This is one of several films made by Brown-Firth Research Laboratories listed on the British Film Institute catalogue.  The films go back to the merging of the Firth Brown company in 1930, and continue up to 1969, produced by their own film unit.  No other credits are given on the film, nor does the British Film Institute list any for this or most other of their films – although a reference to their 1951 film, First and Best, in Flight magazine for 16th November 1951, states that it was made...

This is one of several films made by Brown-Firth Research Laboratories listed on the British Film Institute catalogue.  The films go back to the merging of the Firth Brown company in 1930, and continue up to 1969, produced by their own film unit.  No other credits are given on the film, nor does the British Film Institute list any for this or most other of their films – although a reference to their 1951 film, First and Best, in Flight magazine for 16th November 1951, states that it was made under the direction of Mr S H Thorpe, the Head of the Photographic Section at the Laboratories.  The article goes on to say that it is “available for loan to technical schools, learned societies and similar organizations.”  At present, A Tour of the Works is perhaps the only film which is readily accessible.  The film was first shown to a customer audience on 28 October 1957 at the New Inn Hotel, Birmingham (Firth Brown News, Winter 1957). 

Brown-Firth Research Laboratories (not Firth-Brown for some reason) became famous for being the place where Harry Brearley, on the 13th August 1913, created the first 'stainless steel'  – a steel alloy made with 12.8% chromium and 0.24% carbon (although not the only person at the time to have discovered it).  The two major Sheffield steel companies of Thomas Firth & Sons and John Brown & Co joined together in 1907 (they had already formed a partnership in 1902), and Harry was employed as the metallurgist to take charge of the newly established Brown-Firth Research Laboratories.  These were situated on the corner of Princess Street and Blackmoor Street in Sheffield.  The building is still there, now English Pewter Co. (established in 1977); a plaque on the side of the building commemorates Harry Brearley.

The Yorkshire Film Archive has a number of films on Sheffield and Rotherham steelworks.  Most notable are those made by Charles Chislett of the Parkgate Iron and Steel Works in Rotherham – see Men of Steel (1948).  Another is of Steel, Peech and Tozer, in Templeborough, Rotherham, on their Electric Arc Reorganisation, filmed by F Pemberton shortly after this one was made.  Taken altogether they provide a fairly comprehensive picture of steel manufacturing in the twenty years or so after the Second World War, and a glimpse into working life in a steelworks.

The works seen in the film are the Atlas Works on Savile Street in Attercliffe, Sheffield; opened on January 1st 1856.   John Brown had originally founded his company in 1837 to manufacture steel files, before setting up his own steel making company in Orchard Street, and also in Furnival Street, in Sheffield City Centre.  At around the same time Thomas Firth opened his Norfolk works in Savile Street, in 1842 (the Gateway to the works has been relocated and preserved as a Grade II listed building).   Mark Firth, being a typical philanthropist of the time, gifted the city the area which become Firth Park – his name has also been given to buildings in Sheffield University and Northern General Hospital. 

Both companies made their money in armaments; John Brown through armour plating, while  Firth established a reputation as gunmakers.  John Brown introduced the revolutionary Bessemer process to Sheffield in 1860.  The two neighbouring companies got together in 1902 when John Brown acquired seven-eighths of the ordinary shares of Thomas Firth and Sons by exchange of shares,  and entered a working agreement.   Eventually the two companies merged in 1930 to become Thomas Firth and John Brown, aka Firth Brown Steels (or just plain Firth Brown), producing high quality steel castings and forgings.   The situation is complicated by the fact that John Brown and Co and Thomas Firth and Sons continued to trade under their old names  – complicated further by the fact that Firth, Brown Tools was formed, according to Grace’s Guide, in 1946 (although elsewhere it rather confusedly has it as c.1900). To add to the confusion, they are listed in a 1933 company directory as Firth,Thos and John Brown Ltd and in 1948 directory as Firth Vickers Stainless Steels Ltd..

They also had associated companies in Scunthorpe, Darnall and Clydebank.  In the latter, Clydebank Shipbuilding and Engineering Co. (acquired in 1899), they built a good many famous ships, including the Queen Mary in 1935. This was later to become the short lived Upper Clyde Shipbuilders in 1968, collapsing in 1971 and leading to the famous work-in of that year. 

