Historic steel giant,
Sheffield Forgemasters, is celebrating its 250-year anniversary. The Ministry of Defence-owned business has traced its heritage back to 1776, the year of American independence, when George Naylor helped his cutlery manufacturing partnership to move into steelmaking through the construction of a crucible steel furnace in the city.
Showcasing a vast history which incorporates some of the world’s most famous steel and defence manufacturers, including Vickers, William Jessop, Thomas Firth, John Brown, Armstrong-Whitworth, and Supermarine, Sheffield Forgemasters is marking this historic milestone.
Sheffield Forgemasters’ CEO Gary Nutter said: “Following some detailed research, we have been able to locate the company’s first involvement in steel through the pioneering work of George Naylor in 1776, and his son, George Portus Naylor, who subsequently formed the earliest of partnerships with the Vickers family. Recognising this anniversary, we are dedicating 2026 to celebrating the vast contribution that our inherited companies made to establishing Sheffield as the world’s most important steelmaking centre for many years.”
He continued: “Throughout the year, we are looking forward to celebrating this historic landmark with our people, past and present, the wider community, and recognising the new legacy we are creating through our £1.3 billion investment programme to set ourselves up for generations to come.”
Sheffield Forgemasters was formed in 1983 with the merger of Johnson, Firth Brown Ltd and British Steel’s River Don Works on Brightside Lane in Sheffield, where the Naylor, Hutchinson Vickers & Co enterprise located in 1863, having previously operated at Millsands in the city centre.
New machine shopThe company still operates from the River Don Works site and is now expanding onto the former Cammell Laird Brightside Steel Works at Weedon Street, where it is building a new 30,000m
2 machine shop to underpin its manufacture into UK defence programmes. An additional 13,000-tonne press and building is also under construction on the North side of Brightside Lane.
Mr Nutter added: “We are privileged to be the custodians of such an incredible company, and a nationally important chapter of social and industrial history. As such, we are duty bound to commemorate the developments that our predecessors made, including Harry Brierley’s invention of stainless steel, the world’s first integrated steelworks at Marshall’s on Millsands, provision of steel to build America’s railroads, and the crucial supply of armaments for two World Wars.”
He concluded: “During our 250th anniversary year we are also looking to the future and marking our important role in the defence sector and the major complementary opportunities emerging in civil nuclear, securing future roles for years to come.”