Old Leeds Firms

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Wed 09 Dec, 2009 1:46 pm

Another large Leeds contractor was H O Andrews, their offices were on Oakwood Avenue, but the yard and workshops were on the old aerodrome site at Sherburn in Elmet. They were a very old established firm, who mainly did sewers and drainage contracts. They tendered for one in the mid seventies in Maghull, based on rates for anywhere else in the country. In those days Merseyside was notorious for construction labour disputes (Ricky Tomlinson went inside for his part in a national strike) Andrews's tender had not taken these problem into account and the job bust them about 1977. They were a pretty big outfit up to the crunch.

Brunel · Post by **Brunel** » Wed 09 Dec, 2009 9:55 pm

"Think Vallences were previously called Vallance & Davison on the corner of Market Street Arcade and Briggate."Notice the MD was E. Glenn, could he be the owner of another well known LEEDS firm.Ted Glenns of Headingley.??

kango · Post by **kango** » Wed 09 Dec, 2009 10:49 pm

Uno Hoo wrote: Another biggish building firm was Airey's, based in Woodhouse Lane. They were well-known for "Airey Houses", a standardised prefabricated property for the local authority market. I think they used Bison sections. There were lots built, but in later years suffered badly from corrosion of the steel reinforcements in the concrete. When right-to-buy came in, lots of sitting tenants bought, and shortly afterwards found they owned unsaleable homes. There was a big court case which I think ended in favour of the former tenants, but by then Airey had gone out of business. A lot of Bradford people were affected. I worked for Rycrofts, builders merchants at one stage, and supplied most local and many national builders with architectural ironmongery. I seem to remember the main problem was the "butterfly" wall ties corroding then eventually snapping causing the outer skin to bow.

Brandy · Post by **Brandy** » Wed 09 Dec, 2009 11:52 pm

Brunel wrote: "Think Vallences were previously called Vallance & Davison on the corner of Market Street Arcade and Briggate."Notice the MD was E. Glenn, could he be the owner of another well known LEEDS firm.Ted Glenns of Headingley.?? Hows that for a date:new years eve 1959 the dawning of the swinging sixties

Uno Hoo · Post by **Uno Hoo** » Thu 10 Dec, 2009 1:20 am

kango wrote: Uno Hoo wrote: Another biggish building firm was Airey's, based in Woodhouse Lane. They were well-known for "Airey Houses", a standardised prefabricated property for the local authority market. I think they used Bison sections. There were lots built, but in later years suffered badly from corrosion of the steel reinforcements in the concrete. When right-to-buy came in, lots of sitting tenants bought, and shortly afterwards found they owned unsaleable homes. There was a big court case which I think ended in favour of the former tenants, but by then Airey had gone out of business. A lot of Bradford people were affected. I worked for Rycrofts, builders merchants at one stage, and supplied most local and many national builders with architectural ironmongery. I seem to remember the main problem was the "butterfly" wall ties corroding then eventually snapping causing the outer skin to bow. Yes, you're right. Your grasp of the technicalities is better than mine!

johns68 · Post by **johns68** » Thu 10 Dec, 2009 9:35 pm

when I was a lad, late seventies, early eighties my dad worked for Charles Benn and sons in Stourton, down the end of haigh park road. I have fond memories of going there during holidays and working on the factory floor. I would use Plasma cutters, tig welders, shovel coal into hoppers for furnaces, watch red hot pieces of steel being pressed in hydrolic presses, watch chobum? armour being cut and generally have a great time messing around in the two main biuldings. Both of which still stand. One is johnsons army store and the other is a joiners shop I beleive. Unfortunatley the firm was in all the wrong industries. They made steel fishing bobbins, otter boards, steel pressings for coal mining, stuff for the oil industy.

alanlad · Post by **alanlad** » Fri 11 Dec, 2009 9:53 pm

Just checked with The Boss! neither of us remember it being called anything else but The Assembly Rooms...which doesn't mean it wasn't...we just don't remember it.

Brunel · Post by **Brunel** » Sun 13 Dec, 2009 12:05 am

Grace's Guide is the most comprehensive source of information on the engineering industry in Britain from the start of the Industrial Revolution to the 1960s.This web publication contains 35,976 pages of information and 30,672 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them. Additions are being made to the information daily.The project is entirely non-profit making and contributions are from volunteers. http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/wiki/Main_Page

slw · Post by **slw** » Sun 24 Jan, 2010 4:37 pm

Silver Cross has been mentioned on this thread (page 7)In a marketing email I recently received from them they are wanting stories/photo's of old Silver Cross Prams for a book. If any one is interested here is a "copy & pasted" version of the text.........Can you help?As you are a customer or follower of Britain’s oldest pram manufacturer, Silver Cross is asking for your help in tracking down stories or photographs of old Silver Cross prams.Since the company was founded in 1877, everyone from Her Majesty the Queen to the children of many of Hollywood’s biggest stars have been brought up with a Silver Cross pram. We are particularly keen to know about prams dating from the 1950s or before – as well as those that have been handed down from one generation of a family to the next.So, if you or a friend or family member have an interesting story or an old picture that features a Silver Cross pram and you would be happy for it to be considered for inclusion in a book that is currently being written about the company or featured in the press, we would love to hear from you.Please contact us at [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as we can.Thank you in anticipation,Alan HalsallChairman

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Tue 16 Feb, 2010 5:18 pm

Up to the end of the sixties there was a crane hire company in Leeds called H Sellers & Co, they were based on Clarence Road. One of their cranes is featured in a video I have about railways.I know a little bit about this company because they also had a division that repaired tracks on earthmoving machines, which when the crane hire business was sold became a separate business: Selsons (Leeds) Ltd, still on Clarence Road. (into liquidation February 2001)However, I don't know much about the crane hire side and I wondered if anyone on here had information about them.