SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

wiggy wrote: my step dad worked at henry berrys,i worked for w h miers the tanners,my grandad at fowlers/hunslet engine works and my dads list is never ending...but all at the old wholesale market..watch this space....     My uncle worked for Miers in the stores. He also worked at W L Ingle - so did I for about three months - that was all I lasted

wiggy wrote: my step dad worked at henry berrys,i worked for w h miers the tanners,my grandad at fowlers/hunslet engine works and my dads list is never ending...but all at the old wholesale market..watch this space....     I did my work experience at Henry Berry's. My Dad worked for Clayton's next door he also worked for Coglands ( think thats spelt right) at Hunslet all now gone. I worked at Harrison beds on the old site on Westland road the company is still going but not on the same site my dad worked for GKN on the same road bought by Jack Walker at a later date. On the day Alan Shearer signed for Blackburn my old man was made redundant probably a coincidence but try telling my old man that for a man who doesn't like footy he sure hates Blackburn Rovers. In the late 70's Hunslet was wall to wall engineering firms I have seen my old man walk out of one on a Friday and start at another on the Monday. Sadly I would be hard pressed to name one left around there now. All turned in to [edited for content] half empty retail parks.    

One of the engineering firms down there Festwerfer, was Crabtrees, makers of printing presses. My father worked for Willie Howson on the Ring Road at Seacroft (Before they were swallowed up by Du Pont, Crabtrees, Vickers, Agfa, gone abroad....!)Through the firm's association, the children of Howson's staff could attend Crabtree's Christmas Parties - wonderful they were too to someone of my fairly tender years!.I remember being taken down Water Lane, probably from the Dark Arches, and along the side of the culvert with carrying the Stream on the right (hated that when it was dark!!). The factory is long gone I think, and walking down there I can't even place where it used to be - nothing to be found on Google or Leodis - anyone remember where it was?

chameleon wrote: One of the engineering firms down there Festwerfer, was Crabtrees, makers of printing presses. My father worked for Willie Howson on the Ring Road at Seacroft (Before they were swallowed up by Du Pont, Crabtrees, Vickers, Agfa, gone abroad....!)Through the firm's association, the children of Howson's staff could attend Crabtree's Christmas Parties - wonderful they were too to someone of my fairly tender years!.I remember being taken down Water Lane, probably from the Dark Arches, and along the side of the culvert with carrying the Stream on the right (hated that when it was dark!!). The factory is long gone I think, and walking down there I can't even place where it used to be - nothing to be found on Google or Leodis - anyone remember where it was? Are you sure it's not the printing plates works on Coal Road which has also been variously owned by Agfa and Du pont ? the roads around Seacroft got extensively changed when the A64 got re-routed away from Seacroft village.

Bramley - the original WH Howsons was on the industrial estate on the left of the Ring Road along from the Windmill. As business developed they took on another large unit a little up the road before their eventual parent company after take-over, built the large complex we see today between the Coal Road and the Ring Road.Howsons were the plate manufacturers and developers of the 'Web-Offset' process which allowed high quality images on newsprint.By virtue of what they did, there was a strong association with Crabtrees in town, who made printing presses.

Festwerfer wrote: wiggy wrote: my step dad worked at henry berrys,i worked for w h miers the tanners,my grandad at fowlers/hunslet engine works and my dads list is never ending...but all at the old wholesale market..watch this space....     I did my work experience at Henry Berry's. My Dad worked for Clayton's next door he also worked for Coglands ( think thats spelt right) at Hunslet all now gone. That's Coghlan's. (Coghlan's Mild Steel, I seem to recall from my distant childhood.)I work just near there myself now (at Steepers, the artificial limb factory), but all the engineering places had long gone by the time I started work.

[quotenick="LeeRatbag"][quotenick="Festwerfer"] wiggy wrote: That's Coghlan's. (Coghlan's Mild Steel, I seem to recall from my distant childhood.). Coghlans Bright Steels

chameleon wrote: Bramley - the original WH Howsons was on the industrial estate on the left of the Ring Road along from the Windmill. As business developed they took on another large unit a little up the road before their eventual parent company after take-over, built the large complex we see today between the Coal Road and the Ring Road.Howsons were the plate manufacturers and developers of the 'Web-Offset' process which allowed high quality images on newsprint.By virtue of what they did, there was a strong association with Crabtrees in town, who made printing presses. Ooh there's no wonder I get confused.Not only have they "Moved the road"They've moved buildings as well !Not only that they've had more than one building on the go at one and the same time.:-)It shouldn't be allowed.

Not only that Bramley, once the big names took over, the Council were c;ose to blackmailed into reversing plannong cinditions designed to protect and keep safe residents of nearby housing estates by the threat of them 'going elsewhere' - and taking the much needed employment with them.Now the massive complex on the Coal Road is largely redundant, and the jobs are gone too, production I believe, now mostly abroad.

chameleon wrote: One of the engineering firms down there Festwerfer, was Crabtrees, makers of printing presses. My father worked for Willie Howson on the Ring Road at Seacroft (Before they were swallowed up by Du Pont, Crabtrees, Vickers, Agfa, gone abroad....!)Through the firm's association, the children of Howson's staff could attend Crabtree's Christmas Parties - wonderful they were too to someone of my fairly tender years!.I remember being taken down Water Lane, probably from the Dark Arches, and along the side of the culvert with carrying the Stream on the right (hated that when it was dark!!). The factory is long gone I think, and walking down there I can't even place where it used to be - nothing to be found on Google or Leodis - anyone remember where it was? Hi Chameleonyou are right about Crabtrees being down Water Lane on the right from the Dark Arches. I worked down Water Lane at a printers called Knight & Fosters (building still there) and walked past Crabtrees every morning.I remember the Queen coming to Crabtrees in the late 1950s, dont know where the trees in containers & the green carpets that was made to look like grass came from but we got out of work for half an hour to go and see her.Leodisman