In 1967 the steel industry was nationalised, with the stainless steel operation of the business subsequently being branded as British Steel Stainless. The other part, Firth Brown, amalgamated with Vickers at the giant River Don Works (built in in 1865), a bit further up Brightside Road, to form the private sector company Sheffield Forgemasters in 1983.  At this time it employed a workforce of 6,500.  Yet the following year shareholders of Forgemasters wrote off their investments, fired the entire board and brought in new management and a survival plan.   On May 26th 1984 the last cast of steel was made at Firth Browns.

The company website explains what happened next: “Following trade union strike action, the survival and success of the business was ensured and the renowned River Don Castings and offshore specialist OSCAL subsidiary companies were formed.  With British Steel due for privatisation in 1987, Sheffield Forgemasters' management agreed a management buy-out.”  After more takeovers, the whole enterprise went into liquidation in 2003.  Yet, after “a major turnaround at River Don”, there was another management buyout.   Now in its third century the company is still going, and boasts to be, “probably the oldest steel business in the world.”

Driving up Savile Street and Brightside Lane today (as one can do virtually on Google maps), anyone who worked in the area three or more decades ago would hardly recognise much of it.  It is certainly less gloomy today (Brightside being a bit less of an ironic name), but many of the steel and engineering works that dotted the area – Hadfield's East Hecla, Jessop Savile on Brightside Lane, Edgar Allen and Company nearby on Vulcan Road, Shardlows and Brown Bayley's on Leeds Road (later taken over by Hadfield) – have now disappeared.  So too have Sheffield Freight Terminal (Grimesthorpe) on Brightside Lane and Attercliffe Rail Yard on Stevenson Road, which transferred so much of the steel onto rail.  It is hard to trace all that has happened in the steel and engineering industry in Sheffield as there have been so many take-overs along the way.  It is not entirely clear what has happened to the Atlas Works on Savile Street, the old frontage is still in place.  For recent photographs of its derelict state, see the excellent 28dayslater and the equally fascinating urbexforums.

The highly informative Sheffield Forum has a thread providing many fascinating anecdotes by those who have worked there, or who have family members who have.  Some of those who have contributed may well see either themselves, or their fathers and grandfathers, in the film.  The company records of Firth Brown are held with Sheffield Archives, and can be found on their online catalogue.  Kelham Island Museum in Sheffield have a Firth Brown Photographic Collection. 

The former Minister of Sport, Richard Caborn, started at Firth Brown as an engineering apprenticeship in 1959, later becoming a fitter and a convenor of shop stewards in 1967.  In this he followed in the wake of his father George Caborn, another well-known Sheffield figure.  George Caborn would have been an active trade unionist at the factory at this time, becoming a shop steward in 1938 in the Heavy Engineering Department and later a convenor.  This was a time when the trade unions were strong, and in 1960 he was elected District President of the Amalgamated Engineering Union (AEU) – becoming  District Secretary in 1968.  He was granted the freedom of the city in 1981, despite being a lifelong member of the Communist Party (for many years on the Executive Committee) – although some of those of a different political persuasion who crossed his path at meetings remember him less fondly.  But he does provide an amusing story re-told on the Sheffield Forum: “I remember him [George Caborn] answering an enquiry of how he came to work at Firth Browns.  He replied, ‘I was out of work and outside Firth Browns was a notice saying, WANTED- A man to replace two horses.  So I applied, and got the job immediately’.” 

[With special thanks to Sue Freestone of Sheffield Local Studies for information on Thomas Firth and John Brown and stainless steel manufacturers in Sheffield]

References

The records for Firth Brown Ltd are held at Kelham Island Museum, Sheffield.

Catherine Hamilton, Firth Brown: a Sheffield steel company, Tempus, 2000
Portland Works and the Invention of 'Stainless Steel'
Firth Brown Steels, Wikipedia
Grace’s Guide
Sheffield Forgemasters International
George Caborn
Sheffield Forum, Firth Brown
Photograph of Atlas Works Savile Street
Kelham Island Museum
28dayslater
urbexforums
Flight, 16th November 1951