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Post by harrier on Jul 8, 2011 10:34:26 GMT
Why were there so many foundries in Keighley? I know we had a large number of engineering works in the town, specializing in building looms etc. but from a childhood memory there appeared to be an excessive number of foundries for the many components required. I can remember delivering large steel sections of some kind with my uncle to Rotherham or Sheffield (believe it or not!!) The foundry where he worked was through an archway off North Street opposite the arcade. (approx 1952ish). Or have I got that wrong?
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Post by keighleyboy on Jul 8, 2011 14:08:29 GMT
Reckon you're thinking of John W. Laycock's. It was through an archway, and I believe they may have been steel stockholders, but I don't think there was a foundry there. Could be wrong - perhaps somebody who knows more than me can come along and put the record straight.
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Post by fsharpminor on Jul 8, 2011 18:24:33 GMT
There was a substatial foundry at Dean Smith and Grace in Pitt Street, where my grandfather, and I think also great grandfather worked. They cast the base frames for the machine tool lathes which they manufactured. My father was on of the 'fitters'
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Post by barcroftlad on Jul 9, 2011 9:33:00 GMT
Reckon you're thinking of John W. Laycock's. It was through an archway, and I believe they may have been steel stockholders, but I don't think there was a foundry there. Could be wrong - perhaps somebody who knows more than me can come along and put the record straight. They also supplied tools and parts to the trades. When I was a young apprentice at the NEGB a favourite trick by the oldies was to send us apprentices around to Laycocks for maybe a left handed hammer or a bubble for a spirit level. All good fun and it got us out of the workshop for a while. |
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Post by suntrecker38 on Oct 31, 2011 15:22:16 GMT
Yes you are right about the foundry at DS&G it was moved to what used to be Clapham Bros down Lawkholme Lane during the early 60's. There was also a foundry at Dan Mitchells on Parson street and across the road at Ward Haggas & Smiths, then there was Prince Smith & Stells down Dalton Lane. Also Wask Eng who made pipe fittings, for the gas/water industry. Besides all the little independents casting Cast Iron, Brass, Aluminium and anything else in between.
I used to visit J.W. Laycocks for parts and fittings but I can not remember any foundry there with them being steel stockists it may have been that they had some special section or may be something that no one else had.
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Post by Andy Wade on Oct 31, 2011 19:39:52 GMT
They also supplied tools and parts to the trades. When I was a young apprentice at the NEGB a favourite trick by the oldies was to send us apprentices around to Laycocks for maybe a left handed hammer or a bubble for a spirit level. All good fun and it got us out of the workshop for a while. You can actually buy bubbles for spirit levels nowadays. How times change eh?  |
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Post by barcroftlad on Nov 1, 2011 0:58:38 GMT
They also supplied tools and parts to the trades. When I was a young apprentice at the NEGB a favourite trick by the oldies was to send us apprentices around to Laycocks for maybe a left handed hammer or a bubble for a spirit level. All good fun and it got us out of the workshop for a while. You can actually buy bubbles for spirit levels nowadays. How times change eh? ;D ;D |
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Post by Andy Wade on Nov 1, 2011 14:13:21 GMT
That's nothing though, you can actually get left handed hammers too! Left handed slaters hammer (for roofing work):  Left handed plane adjusting hammer:  |
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Post by fsharpminor on Nov 1, 2011 15:37:35 GMT
Yes I think the DSG foundry actually moved to Bradford Street, soon after the name changed to Monarch Engineering.
WASK referred to by another poster was originally W A Slingsby I think.
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Post by barcroftlad on Nov 1, 2011 19:38:49 GMT
That's nothing though, you can actually get left handed hammers too! Left handed slaters hammer (for roofing work): Left handed plane adjusting hammer: OK Andy, you have done very well. Now let's see just how good you really are. What about a tin of striped paint? That was another favourite request for us apprentices to find. Cheers |
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Post by barcroftlad on Nov 1, 2011 19:41:47 GMT
Oooooppppss I got that in the wrong place. Missed the second hammer. Hope you can work it out Andy. Cheers
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Post by suntrecker38 on Nov 3, 2011 21:15:31 GMT
Yes the Wask Engineering. The WASK bit was actually their trade mark, at one time there was that many Whiteoaks working there that they used to say WASK stud for Whiteoak and Slingsby Keighley. The bit that you are thinking about was actually where DSG used to build their CNC machine. The building was the Ward Haggas & Smith factory.
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Post by sugarbear123 on Nov 12, 2011 9:19:07 GMT
As i am only new to this mean of communication please bear with me.This morning i attempted to post a question on The General Board but i fear i was unsuccessful,so i will try again here.The question i have is"does anyone know the name of the Foundry that was situated at the bottom of Beck Street(Sun street end)in 1958".I worked there as a lad but my Memory is lacking these days.
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Post by keighleyboy on Nov 12, 2011 12:39:58 GMT
I think the one you mean was HEATON's foundry. Jonas WELLS' was also down there, but HEATONS was the nearer to Beckside.
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Post by sugarbear123 on Nov 12, 2011 17:51:17 GMT
Thanks very much for replying but i dont think it was either of those Foundries,the names dont ring a bell.I wonder perhaps as you mentioned Beckside you could have possibly mistaken Beckside for Beckstreet.It was Beckstreet where i was refering to.The Foundry i am talking about had a Passage/Walkway on one side of the foundry and Beckstreet was at the other side of the Foundry(The Entrance).If you are not able to recall it would you be able to put me in touch with someone else.I am really greatfull for you replying and dont wish to seem ungreatfull for poining out about Beckside/Beckstreet.
