Henry Bessemer wasn’t born in Yorkshire but his ingenuity can certainly be credited as one of, if not the most important factor in the development of modern day Sheffield where he built the systems that would propel the industrial revolution and literally transform the world.

Engineering development was being severely constrained in the early part of the nineteenth century by the limitations of cast iron and wrought iron. These materials were relatively weak and therefore prone to failure, with catastrophic consequences. Bessemer, a prolific inventor (granted 129 patents) patented the Bessemer steel making process. The process involved removing impurities in iron through the introduction of oxygen via air that was blown through molten pig iron. The refined metal was stronger than Iron, more resistant to rust and generally easier to work with. But the key to the success of the Bessemer process was that unlike any previous processes, the Bessemer process was cheap and made way for mass production. A number of companies licensed the technology but could not achieve good results. Subsequently Bessemer selected the ideal industrial location, Sheffield to build his concept and by doing so transformed not only Sheffield but the world. It is here that the story of Sheffield Steel began.

Bessemer perfected the process and inexpensive steel produced in huge volumes soon became the norm. Inexpensive, high quality steel ushered in a new age of progress in engineering that would enable mass transport with trains to carry people across continents and ships to make global trade. It unleashed the imagination of architects to build sky scrappers and laid the foundations for the modern economy.

Bessemer’s contribution to the development of the British economy, its science and engineering is beyond question today but was barely recognised by either the government or the wider population during his life time. That a man who did so much for industrial development did not receive higher recognition from his own government was a source of deep regret to English engineers. The same engineers alluded to the fact that in the United States, where the Bessemer process found much use, eight cities or towns bore his name. Towards the end of his life he was finally  knighted for his contribution to science on 26 June 1879, and in the same year was made a fellow of the Royal Society. In 1895, three years before he died, he was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The Steel making that remains in Sheffield is small by contrast to the past. Stocksbridge Special Steels, where Wilson Benesch Design Director, Craig Milnes was apprenticed is a notable example. Samuel Fox Steel works in Stocksbridge was established on the ingenuity of the Paragon Umbrella that was sold globally and was in fact the largest manufacturer in the world at the turn of the century. Stocksbridge went on to be recognised as one of the world finest manufacturers of very specialised steels for aerospace and advanced engineering. After nationalisation the Fox logo that had been used for decades as a mark of quality was shelved, only to be brought back when the global market declined as customers lost confidence in the quality of the steel where the Fox logo was absent. Stocksbridge was one of the first continuous casting facilities in Europe. Continuous casting was another invention that was patented by Bessemer.

Margret Thatchers desire to make Britain the first post industrial economy in the world impacted on Sheffield more than most other cities. Sheffield was de-industrialised as part of this experiment and during the 1980’s British Steel Corporation was sold.

Privatisation failed and unemployment and manufacturing decline followed, not only in the steel industry but the thousands of small supply companies that had thrived and grown over a hundred and fifty years. A good example of these supply companies was Greaves of Sheffield. Greaves grew out of the cutlery industries need for high quality wooden cutlery cases. As the steel and cutlery industry declined it expanded into other markets including the audio industry. Greaves became the main UK supplier of cabinets for audio companies including Bowers and Wilkins, Acoustic Energy, Linn and countless others. Without Greaves, it is highly unlikely that the first Wilson Benesch loudspeaker would have ever been built, for it was within the Greaves prototyping shop that the Wilson Benesch founders assembled the first prototypes. Craig Milnes witnessed the closure of the company and actually purchased equipment from the sale that is still in use by Wilson Benesch today.

The effects of industrial deconstruction was popularised by the very successful film “The Full Monty” that described a proud city that was once the engine room of the British economy, being transformed and left with shattered communities. The film homes in on a small number of unemployed steelworkers who gain employment by stripping naked in a working mans club.

Coming Full Circle, there is a new momentum in Sheffield manufacturing and advanced engineering, thanks to a large extent to the drive within small companies. The strong traditions have survived the ravages of political dogma and today small and large companies build upon the legacy of Bessemer and others like him. Sheffield’s engineering and materials science always maintained a global reputation with world class Universities, both of which are recognised specialists in materials science. The Advanced Manufacturing Park provides a just a glimpse of what the future holds. A Centre of Excellence with major research and development companies including Boeing and Rolls Royce. Castings International alongside specialist Carbon Fibre research facilities. More recently the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, a collaboration between Sheffield University and Rolls Royce has been located here. Thousands of advanced engineering jobs are being created every year. Strongest among these? the small companies like Wilson Benesch, as documented within the report by the Sheffield City Council, Modern Manufacturing An Economic Asset for Sheffield and the City Region. The huge contribution that this sector makes to the UK economy is impressive. Looking to the near future, further growth is assured as Sheffield acquires, Enterprise Zone status.

