Re: Broadfield Road area -- Heeley History Workshop

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Date Posted: Sat, 29 Aug 2009, 10:29:03
Author: John Shipley
Subject: Re: Broadfield Road area
In reply to: Terry 's message, "Broadfield Road area" on Sun, 03 Feb 2002, 19:42:14

I worked at W Tyzack Sons & Turner between 1960 & 1966. The company trade mark was an elephant with the word "Nonpareil" French for non better! The factory backed onto the railway line, the site being known as Little London Works to replace their production facility in what is now known as Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet at Beauchief.

Mr Wilfred Tyzack the MD in the '60s was cousin to the MD of WA Tyzack's in Green Lane Shalesmoor S3 or S6. This Tyzack did own a pedigree Fresian herd of cows at Magclough Farm above Grindleford.
I was told they were both Colonels in the Indian Army.

The Tyzack family (Protestant Hugenots) were originally glass workers who came from northeast France - when? 16c? Don't really know!

When I first worked at Little London besides the engineering activities there were a number of cottages,pigs & chickens were kept on site.

W Tyzack sons & Turner Ltd produced bus & auto clutch parts, scythes, plough shares, coulter discs, shearblades, reaper blades & fingers, saws & files.
I remember seeing scythe workers carrying say a dozen scythes sharp edge down on a leather pad on their shoulder.
Hand files were forged & cut in the top yard where the waterwheel was situated, a tilt hammer? the beam was 12" square, driven by Little London Dam.

One shopfloor one family of grandfather to grandson had 150yrs service.

A strange activity to me was the dry grinding shop still driven by lineshafting; a blackboard with forward work requirements on it was on the shop wall, guys used to come in & put their name against an order and walk out. Some time, or days later they would come in to grind. This must have been a contracting piecework scheme.
The worker would sit astride a 4ft sandstone wheel, leaning forward to grind a blade etc. An accident occured, the stone burst and left the premises through the roof towards London Road. The worker and all his bits were un-hurt, but I expect he was surprised!

The reception entrance was something to be seen in terms of a space with a spacial staircase. I remember a large oak plaque listing all the employees killed in the 2 world wars - a considerable number compared with the total employees around 350 in 1960, if I remember correctly.

The company was a PLC company quoted on the Stock Exchange. Sometime in the 1980s my understanding is that the company was takenover by speculators for the PLC status as being the cheapest way of becoming a PLC.

After many years lying derelect the site has been redeveloped as an estate of business units in 2006?

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