![Cornish Place Works 32](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Cornish_Place_Works_32.jpg)
Cornish Place is a
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
situated in the
Neepsend
Neepsend is a suburb of the city of Sheffield, it stands just north-west of the city centre. The main area of Neepsend covers the flood plain of the River Don from Lady's Bridge at the Wicker up to Hillfoot Bridge. The suburb falls within the ...
area of the City of
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
. The building was formerly the factory of
James Dixon & Sons
J Dixon & Sons (James Dixon & Sons), founded 1806 in Sheffield
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of She ...
, a
Britannia metal
Britannia metal (also called britannium or Britannia ware) is a specific type of pewter alloy, favoured for its silvery appearance and smooth surface. The composition by weight is typically about 92% tin, 6% antimony, and 2% copper.
Britannia ...
,
Sheffield plate
Sheffield plate is a layered combination of silver and copper that was used for many years to produce a wide range of household articles. Almost every article made in sterling silver was also crafted by Sheffield makers, who used this manufactur ...
and
Cutlery
Cutlery (also referred to as silverware, flatware, or tableware), includes any hand implement used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food in Western culture. A person who makes or sells cutlery is called a cutler. The city of Sheffie ...
manufacturer. In the late 1990s the disused building was cleaned and converted into
apartment
An apartment (American English), or flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story. There are ma ...
s, it is regarded as the most impressive cutlery works that still stands in Sheffield
[''"A History of Sheffield"'', ]David Hey
David G. Hey (18 July 1938 – 14 February 2016) was an English historian, and was an authority on surnames and the local history of Yorkshire. Hey was the president of the British Association for Local History, and was a published author of seve ...
, , Pages 208-209 Gives detailed history. and rivals the
cotton mill
A cotton mill is a building that houses spinning (textiles), spinning or weaving machinery for the production of yarn or cloth from cotton, an important product during the Industrial Revolution in the development of the factory system.
Althou ...
s of
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
and the
West Riding
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...
in terms of architectural quality and heritage.
[''Pevsner Architectural Guides - Sheffield'', Ruth Harman & John Minnis, , Pages 170-171 Gives details of present day, architecture and some history.] The most impressive parts of the building are the east and west ranges which have Grade II* listed status while the rest of the works have the lower Grade II rating. The "Cornish" in the buildings name is thought to derive from the manufacture of Britannia metal which is made up of 93%
tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn (from la, stannum) and atomic number 50. Tin is a silvery-coloured metal.
Tin is soft enough to be cut with little force and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, t ...
which came from
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
.
History
Foundation
The firm was founded as Dixon & Smith in 1805 and was based on Silver Street in the centre of Sheffield. James Dixon’s association with the Cornish Place site began in 1819 when a
rolling mill
In metalworking, rolling is a metal forming process in which metal stock is passed through one or more pairs of rolls to reduce the thickness, to make the thickness uniform, and/or to impart a desired mechanical property. The concept is simil ...
on the spot came into the possession of Dixon & Smith. In 1822 Dixon set up business on his own and the rolling mill was converted into a workshop for the manufacture of silver and plated goods. During the 1830s the firm acquired land to the south of the original buildings and new workshops were constructed. The first phase of the works were a U shaped series of buildings which fronted onto Cornish Street and the
River Don and consisted of workshops, casting shops and offices.
Expansion
The works were extended as the firm became more successful with the more notable part of the building, the east range, being built between 1851 and 1854 when the works were being converted to
steam power
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be trans ...
. This range which completed the enclosure of the inner courtyard, consisted of an L shaped construction with the long side facing onto Ball Street and the short side fronting onto the River Don and joining up with older workshops. Further building took place between 1857-59 when warehouses and a showroom were added at the southern end of Ball Street. The west range was constructed around 1860 and because of its prominent position on Green Lane was given more decorative architecture with the works name carved on the parapet. By the 1860s the works covered an area of about four acres and over 700 people were employed there.
[''"Illustrated Sheffield Guide"'', Pawson and Brailsford, , Pages 167-170 Gives some history.]
Peak, decline and closure
The firm reached its peak in 1914 as Dixon’s sons and grandsons expanded the business, selling goods throughout America and the Empire. At that time between 900 and 1000 people were employed at the works. Up until
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
Cornish Place was powered by steam power with a steam engine situated in the engine house which had a 135 feet high chimney on top (the chimney still stands today). Electrification of the works began during World War I although it was some time before steam power was not needed. Another effect of World War I was a reduction in demand for luxury products which hit the firm badly and from which they would never recover.
![Cornish Place Works 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Cornish_Place_Works_2.JPG)
Competition from
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
in the production of cutlery was also a blow to Dixons, by the 1970s the firm was making regular annual losses and by 1982 had virtually collapsed with debts of over £1,000,000. At that time there were only 57 employees and parts of Cornish Place were let out to other businesses. A re-launch of the firm was attempted in 1984 with 30 employees but this was short-lived and Dixons was eventually absorbed into the Sheffield-based firm British Silverware. Production continued at Cornish Place until 1992 when the building closed.
[''"Made in Sheffield - The Story of James Dixon & Sons"'', Pauline Cooper Bell, , Pages 33-38 Gives detailed history.]
Present day
In 1998 the disused Cornish Place was converted into apartments by the Sheffield-based architects Axis Architecture with construction work done by Gleesons.
Architecture
The east range which fronts onto Ball Street and the River Don is constructed from
ashlar
Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...
and brick with ashlar dressings and a
Gablet roof
Gablet may refer to:
*Gablet roof or Dutch gable, a roof with a small gable above a hipped roof
*Gablet, a triangular termination to a buttress: see Glossary of architecture
This page is a glossary of architecture.
A
...
made from slate and asbestos cement. There are four floors with the ground and first floor having attractive arched windows. The ground floor was made to be fireproof with extensive use of cast iron. The west range on Green Lane is brick built with ashlar dressing and decorative arched windows. The adjoining plating shop has distinctive large windows with
clerestories
In architecture, a clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey) is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both.
Historically, ''clerestory'' denoted an upper l ...
above.
References
{{Listed buildings in Sheffield
Industrial buildings and structures in Sheffield
History of Sheffield
Industrial buildings completed in 1860
Grade II* listed buildings in Sheffield