Samuel Fox and Company
Encyclopedia
Samuel Fox and Company or "Fox's" is the commonly used name for the major steel complex built in the Upper Don Valley at Stocksbridge
, near Sheffield
, South Yorkshire
, England
.
frames and he developed his own variant, the “Paragon” in 1851. Expansion continued and by the mid 1860s furnaces and rolling mills had been built and the production of railway lines and springs begun.
Road transport in the area was difficult and with larger products being manufactured a new outlet was required. In the 1870s a short branch line was built to link the works with the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
at Deepcar. This was known as the Stocksbridge Railway
which was a subsidiary of the main company until the early 1990s. The line is still open (2006) and handles regular traffic to and from the works.
of Rotherham
and Scunthorpe-based Appleby-Frodingham Steel Company
to form the United Steel Companies
after the First World War
. Products from various sites were coordinated, each works specialising in a particular range. At Stocksbridge they specialised special steels, particularly the various grades of stainless steel.
In 1935, the company provided a pair of stainless steel foxes to the London and North Eastern Railway
which were used to decorate the sides of their new Class A4
locomotive no. 2512 Silver Fox.
. During the 1980s and 1990s the works became part of a joint British Steel / GKN venture known as "Stocksbridge Engineering Steels" and in 1999 they became part of Corus
. The works is still open although steel is not made on the site, the steel being brought from the main melting site at Aldwarke, near Rotherham.
Plans for future investment was cancelled in December 2005 and the prospect of closure has again reared its head.
Stocksbridge
Stocksbridge is a small town and civil parish in the City of Sheffield, in South Yorkshire, England, with a population of 13,663. It lies just to the east of the Peak District....
, near Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
History
Samuel Fox bought a disused corn mill close by the centre of the town in 1842 and made alterations so that he could produce wire for the manufacture of textile pins. Within 6 years the business began to manufacture wire for umbrellaUmbrella
An umbrella or parasol is a canopy designed to protect against rain or sunlight. The term parasol usually refers to an item designed to protect from the sun; umbrella refers to a device more suited to protect from rain...
frames and he developed his own variant, the “Paragon” in 1851. Expansion continued and by the mid 1860s furnaces and rolling mills had been built and the production of railway lines and springs begun.
Road transport in the area was difficult and with larger products being manufactured a new outlet was required. In the 1870s a short branch line was built to link the works with the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway was formed by amalgamation in 1847. The MS&LR changed its name to the Great Central Railway in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension.-Origin:...
at Deepcar. This was known as the Stocksbridge Railway
Stocksbridge Railway
The Stocksbridge Railway was a subsidiary of Samuel Fox and Company and linked the company's works at Stocksbridge, near Sheffield, South Yorkshire with the main line of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway at Deepcar....
which was a subsidiary of the main company until the early 1990s. The line is still open (2006) and handles regular traffic to and from the works.
Rationalisation
Samuel Fox & Company joined with Steel, Peech and TozerSteel, Peech and Tozer
Steel, Peech and Tozer was a large steel maker with works situated at Ickles and Templeborough, in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England.- History :...
of Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
and Scunthorpe-based Appleby-Frodingham Steel Company
Appleby-Frodingham Steel Company
The Appleby-Frodingham Steel Company was formed in 1912 by a take over of the Appleby Ironworks by the Frodingham Ironworks. Both of these companies, located in villages near Scunthorpe, in North Lincolnshire, are amongst the areas oldest iron producers....
to form the United Steel Companies
United Steel Companies
The United Steel Companies were a steel making, engineering, coal mining and coal by-product group based in South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.-History:...
after the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Products from various sites were coordinated, each works specialising in a particular range. At Stocksbridge they specialised special steels, particularly the various grades of stainless steel.
In 1935, the company provided a pair of stainless steel foxes to the London and North Eastern Railway
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
which were used to decorate the sides of their new Class A4
LNER Class A4
The Class A4 is a class of streamlined 4-6-2 steam locomotive, designed by Nigel Gresley for the London and North Eastern Railway in 1935. Their streamlined design gave them high-speed capability as well as making them instantly recognizable, and one of the class, 4468 Mallard, still claims the...
locomotive no. 2512 Silver Fox.
Nationalisation and after
The works, along with other major producers in Great Britain, were nationalised in 1967, to become British Steel CorporationBritish Steel
British Steel was a major British steel producer. It originated as a nationalised industry, the British Steel Corporation , formed in 1967. This was converted to a public limited company, British Steel PLC, and privatised in 1988. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...
. During the 1980s and 1990s the works became part of a joint British Steel / GKN venture known as "Stocksbridge Engineering Steels" and in 1999 they became part of Corus
Corus Group
Tata Steel Europe is a multinational steel-making company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the second-largest steel-maker in Europe and is a subsidiary of Tata Steel of India, one of the ten largest steel producers in the world.Corus Group was formed through the merger of Koninklijke...
. The works is still open although steel is not made on the site, the steel being brought from the main melting site at Aldwarke, near Rotherham.
Plans for future investment was cancelled in December 2005 and the prospect of closure has again reared its head.