Cold workers of steel, of Crown Steel and Wire Mills, Sheffield, 9. Telephone: 41144. Telegraphic Address: "Crown, Sheffield". (1937)
of Trubrite Works, Meadow Hall, Sheffield. Telephone: Sheffield 387272. Telex 54165. Grams: Crown, Sheffield, 9. (1950s)
Arthur Lee started business at a small wire-drawing mill in the Porter Valley district of Sheffield. That business had its origin in a small wire-drawing mill, owned by James Fairbrother, which was run by water power supplied by one of the many streams flowing into Sheffield. A second mill established by Fairbrother on the banks of the River Don, was literally washed out by the great Sheffield flood in 1864.
Three years later the business was transferred to the Crown Steel and Wire Works, Attercliffe, Sheffield.
1874 Lee acquired the small company of wire manufacturers [1] of James Fairbrother.
1894 Company incorporated [2] as successor to the original company.
1908 'Three men were injured and a workshop was wrecked, by the bursting of huge flywheel at the works of Arthur Lee and Sons, Sheffield. Pieces of the wheel, weighing several hundredweights, were hurled hundreds of yards.' [3]
1919 Mr John Baggott resigned post as chief engineer to the company to take up the post of works amnager to the Conqueror Typewriter Manufacturing Co.[4]
1937 Manufacturers of steel wire, hot and cold rolled strip, bright bars and stainless steel. "FreeLeecase" Case-Hardening Steel. "FreeLeecut" Free Cutting Steel. "Sing Leequench" Case-hardening Steel. "Trubrite" Corrosion Restisting Steel. [5]
1937 Listed Exhibitor - British Industries Fair. Hot Rolled Steel Strip. Cold Rolled Steel Strip. Bright Drawn Steel Bars. Steel Wire (various) and Wire Rods. Stainless Steel Strip and Wire. Streamline Wires and Tie Rods. (Stand No. D.622) [6]
1939 See Aircraft Industry Suppliers
1949 G. Wilton Lee is elected chairman in succession to Percy Wilton Lee. Mention chairman of Arthur Lee and Sons (Hot Rolling Mills) and Arthur Lee and Sons (Cold Strip).[7]
1951 Arthur Lee and Sons (Hot Rolling Mills) Ltd nationalised under the Iron and Steel Act; became part of the Iron and Steel Corporation of Great Britain [8]
1953 Arthur Lee and Sons acquired an interest in Glover Brothers which was an important market for the company[9].
1954 Acquired Arthur Lee and Sons (Hot Rolling Mills) Ltd and Arthur Lee and Sons (Cold Strip) Ltd from the Holding and Realization Agency, so regaining ownership of the businesses which had been nationalized [10]. Development continued of Shipmans (Sheffield) Ltd and of Steel and Strap Platers Ltd; the association with Glover Brothers (Mossley) Ltd continued to be fruitful.
1958 Formation of Arthur Lee Investments to hold trade investments including Anglo-Canadian Wire Rope Co and Glover Brothers (Mossley) in order to mitigate the effects of any possible renationalisation of the steel industry[11]
1960 Advert. Hot and cold rolled steel, sheet, bright steel bars, high strain steel wire etc. [12]
1967 One of the larger steel re-rollers not subject to nationalisation[13]
1960s As result of the Nationalization Act, the company owned 75% of Alloy Steel Rods of Sheffield, with the remainder owned by British Steel[14]
1974 Peter Lee is managing director. Jest invested £2m on a stainless steel project.[15]
1976 Arthur Lee Investments became Ronksley Investments[16] which Arthur Lee attempted to acquire[17] but was out bid by Capper-Neill[18]
1993 Acquired by Carclo
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] Specialist Auctions
- Obituary of Percy Lee
- ↑ The Times, 31 January 1955
- ↑ The Times, 31 January 1955
- ↑ Exeter and Plymouth Gazette, Tuesday 18th February 1908
- ↑ The Engineer 1919/12/12, p 601.
- ↑ 1937 The Aeroplane Directory of the Aviation and Allied Industries
- ↑ 1937 British Industries Fair Page 382
- ↑ The Times, Tuesday, Aug 02, 1949
- ↑ Hansard 19 February 1951
- ↑ The Times, Feb 02, 1953
- ↑ The Times, 31 January 1955
- ↑ The Times, Mar 07, 1958
- ↑ Mechanical World Year Book 1960. Published by Emmott and Co of Manchester. Advert p111
- ↑ The Times, Apr 26, 1967
- ↑ The Times, Mar 20, 1969
- ↑ The Times, Monday, Oct 14, 1974
- ↑ The Times, Sep 23, 1976
- ↑ The Times, Sep 29, 1976
- ↑ The Times, Nov 20, 1976