Bessemer Converter
Sheffield’s Kelham Island Industrial Heritage Museum, maintains an early example of a Bessemer Converter for public viewing.

This year we celebrate the work of a great innovator from the audio industry, the Yorkshire man Gilbert Briggs.

Britain has an enviable reputation for innovation and quality in audio design. One innovator who could be described as a leading figure in this tradition began work on his first loudspeaker in a small cellar in Ilkley, Yorkshire. It was here that Gilbert Briggs built his first loudspeaker in 1932. Located in the valley of the river Wharfe the company that Briggs and his wife created would soon become world famous as the brand Wharfedale.

Gilbert Briggs is still much admired and respected throughout the world for his pioneering work in hifi reproduction and his endless pursuit of better sound quality driven by his love of live music.

A brief look at the history of the Briggs of Yorkshire, because it was very much a husband and wife operation and the history of the company would need to begin in 1933 when Gilbert set up a small factory near Bradford to build loudspeaker drive units for the emerging technology, radio. As demand grew for the new drive units his wife, Doris Edna Briggs took control of the ever increasing production demands.

Notably in the same year the company won first and second prize in the Bradford Radio Society’s annual competition. This led to significant orders and within a short period the company was manufacturing 9000 units a year. Within three years the company had out grown its original site and so moved to a larger factory within Bradford and it was here that the company became part of the War effort producing tens of thousands of transformers for Marconi.

The technological advances that had occurred during the war and the production infrastructure that had been developed made way for a new focus that would take the company forward into high quality audio developments. Responding to the swell of interest after the war in better sound reproduction Briggs turned his attentions to building sophisticated loudspeaker systems that could only be described as High End. The drive unit technology was moving forward thanks to the sophisticated manufacturing techniques that were now finely honed skills. It is reputed that one crossover for one loudspeaker design required two full grown men to lift! Briggs also researched and developed an understanding of the contribution of cabinet structures. Amongst many other novel ideas we can see here the emergence of the the first composite structures.

Briggs brought together plywood skins and filled them with sand to create the first composite structure in loudspeakers. This design was seen as one of the best solutions. The detailed studies of different materials and their comparative strengths and weaknesses according to numerous criteria were all documented and would eventually find there way into publication. In fact some of the findings of his research work he openly shared when he published in 1948 his first book, ‘Loudspeakers The Why & How of Good Reproduction’. Though modest in size the first edition was so well received, it sold out within 5 months and has subsequently been reprinted on numerous occasions. He went on to write many other books, including the follow up to Loudspeakers, called ‘Sound Reproduction’.

It was the combination of technologies that enabled the company to set new standards of performance both in the High End and also at more affordable prices. It could be said that Briggs introduced the idea of the Hi Fi Show when in the 1950′s he decided to present a series of concerts in prestigious concert halls, where live music could be compared to recorded music. The demonstrations were based around a live band, or group of instruments who would play first, being recorded as it happened. The acetate would then be played back to the assembled audience to impress upon them the similarity of the recorded music.

In 1958 The Wharfedale Wireless Works were sold to the Rank organisation. Gilbert Briggs, then 68 years old, continued to manage the day-to-day running of the company until retirement in 1965. He died in 1978. Since then the company has changed hands with various organisations. After Rank came the Verity Group PLC who subsequently sold the company to the Chinese group I.A.G. who also own, Quad, Audiolab, Mission and Castle Acoustics.

This year we celebrate the ingenious work of John Harrison (1693 – 1776). Craftsman, inventor, materials technologist and musician.

John Harrison was born in Wakefield West Yorkshire and his systematic analytical prowess led him to provide numerous solutions to chronology. He invented the gridiron pendulum, consisting of alternating brass and iron rods assembled so that the swing of the pendulum would not be influenced by thermal expansion. The grasshopper escapement solved, in an elegant way, the step-by-step release of a clock’s driving power. Being almost entirely free of friction, it required no lubrication. He subsequently went on to invent the bi-metallic strip and the caged roller bearing. Harrison is however perhaps most widely recognised as the man who was never given due credit and reward for solving one of the most intractable and difficult problems of his time, determining Longitude whilst at sea.

In today’s world where clocks are everywhere the problem of recording time seems quite a simple one. In the days of sea fairing, recording time was seen as impossible. When one considers the enormity of the problem of producing a mechanical clock that could maintain accurate time on a lengthy, rough sea voyage with widely varying conditions of temperature, pressure and humidity, it is no wonder that many leading scientists including Newton and Huygens doubted that such a clock could ever be built. It was for this reason that so many academics of the time looked for solutions to the problem in astronomical observation.

