Mill / Factory shift sirens - anyone remember them?

jonleeds · Post by **jonleeds** » Thu 07 Jun, 2012 9:23 pm

Does anyone remember the mill / factory sirens that used to sound at the start and end of lunchtime to tell the workers it was time to either leave or go back to work? When I was a young lad growing up in Morley (which was full of mills at the time) I can remember there were at least 2 mills within earshot that had slightly different sounding sirens (i cant remember if they were referred to as sirens / buzzers or something else). The mills I remember having the sirens were the JAPA paper mill at the top of Churwell Hill and Springfield Mill, which was at the bottom of Springfield Lane, the street where I lived all through my childhood. I think the sirens were usually fixed to the top of the mills chimneys to echo the noise over a wide area as a lot of people would go home for their dinner and the noise of the siren told them they had about 5-10 minutes to get back for their shift. I dunno maybe it was more of a Morley / heavy woolen district thing? I'd love to hear a recording of what the old Morley mills ones sounded like. Does anyone else remember these sounds?

book · Post by **book** » Thu 07 Jun, 2012 10:12 pm

I remember this one on Friday'shttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgrYf7VWASE&fea ... ata_player

Loiner in Cyprus · Post by **Loiner in Cyprus** » Fri 08 Jun, 2012 1:19 am

I remember in the 50s and 60s Steads Tannery at the bottom of Scott Hall Road used to have a siren. If I remember correctly it went off at 1255 and 1300. We could hear it on the Potternewton estate.

jonleeds · Post by **jonleeds** » Fri 08 Jun, 2012 3:17 am

hmm, maybe this isnt so fondly remembered by everyone as I thought it might be! Another similar thought I was having was about bells, well like chimes really. I can remember the chimes of Morleys town hall clock striking the hour and there was a bit of a melody that rang out before the hours struck, it sort of went... ding dong ding dong, ding dong ding dong, ding dong ding dong ding dong ding dong... then (if it was four o'clock) dong... dong... dong... dong... you get the idea! I havent heard it for years, I know the Leeds town hall clock chimes the hours but does it play any other tune? I currently live in West Park where we dont really hear any clock chiming, but I know there have been a few occasions, usually on a misty morning when the air is damp in the early hours I've distinctly heard a distant sound of bells chiming and playing that dingy dongy melody, but it cant be Morley town hall as its over 6 miles away as the crow flies. Is there a clock over in Bramley / Pudsey that makes a chiming melody sound on its chimes even in the early hours of the morning?

BIG N · Post by **BIG N** » Fri 08 Jun, 2012 4:06 am

Jon - I was brought up in Huddersfield in a heavy mill area and we always said - there goes mill hooter.As for church bells etc, its a sad affair but many churches have had their bells silenced by the politically correct / noise abatement societys / health and safety brigades.One of the things I like about driving a bus on a sunday is being parked in Leeds bus station when the bell ringers are giving it their all at the Parish Church ( or should that be Leeds Minster these days ? )

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Fri 08 Jun, 2012 9:36 am

As a kid in the mid 70's, living at the bottom edge of Seacroft (near Wyke Beck), you could sometimes hear a mill / factory hooter on an afternoon.It sounded a fair way off and you couldn't hear it if there was other ambient noise etc, so I'm guessing it was in Harehills or out that way somewhere?Any suggestions?

Leeds Hippo · Post by **Leeds Hippo** » Fri 08 Jun, 2012 9:40 am

Can still hear the one at Search on the Whitehall Road

weenie · Post by **weenie** » Fri 08 Jun, 2012 4:43 pm

jonleeds wrote: hmm, maybe this isnt so fondly remembered by everyone as I thought it might be! Another similar thought I was having was about bells, well like chimes really. I can remember the chimes of Morleys town hall clock striking the hour and there was a bit of a melody that rang out before the hours struck, it sort of went... ding dong ding dong, ding dong ding dong, ding dong ding dong ding dong ding dong... then (if it was four o'clock) dong... dong... dong... dong... you get the idea! I havent heard it for years, I know the Leeds town hall clock chimes the hours but does it play any other tune? I currently live in West Park where we dont really hear any clock chiming, but I know there have been a few occasions, usually on a misty morning when the air is damp in the early hours I've distinctly heard a distant sound of bells chiming and playing that dingy dongy melody, but it cant be Morley town hall as its over 6 miles away as the crow flies. Is there a clock over in Bramley / Pudsey that makes a chiming melody sound on its chimes even in the early hours of the morning? Christ church Armley goes off every 15 mins, 24 /7 and then does the big dong on the hour, i live just by it i get use to now, but sometimes specially if i have bedroom window open it can be a nuisence during the night they also do the bell ringing every so often sometimes at 8 at night Weenie

blackprince · Post by **blackprince** » Fri 08 Jun, 2012 7:03 pm

raveydavey wrote: As a kid in the mid 70's, living at the bottom edge of Seacroft (near Wyke Beck), you could sometimes hear a mill / factory hooter on an afternoon.It sounded a fair way off and you couldn't hear it if there was other ambient noise etc, so I'm guessing it was in Harehills or out that way somewhere?Any suggestions? When I was growing up in Harehills in the 1950's I well remember the factory hooter at Burtons Hudson Road factory going off at lunchtime. If you are looking for a loud hooter in Harehills that could be the one.In the school holidays I remember seeing literally thousands of workers , mainly women machinists, at Burtons , pouring in and out of the factory gates on foot. Many lived within walking distance of the factory in those days and others caught the bus or a tram at Compton Road.

grumpytramp · Post by **grumpytramp** » Sat 09 Jun, 2012 12:08 am

Not exactlyI do remember the bellowing horn at Cleveland Bridges massive works in Darlington, a couple of rows of terraces away at the start of shift, either side of the lunchtime and at the shift end when staying with my grandmotherWhat I clearly remember from both Halton & Templenewsam Primary and Braimwood was sometime around midday on many days there was a preceptable thump ......... which I was thought must have originated from blasting at the opencast sites about Templenewsam