On this day, in 1979: A walk through York (p1)

On this day, in 1979: A walk through York (p2)

Written in Miss Arnold’s geography class, describing what I guess we called a field trip, a walk around York starting at what was then Mill Mount School (now All Saints), Mill Mount Lane. I’d just turned 12, it’s a long time ago.

Some things haven’t changed – the city walls, Baile Hill, Clifford’s Tower. A few things have:

Terry’s factory and Hargreaves fertilizers

We looked across from Baile Hill towards the old Terry’s factory, by the riverside at Terry Avenue, a site now occupied by riverside apartments. The city archives have this photo from 1974:

(c) City of York Council

According to the accompanying notes in the archives, the factory was demolished in 1975, so quite what we were looking at in 1979 I’m not sure. Presumably just the remnants of it. Some low walls, weedy and overgrown, remained on this site in 1984, I remember walking past them at the time, when I lived in a bedsit nearby.

What was the site being used for in the 1970s? The Terry’s factory had moved to that larger and more impressive factory on Bishopthorpe Road decades earlier. I’ve never quite been sure what purpose these riverside buildings served by then. Clearly when I was twelve I didn’t really care. More interested now.

I’m also a bit puzzled by ‘at the bottom of the steps is Hargreaves Fertilisers’. Which steps? Down from the city walls, on Skeldergate? Don’t remember this at all. Perhaps someone else does.

‘a barge converted into a pub’

Would be The Barge Pub, which I’ve read about since. Clearly too young to visit it at the time, and sadly never did before it disappeared, sinking in 1985. As pictured on Flickr.

‘The factory on the left makes glass’

Redfearn National Glass, featured previously on these pages, with a photo of the factory from 1977 (and more recently, the glassworks clock).

‘newspaper factory works’

The Evening Press, perhaps at this point still having newsprint delivered by barge. Now the site of the City Screen development, with a wall still proudly displaying the Yorkshire Herald lettering.

‘The former railway track is now just grass’

When we stood on Tanner Row and looked down at the front of West Offices — then railway offices, now the council offices — I thought the railway lines had come in there, right below where we were looking. I was clearly quite impressed by this vision of how things used to be and the rather romantic notion that railway lines had disappeared under grass. It was only later, about ten years ago, that I realised from further reading that the lines had been on the other side, not visible to us, inside the ‘U’ shape formed by those buildings.

. . . . .

Apart from the long-held misunderstanding mentioned above, and the fact regarding the limestone coming from Tadcaster, I don’t remember anything else about the walk. I was surprised to find this account, and have no recollection of writing it.

I was interested to see that it has a date as other things in the same exercise book don’t. I wonder, did the teacher instruct us to include the date, or did I decide to? We’ll never know. But it’s nice to be able to include it here, on the internet none of us could imagine then, on the same day, 35 years later.

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Before leaving the subject of clocks, I wanted to include a photo of this one, sent to me by Ian Dixon.

It’s not the type I’ve included on earlier pages, which were all street clocks or factory clocks. This too is a factory clock, but it lived inside, and once controlled factory time at the glassworks in York (Redfearn National Glass, pictured below, and previously mentioned on this page).

Ian would be interested in hearing from anyone who remembers the clock in the factory. If you do, please add a comment below.

Located near the works fitters workshop, it was used to set the time for the whole building, wired up to all the clocking-in clocks and clock dials, so factory time was controlled from one place. An easy and accurate way of controlling time in factories as it meant only one clock to worry about (and change twice a year when the clocks go forward/back an hour).

Apparently it was rescued from the factory when it closed, by a man from Acomb, who had it in storage until a couple of years ago. Ian has serviced it and replaced worn parts and restored it. It’s now on his living room wall.

Ian notes that the clock isn’t particularly valuable, but it is ‘a nice piece of history’. He intends to fit a small plaque inside it showing the factory dates.

Andy Tuckwell’s photo of the factory dates from 1977. It closed the following decade.

We tend to call it just ‘the glassworks’, but it was Redfearn National Glass from 1967 to 1984. Redfearn was founded in September 1967 from National Glass Works (York) Ltd (founded in 1930) & Redfearn Bros, Barnsley.

A glassworks had been on or near the site since the 18th century, my rather rushed Googled research suggests.

The factory buildings were demolished in the late 1980s. A hotel now occupies the site.

See the earlier page for Andy’s memories of working here for a short time in the late 1970s.

Thanks to Ian for the photo and information.

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[Photo: Andy Tuckwell]

The factory alongside the Foss, pictured here in 1977, closed in 1984.

And some bottles … and a jar … (2018 update)

This page, as it originally appeared, was just that photo and caption above. I added it in November 2011, seven years back, one of the first postings that was more blog-like and open to comments, after an overhaul of the website. (I’d been online here for seven years before that, without a comments facility.)

Thanks to everyone who has added the comments below since then, particularly those remembering working here. Sorry I haven’t been able to reply to them all. But a recent comment/query from Daniel reminded me that I really should get around to adding photos of three bottles I have, which were made here in the 1970s and 80s. Below my photos are photos Daniel sent me of the small jar he has which appears to have been made here at an earlier date, when the factory was the National Glass Works (York).

Three bottles given to me by my stepdad, John Jones, who worked at Redfearns:

Redfearn Glass, GMF visit commemorative bottle, 1976

Bottle made at Redfearn National Glass Ltd, for 1977 jubilee

Bottle made at Redfearn National Glass Ltd, for 1977 jubilee

Bottle made at Redfearn National Glass Ltd, for 1981 royal wedding

Bottle made at Redfearn National Glass Ltd, for 1981 royal wedding (detail)

And Daniel’s jar:

Daniel’s bottle has an N in a diamond shape on the base. A website on glass bottle marks has some information (thanks to Mike in the comments, who originally suggested this link):

N in a diamond……………National Glass Works (York), Limited, Fishergate, York, Yorkshire, United Kingdom (c.1930-1967). Known as York Flint Glass Company, founded circa 1837. Incorporated as National Glass Works in 1930. National merged with Redfearn Glass Works in 1967. York factory closed c. 1984?? Exact stretch of years of usage of the N-Diamond mark is unclear, but it was surely in use at least during the 1950s and 1960s. Additional info on dates of usage of the mark is sought from readers!
(source)

— a photo alongside has the accompanying caption ‘(As seen on base of kitchen canister or spice jar)’. This might be what Daniel has? His example seems to have ended up in Australia.

Further information

On this site, see also: glassworks clock

York Press – LOST YORK: 53 photos of Redfearn National Glass (3 Oct 2016)

. . . . .

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