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Post by harrier on Feb 18, 2012 17:48:03 GMT
Returning to my question of foundries, walking around Farnhill and Kildwick during the week, I spotted that the old road side lamp posts, including ones that was disused and another truncated, were cast by John Barrett, Eastburn, Crosshills. Whereabouts was the foundry? When did it cease to function? Surely it must have been bigger than a local smithy to cast such a long hollow post and presumably they must have made many more than the half dozen I saw?
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Post by nellie on Nov 22, 2012 20:51:48 GMT
with regards to foundrys in keighley, what about hattersley foundry .it was on church green and it was a big foundry.my dad worked there . he was a moulder i remember him coming home
every night he always had a black face. i once went down to see
him when i was a young teenager, it was very dark it having black walls with all dirt , the was poor lighting too,at the far end
there was a very hot furnis glowing very bright could almost feel the heat from where i stood.hattersley was famous for making
sewing machines as lathes lamp and other things.
does any one else remember ant thing else
a member nellie
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Post by harrier on Jan 31, 2013 12:25:44 GMT
Sorry to keep banging on about foundries .... anyone know if Hattersleys was the foundry responsible (in the 50s) for producing the small cast elbow joints for the iron domestic water pipes? If not Hattersleys, which foundry? The joints were distributed and used all around the country by plumbers.
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angler
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Post by angler on Feb 5, 2013 20:44:04 GMT
Don,t forget we had also Reptons Foundrey just out of Keighley ,I worked at both Hatersleys and Repton Foundrey as a Nighxxxxchman for Star Security and had to light the fire in the Repton foudrey at 6 a.m on monday mornings ready for when the workers came in Angler
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Post by sean1981 on Feb 6, 2013 9:56:25 GMT
Harrier, could it have been Slingsby's (WASK later) I think they cast malleable cast iron which would be good for that sort of component I believe.
John
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Post by fsharpminor on Feb 6, 2013 11:09:23 GMT
Harrier, could it have been Slingsby's (WASK later) I think they cast malleable cast iron which would be good for that sort of component I believe. John Yes I was thinking that when I saw Harriers first post. Slingsbys would have been the likely manufacturer. |
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Post by harrier on Feb 6, 2013 18:34:33 GMT
I am sure it was Star Security I worked for when a student. 2 a.m. on a freezing cold December morning in the Christmas holidays doing a clock round in the deserted dark foundary and the local cat suddenly jumps out of the dark!!!!!!!!! Scary or what? Star Security was based up the road opposite Hattersleys?
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skinn
New Member
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Post by skinn on Feb 6, 2013 18:44:55 GMT
Hi, we had jonas wells, dean smiths, hattersley, naylors brass foundry,also one down dalton lane, i forget the name, also wask had a large foundry, repton was at cross flatts, also i think there was west yorkshire foundrys, unless that came with name change, i remember if you went near wells foundry down longcroft area you would get chased by a meths drinker, johny tatem, and also claphams foundry, the wife just told me about.
regards skinn, Mick
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eric
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Post by eric on Feb 6, 2013 21:46:38 GMT
There was also Samuel Fearnside and Sons on Greengate Road. Apparently, one of the things a apprentice had to do, was to cast a cup and saucer in one piece, another apprentice piece was a cast iron frying pan! Women must have had muscles like a navvy to use one of those!
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Post by barcroftlad on Feb 7, 2013 22:13:07 GMT
Hi, we had jonas wells, dean smiths, hattersley, naylors brass foundry,also one down dalton lane, i forget the name, also wask had a large foundry, repton was at cross flatts, also i think there was west yorkshire foundrys, unless that came with name change, i remember if you went near wells foundry down longcroft area you would get chased by a meths drinker, johny tatem, and also claphams foundry, the wife just told me about. regards skinn, Mick Hi Mick. I think the meths drinker you refer was called Benny Tatham. He was an incorrigible old bloke who always tried to make sure he had a good feed and accomodation in prison at Christmas and Easter, by throwing a brick through a shop window and waiting quietly for the police to arrive. I saw a report in the Keighley News some years after I left Keighley that a judge refused to pander to his tricks and refused to send him to prison again. |
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Post by oldman on Jul 28, 2013 13:32:15 GMT
No-one seems to have mentioned the CWS Foundry at the junction of Goulborne Street and South Street. My dad worked there. Apart, presumably, from making cast iron products for Co-op use other things were produced there such as covers for manholes. Does anyone know when it was founded or when it was closed? Did anyone have any family members who worked there?
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Post by sean1981 on Jul 30, 2013 8:24:27 GMT
I worked with Lewis Bancroft at Cyprane up West Lane, and he said he had been the foreman/manager at CWS.
That would have been around 1960 so he had not long been away from CWS then.
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Post by oldman on Aug 5, 2013 15:36:11 GMT
Thanks sean1981. Are you still in contact with Lewis Bancroft? My dad must have retired in 1954 or 55 so I doubt whether your friend knew him though I suppose it's possible.
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Post by sean1981 on Aug 12, 2013 16:05:25 GMT
Sorry, Lewis will have passed away now. He was 60 ish in 1960. Just for the record he lived in Denholme up one of the streets from the main road.
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Post by dendrite on Apr 6, 2015 17:01:48 GMT
Hello everybody. I am researching foundries in the Bradford & Keighley areas of West Yorkshire with a view to recording the life and times of foundry workers from 1920 onwards in a book. I would love to hear your recollections of Foundry names, the metals cast, products made, the characters, the incidents and situations which made up a day in the life of a foundryman.
I would also be interested in any old photographs which might be available showing the working conditions and camaraderie of the workers. My father worked at Repton Foundry for 18 years and before that GEC in Thornbury.
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