The measurement of longitude was a problem that came into sharp focus as people began making transoceanic voyages. The Board of Longitude was set up to invite and judge the competitors.
The main longitude prizes were:
* 10,000 for a method that could determine longitude within 60 nautical miles
* 15,000 for a method that could determine longitude within 40 nautical miles
* 20,000 for a method that could determine longitude within 30 nautical miles

It was H4(pictured above)measuring some five and a quarter inches diameter that was to be his masterpiece — an instrument of beauty. H4 took six years to construct and Harrison, by then 68 years old, sent it on its transatlantic trial in the care of his son William in 1761. When HMS Deptford reached Jamaica the watch was 5 seconds slow, corresponding to an error in longitude of 1.25 minutes or approximately one nautical mile. It was this design that was removed from him by the Board of longitude for tests that went on for years. It was during the third year that he resolved to embark upon his fifth design. Harrison felt “extremely ill used by the gentlemen who I might have expected better treatment from” and so secured an audience with the then King George III who sympathised and expressed his anger to the Board.
11 years later King George tested H5 himself at the palace and after ten weeks of daily observations between May and July in 1772, found it to be accurate to within one third of one second per day. King George then advised Harrison to petition Parliament for the full prize after threatening to appear in person to dress them down. In 1773 when he was 80 years old, Harrison received a monetary award to the tune of £8,750 from Parliament for his achievements, however he never received the official award which was never awarded to anyone. John Harrison was to survive for just three more years.

In the final years of his life, John Harrison wrote about his research into musical tuning and manufacturing methods for bells. His tuning system, (a meantone system derived from pi) is described in his book “Concerning Such Mechanism. This system challenges the traditional view that harmonics occur at integer frequency ratios and in consequence all music using this tuning produces low frequency beating. In 2002 Harrison’s last manuscript, a true and (“short, but” – crossed out) full Account of the Foundation of Musick, or, as principally therein, of the Existence of the Natural Notes of Melody, was rediscovered in the US Library of Congress. His theories on the mathematics of bell manufacturing, using “Radical Numbers”, are to this day not clearly understood.

Dava Sobel’s 1996 bestseller Longitude (ISBN 0-14-025879-5) recounts Harrison’s story. A film adaptation of Longitude was released by Granada Productions and A&E in 2000 starring Michael Gambon as Harrison and Jeremy Irons as Rupert Gould.

H3 is pictured above
H1,2,3 and 4 are on display at the Greeenwich Maritime Museum London.

This year we celebrate a living designer, David Mellor, CBE, FCSD, RDI. Like the great John Smeaton who began this series, Mellor produced a design that relies upon our perception of light.
In this case it literally dictates the people of England’s movement almost every single day. It is called, amongst other things, the traffic light.

David Mellor, Royal Designer for Industry, is unusual in this country in combining the activities of hands-on craftsman and designer with those of design entrepreneur. He has operated as designer, manufacturer and retailer, seeing the designer’s function as controlling a product through all stages from concept to customer. He has felt it his mission to improve design standards over a broad spectrum, directly affecting very many people’s lives.

Born in Sheffield in 1930, David Mellor trained originally as a silversmith. His Sheffield background gave him a particular affinity with metalwork. This developed onwards from his early years of making one-off pieces of specially commissioned silver, including table silver for British embassies, to the present relatively large scale operation. David Mellor’s well known ranges of stainless steel and silver cutlery are now manufactured in his own purpose-built factory in Derbyshire. Within the factory Mellor’s concern for the craftsmen within led to the introduction of new working practices. Whereas workers in the Sheffield cutlery industry have always specialised in a single operation, he introduced a new system whereby his cutlery makers rotate from task to task, increasing job satisfaction through a sense of involvement in the project as a whole. Following the design of the building the employees stopped being cutlers and became builders creating the principle wooden structures that would form the roof of the Round House.

The interior of the building is bathed in natural light to provide the perfect environment to perform craft skills of the highest standards. Many of the machines within the factory have been redesigned and modified by the same cutlers in order to perform specific tasks required of Davids designs.

David Mellor Design operates on the simple principle that well-designed equipment can improve your life.

David Mellor cutlery is manufactured in a purpose-designed modern factory in the Peak District National Park. The Round Building, designed by Sir Michael Hopkins, has won numerous architectural awards.

David Mellor was elected Royal Designer for Industry in 1962. He was Chairman of the Crafts Council 1982-4 and a Trustee of the Victoria & Albert Museum 1983-8. He holds Hon. Doctorates from the University of Sheffield, De Montfort University, Sheffield Hallam University, Loughborough University and the Royal College of Art.

Appointed OBE in 1981, and CBE in 2001.
Other notable designs.

1966 Square pillar box
Cast iron

Commissioned by the
Post Office. The design aroused controversy as a departure from the traditional pillar box.

