The Tank that was
here when the cache was placed is no longer here. It appears
that the tank has been owned by a collector for a few years
now. They have now removed it to be restored and it looks
like it's not going to return. Sad to see it go, but at least
it's not been stolen for scrap. I'm keeping this cache active
as the area has a lot of history.
In 1938 the land that is at the end of
Warren lane (where the tank is) was starting to be built on. The
idea was for it to be an excavator factory, but before completion,
WW2 started, so the excavator plant had to be held back a while.
The Warren lane "Tank Factory", as it got known as (and even today
, people refer to the new buildings there as the old tank factory)
produced a total of 1160 Churchill tanks and was a prime target
during the second world war for Hitler’s bombers. Christian
Salvasen now stands where the Tank factory stood.
'It was in 1789 that George Newton
and Thomas Chambers entered into a partnership that would result in
the founding of one of England's largest industrial companies of
that era, Newton, Chambers & Co. George Newton was a
businessman, Thomas Chambers a craftsman in iron and their
partnership had the aims of smelting and casting iron, in various
forms. In 1792 they bought the mining rights to the Thorncliffe
valley from the Earl Fitzwilliam and set up their works on the
Thorncliffe site near Chapeltown, to the north of
Sheffield.
In 1815 the partners met with
William Murdoch, the inventor of coal-gas lighting, this being seen
as providing a growth in work for their foundry. Coal, from the
company’s mines, was provided as charge for beehive coke ovens
which were built on the site.
By the end of the nineteenth century
the company were not only mining coal and ironstone but building
blast furnaces, coke ovens and chemical plant. Heavy section iron,
cast in the foundry was used in two iconic structures: Tower
Bridge, crossing the river Thames in London and the Eddystone
Lighthouse.
In 1939 the Thorncliffe works came
under the control of the Admiralty. A new workshop was constructed
at Warren Lane, a short distance away from the Thorncliffe works,
which was used to build army vehicles and became the largest
manufacturer of Churchill tanks for the war effort.
The nationalization of the coal and
steel industries in 1948 saw the group sell off its interests in
these fields but many others remained, in particular tar
distillates, the basis of many products manufactured by its Izal
subsidiary. The engineering part of the group designed and supplied
coal-gas and chemical plant and with the take over of Ransomes
& Rapier, in 1958, to add to its portfolio became a major maker
of excavators, drag-lines and other construction equipment. The
group also set up Redfyre as a marketing company for coal-burning
grates which were made in its foundry. Changes, in particular the
Clean Air Act saw the company move into light fabrications and
oil-fired central heating equipment, however, the oil-fired boiler
market collapsed in autumn 1973 with the increase in prices. In
1972 the group was taken over by industrial holding company Central
& Sheerwood.
Retrieved from wikipedia
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton%2C_Chambers_%26_Company"
'