Stephenson Blake & Co. Ltd Sheffield

Stephenson Blake is a Typeface, Font and Letter Founders. It was started up in 1818 by Mr John Stephenson, to manufacture quality printers type. The company was joined later in the year by Mr James Blake. His £600 investment coming from the legacy left to him in his mothers will.

The company grew and by the early 1900’s, had made various acquisitions and ventured into steel making and tool production. In the 1980’s and with the decline of printers type following the dawn of the computer age, and the collapse of steel making in Sheffield, the company decided that it needed a new product range and therefore expanded into the specialised industry of high frequency welding rule.

Stephenson Blake & Co. Ltd, part of the former Stephenson Blake (Holdings) Ltd.The Upper Allen Street site housed a type-casting facility for Mazak and Brass type. Also with a Precision Engineering (tap and die) section, Brass Rule dept and a printing dept.

Across the yard (Edward Street) was the Woodside Dept (where I was based), which was a woodworking factory that specialised in office furniture and museum display cabinets (see just about ANY UK museum) for entomology. Just think, a nice Mahogany cabinet, pull-out drawers with a glass top full of bugs!

As for Stephenson Blake (Holdings) Ltd, they were the parent company of:Stephenson Blake & Co Ltd (some parts still trading as Stephenson & Blake)

Their HQ at Sheaf Works next to the canal basin. The building's now called Sheaf Quay. They then relocated (in about 1990) to Sheepbridge at Chesterfield, next to their Thomas Turton factory.