Handsworth Historical Society hosts John Austin: “‘The Heavy Spring Trade. A Lost Chapter of Sheffield history’

For over 100 years Sheffield dominated the supply of heavy-duty springs critical to the running of the railways of Britain and beyond.

It engaged the attention of dozens of local companies large, and small, and offered employment to thousands of elite craftsmen spring makers. Yet today all that remains are a handful of small operators and the ghostly fingerprints of former works.

This talk explores the rise and fall of this once major industry from the point of view of both men and masters and explores whether its demise in any way echoes that of other lost Sheffield industries.

St Mary Church - Handsworth
Handsworth Main Road
Handsworth
Sheffield
S13 9BZ