Bunny,Graham says he remembers you well

[Ted Hills]

bri - In an earlier message you mentioned Michael Helliwell I seem to remember him from my time in the training school particularly in the gym at lunch times. He started boxing there under TAK and he also had a brother who did the same. At WL remember one of the bothers marrying one of the girls in the production office typing pool, can't remember her name but the other girl in the office was Elaine I think, When you think these times were 53 years ago it's amazing I can remember anything at all, but it's great to have had some jolts to the grey matter. They were good times mostly. Ted

[bri bloomer]

hi Ted in responce to your enquiry about Michael Hellewell is brother was called Keith they were twins not quite identical Keith worked in the welding shop they both became formen ,Michael did marry a girl out the office cant remember her name but i have got thorncliffe news report somewhereof thier wedding.i have been reading some reports on the walking dragline,s the one i am reading now was for Calgary Power Limited to remove overburden from the coal fields near Edmonton in Alberta Canada ,it can remove between 50/60 ton per bucket full,the order was worth 1.5 million dollars .do you remember the thorpe twins Peter and tony both boxers just found a photo of them talking to Alan Hewling just before they went to do thier national service.

[bri bloomer]

just come across a Warren Lane fishing club presentation the match was won by G Booth 4ibs 6ozs,Jack Newbould 3ibs 7ozs,Ernist Stone 3ibs 4ozs,Cliffe Lakin 3ibs 3ozs ,and Raymond Whittaker 3ibs.in the photograph Alf George,Ron Sreer,Jack Rowland,Harold Needham, Jimmy Payne,Reg Davy,Jack Dransfield,Harold Shaw and John Dodds.>>>>>>.Who remembers Newton House on Union Street built 1894 badly damaged in 1940 by German bombs no windows left intact but the main building ok it was built around an iron framework made at Thorncliff the use of iron framework was unique in the construction of such buildings,but today is comon practice to construct around a steel frame,it was demolished about 1961 to redevelop the area around Union Street.When they closed it down they relocated at Thorncliffe with no job losses.When i read these old Thorncliffe News papers the memories flood back ,hundreds of photos and stories of the people who worked in the valley,the valley is still there but the heart has been ripped out.R.I.P.

[grabberman]

my dad worked n/c on the horizontal borer til he got made redundent then went to work brass founders on scotland street is name bob harrison

[bri bloomer]

my dad worked n/c on the horizontal borer til he got made redundent then went to work brass founders on scotland street is name bob harrison

graberman when was your dad made redundent i vaguely recall the name iworked at Warren Lane i think your dad worked at N/C engineering,i also finished up at Brass Founders but your dad must have left before i started ,did he once get caught up in the machine,i just seem to recall Grahame Blackburn telling me about it

[grabberman]

my dad worked at n/c for about 30 years he got made redundent in 1970 are71 then started work at brass founders yes that wos my dad wot got caught up in the machine he sadly died in 1992

[Ted Hills]

Hi Bri- certainly remember the boxing Thorpe twins, and that has jogged many more memories about the training school especially at lunch time in the gym. Do you remember Herbert Pinder the foundry instructor playing table tennis with his constant blocking backhand you couldn't get passed him. We used to practice juggling with balls, Indian clubs and anything else and got quite good at it. Also played a form of football where to score a goal the ball had to skim across the line in contact with the floor, I got to be pretty good at this. Happy days- Ted

[bri bloomer]

It did,nt seem like going to work when we were based at the training centre did it Ted,do you remember mr Walsh who used to take us for gym sessions even in his early 70,s .Idont know when the last time you were in Thorncliffe but you wouldnt know it now the boiler shop template shop and ensicote shop is now housing estate ,the welding shop has gone its now been replaced with office,s,and they are in the process of renovating the machine and fitting shop.lots of other business,s have located in the valley but not many of them manufacture anything,do you remember the bronx rolls in the boiler shop they finished up somwhere in the far east .that will do for now Ted take care Bri ,>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.