1971 ‘Eclipse’ Saw and hacksaw frame

Part of a large range of Mellor’s designs for the leading Sheffield tool manufacturers, James Neill.

2005 ‘Pride’ Stainless steel

David Mellor’s earliest and most famous cutlery is now available in hand- finished, mirror polished stainless steel.

“For me, in all aspects of my activity, from the architecture of our buildings, the selection of products for my shops, down to the choice of the right rivets for my cutlery, to aim for the highest visual standards has been paramount, and perfecting this skill has been one of the main aims of my life as a designer.”

Working practices within Wilson Benesch follow the same principles as those of Mellor with staff being involved in some way in every aspect of the company from design concepts through to finished product. Within the company there exists a huge range of processes that begin with raw materials and conclude with the finished product. We believe this to be almost unique in today’s audio industry. A multi-skilled group of people are engaged in many and extremely varied tasks but with recognised responsibilities in terms of key products. Like David Mellor the company enjoys an exemplary standard, that is well above average, staff retention level.

This is the first of a series of articles that celebrates the ingenuity of English men and women that are linked to Yorkshire in some way. These articles are not in any particular order. Each individual has been selected simply upon merit. In this case, Wilson Benesch has launched Trinity, so we thought that it might be interesting to mention Trinity House.

The safety of shipping, and the well being of seafarers, have been the prime concern of Trinity House since it was granted a Charter by Henry VIII in 1514. Part of this responsibility is of course the lighthouse which John Smeaton will always be remembered for. In addition John Smeaton was a Yorkshireman. As Wilson Benesch is based in South Yorkshire what better place to begin the series.

Navigation off Plymouth would remain hazardous whilst ever Eddystone rock stood without a lighthouse. The two previous wooden designs had failed the test resulting in the death of the designer himself in one case. For 52 years mariners looked forward to the day that a replacement would be found. During this time, Trinity House placed a light vessel to guard the position until a permanent light could be built. It was clear from the demise of the previous designs that the task would not be solved by any ordinary solution however. In 1756 the Royal Society recommended a Yorkshireman, John Smeaton, for the task. The assignment would capture the imagination of the world.

The idea of being inspired by natural forms is often used today but of course it is not a recent phenomenon for designers to draw upon millions of years of evolution. Smeaton’s inspiration came from the Oak tree and he decided to construct a tower based on the same shape for strength, but made of stone rather than wood, as in the case of previous designs. Such a decision is of course, not an easy choice to make. How would the rock be transported, never mind assembled upon to an organic form in the middle of the sea. The level of workmanship would have to be exemplary, but why would any quality craftsman wish to work in such dangerous conditions? Trinity House arranged with the Admiralty at Plymouth to have a medal struck for each labourer to prove that they were working on the lighthouse. This would ensure that they were prevented from conscription into the Navy.

The foundations and facing were constructed from local granite. To bond the granite Smeaton invented a quick drying cement, ‘hydraulic lime’ (a form of concrete that will set under water) it is a formula that is still used today. An ingenious method of securing each block of stone to its neighbour, using carefully cut interlocking joints and marble dowels was employed. Of course the technology for assembling such a structure was of it self, a huge engineering challenge.

To enable the transportation of the large granite blocks from the vessel to the rock a device was designed by Smeaton that is still in use today by ships at sea to enable them to lift to considerable heights. The design that he created has never been improved upon. The combined result of these and other innovations enabled the completion of the tower within three years. Engineering of such a quality in the days of candle power seems all the more extraordinary. 24 candles were used to provide light on 16 October 1759.

While in use, Smeaton’s lighthouse was 59 feet (18 metres) in height, and had a diameter at the base of 26 feet (8 metres) and at the top of 17 feet (5 metres). It remained in use until 1877 when it was discovered that the rocks upon which it stood were becoming eroded each time a large wave hit the lighthouse it would shake from side to side. Smeaton’s lighthouse was largely dismantled and rebuilt on Plymouth Hoe, in the city of Plymouth, as a memorial. The foundations and stub of the old tower remain on the Eddystone Rocks. The foundations proved too strong to be dismantled so the Victorians left them where they stood (the irony of this lighthouse is that although the previous two were destroyed, this one proved to be stronger than the rock upon which it was built and could not even be intentionally taken apart).

The remaining stump still stands on the Eddystone Rock. Testimony to inspired Yorkshire ingenuity.

Note that the A.C.T. tonearm was designed with the same form, essentially a hyperbolic curve. This provides any beam or tower with the highest possible strength to weight ratio. It is naturally correct and when allied to a carbon fibre helix the ultimate is possible. No other form or materials technology can be demonstrated to outperform this solution. It is the stiffest, lightest and of itself, most highly self damped tone arm tube in the world.