Leeds's lost steel fabrication industry

morleyman2 · Post by **morleyman2** » Tue 30 Oct, 2012 5:59 pm

somme1916 wrote: morleyman2 wrote: MWD wrote: Well done MWD.....cheers for reply.I think A.Taylor has been one of the "survivors" from the general demise starting in the 80's,being quite successful in diversifying it's business to attract a wider spread of work.I believe Camerons,now Cooper Oil Tools has kept going but find work a bit patchy.I have a relative who works there still. A.Taylors is opening a fourth site in Leeds, they took over the old H Pontifex site after they closed, that will be their second site on Pepper Road (they also took on Archer Engineering site when they closed).They also have factories in Armley (Old Blakeys segs shop) and a another site on Kirkstall Road, under viaduct. Ecky thump ! Is there no one place left now in Leeds big enough to consolidate all on one site ? Sites with big bays and the craneage just aren't around anymore I guess

somme1916 · Post by **somme1916** » Tue 30 Oct, 2012 10:26 pm

morleyman2 wrote: somme1916 wrote: morleyman2 wrote: MWD wrote: Well done MWD.....cheers for reply.I think A.Taylor has been one of the "survivors" from the general demise starting in the 80's,being quite successful in diversifying it's business to attract a wider spread of work.I believe Camerons,now Cooper Oil Tools has kept going but find work a bit patchy.I have a relative who works there still. A.Taylors is opening a fourth site in Leeds, they took over the old H Pontifex site after they closed, that will be their second site on Pepper Road (they also took on Archer Engineering site when they closed).They also have factories in Armley (Old Blakeys segs shop) and a another site on Kirkstall Road, under viaduct. Ecky thump ! Is there no one place left now in Leeds big enough to consolidate all on one site ? Sites with big bays and the craneage just aren't around anymore I guess Aye, morleyman2,you are right of course(sadly)...I keep forgetting,living in the past when such premises and facilities were commonplace.Shame.

morleyman2 · Post by **morleyman2** » Fri 02 Nov, 2012 9:05 am

Looks like the Taylors empire is expanding again!!I hear they are opening a new head office directly opposite the old Pontifex Site which was previously a job centre.Apparently they are also creating an A.Taylor Training Academy to create engineers of the future.Can't knock em, sounds like they are on a crusade to bring back Engineering to Hunslet!!

somme1916 · Post by **somme1916** » Fri 02 Nov, 2012 11:48 am

morleyman2 wrote: Looks like the Taylors empire is expanding again!!I hear they are opening a new head office directly opposite the old Pontifex Site which was previously a job centre.Apparently they are also creating an A.Taylor Training Academy to create engineers of the future.Can't knock em, sounds like they are on a crusade to bring back Engineering to Hunslet!! By gum !That's quite a(modern/large) building given their current,very cramped offices.I used to have many a coffee there(old place) down Weaver St awaiting the appearance of Mr.Benson snr & jnr ! They had a reputation for producing good quality,solid work and were meticulous with inspection techniques.Good for them.(At least they'll be very close to a major customer....Cooper(ex Camerons) Oil Tools.Wonder if that had any influence ?

olly · Post by **olly** » Sat 03 Nov, 2012 1:46 am

Well this is quite a trip down memory lane !! I started my working life at Clayton's Pepper Rd in 1965 as an (only just) 15 year old kid. As a Hunslet born lad I know many of these companies having worked at Claytons Pepper Rd and Moor End works, Henry Berrys, George Depledge, (happy days) Booths Rodley again happy days and quite a few more. I have so many great memories of the wonderful lads I have had the priveledge to work with and also to share a great social life with. My working life as a Welder provided my family the opportunity to improve our lives. It's a shame that we have lost all this.Olly

tilly · Post by **tilly** » Sat 03 Nov, 2012 1:42 pm

Its no wonder the youth of today cant find jobs is this what they call forward thinking,Thats one of the reasons the country is up to its neck in debt i would love to know were the five plus billion pounds comes from that we pay into the EEC.?Please dont tell me we get far more back in trade than we put in, do you think that companys doing trade with us would pull out if we left the EEC I for one dont think so putting more money in is not the answer it will pull us down you cant make a silk purse out of a sows ear has the old saying goes it used to be Great Britain but not any more The people up there should spend more time thinking and less time fiddleing. Here endeth the first lesson.

