Wednesday, July 19, 2006

100 years ago

Probably the largest single order for cutlery and plate ever placed with a Sheffield firm was completed and despatched by the well-known house of J H Potter, of Rockingham Works in that city. It was composed of nearly half a million articles of cutlery and plate, and consisted chiefly of cutlery and cabinets, tea and coffee services, and cases of cutlery and plate.

These, packed in some 150,000 cases, created somewhat of a sensation passing through the streets of Sheffield on route to the consignees, Messrs Joseph Watson and Sons Limited, Whitehall Soap-Works, Leeds. They would be presented as prizes in one of the competitions promoted by that firm.

50 years ago

The firm founded in 1925 by Madame Beryl who, as Lillie Humphrey served her apprenticeship with the old-established house of Debenham and Coy, York, was on the move, from Spurriergate, where the business had been for 26 years, to Coppergate. In 1925 the York business was begun by her at 18, Blossom Street.

Four years later an additional studio was opened at Selby and a third establishment later started at Strensall Camp. At this time, the business was converted into a private limited company, and the company's headquarters moved to Spurriergate. Portraiture was the firm's speciality. Many notable people had had their photographs taken in their studios.

25 years ago

A York man had rescued a unique piece of local history from a rubbish tip. Mr Mike Kwiatkowski, of Acomb, who saved 60 photographic plates from oblivion, had now been told that the negatives of photographs taken in the 1920s could be worth hundreds of pounds. The photographs of York, which included a wedding, a regimental picture, a football team, a town crier and a crowd in Parliament Street, were probably taken by a professional.

But the previous owner dumped them on the Beckfield Lane skip, Mr Kwiatkowski, who was unemployed, explained: "I sent my son, Ian, to the skip with some rubbish and he met a lady who said she had some old bits of glass she didn't want." Ian, aged 13, took back the "bits of glass" to his father, who realised he had stumbled on something interesting.

The most interesting plate was a picture of what was probably York's first registered char-a-banc a Daimler full of flag-waving York citizens and bearing the original DN 1 number plate, which was presently carried by the Lord Mayor's official car. As well as the plates, Ian was also given a copy of the 1917 Boys' Own Annual by the woman he met at the skip.