somme1916 · Post by **somme1916** » Sat 03 Nov, 2012 1:56 pm

olly wrote: Well this is quite a trip down memory lane !! I started my working life at Clayton's Pepper Rd in 1965 as an (only just) 15 year old kid. As a Hunslet born lad I know many of these companies having worked at Claytons Pepper Rd and Moor End works, Henry Berrys, George Depledge, (happy days) Booths Rodley again happy days and quite a few more. I have so many great memories of the wonderful lads I have had the priveledge to work with and also to share a great social life with. My working life as a Welder provided my family the opportunity to improve our lives. It's a shame that we have lost all this.Olly Thanks for that olly....all very relevant and interesting.Remember all those companies.We did a lot of business with all these local firms.I remember the impressive Tower works of Clyde Booths(N.E.I.Clarke Chapman) at Rodley and the massive fabrication bays.Lovely view if you ever got to see outside round the back too !Geo.Depledge was a smashing firm with good quality work but sadly a bit slow in modernising at a crucial time in the 80's...IIRC they did a lot of work on the new Wembley shortly before closure.One of my favourite places(though not strictly a fabrication company) was the old copperworks complex(IMI Yorks..metals,plastics & alloys)...it did have quite a large engineering dept still.Their canteen was legendary for value and quality and was also open to the general public(not a lot of people knew that).All you had to say at the security gate was that you were going to the cafe and hey presto ! you were through to the generous car park area.It even had it's own mini bus station/terminus thingammyjig where the shelters remained long after the last buses ever stopped there !

Derculees · Post by **Derculees** » Sat 03 Nov, 2012 2:21 pm

I haven't noticed a reference to West Yorks Foundries, I remember a panic situation there when they wanted to pour out molten steel, I think, from a bessemer or bressemer furnace but the brickwork mould was full of water! We spent an hour or more pumping the water out, as time was critical, everybody then retreated to a 'safer' position and the furnace was emptied, luckily without an explosion! I also remember on a revisit, the staff cars being covered in a rusty film of metal 'fallout'.

somme1916 · Post by **somme1916** » Sat 03 Nov, 2012 2:27 pm

Derculees wrote: I haven't noticed a reference to West Yorks Foundries, I remember a panic situation there when they wanted to pour out molten steel, I think, from a bessemer or bressemer furnace but the brickwork mould was full of water! We spent an hour or more pumping the water out, as time was critical, everybody then retreated to a 'safer' position and the furnace was emptied, luckily without an explosion! I also remember on a revisit, the staff cars being covered in a rusty film of metal 'fallout'. Wasn't aware of that particular story Derculees.Sounds a bit dodgy ! It wasn't unusual to find iron particulates on parked cars however.This happened a lot at Catton's at Cross Green.When I used to visit Ribblesdale Cement over in Clitheroe,when I came out,the car was always covered in a fine white cement dust.Wouldn't imagine this type of "fall out" to be that healthy too....hence,possibly,the massive public outcry about the proposed sighting of an incinerator at Cross Green.

tilly · Post by **tilly** » Sat 03 Nov, 2012 4:19 pm

Harding and Rhodes At the Tower Works used to emit iron dust i worked there in the sixties and was told it was sent up the big chimney stright from the grinding department via a cyclone.I remember there was a big complaint from Soapy Joes on Whitehall Road if the wind was in the wrong direction it would blow all the dust onto there factory this caused problems with the soap powder i dont know if it got to court or not.