# Old Park Silver Rolling Mill, Sheffield, March 2015



## HughieD (Apr 2, 2015)

Nice and easy little explore this. Been covered a few times on here but not for a year of so. Nothing really spectacular and pretty trashed but an interesting place if you like graffiti plus the place a big history. Here is the history bit.

The Old Park Silver Rolling Mill was notable as the first mill to roll Old Sheffield Plate, used by local silversmiths to manufacture candlesticks. Originally it was called the Club Mill, due to its joint ‘club’ ownership, located on the road of the same name. It was a Corn Mill that supplied the owners with cost price-flour. Old Park Silver Mills was established in the 1760’s by a Mr. Joseph Hancock who was the first to use water power to roll Sheffield Plate, a fusion of Copper and Silver. The mill, one of the earliest factories solely producing an industrial semi-manufacture. Its product was used as mentioned earlier for candlesticks and other items including snuff boxes, tea pots and coffee pots. It was located on the left bank of the Don opposite where the Rivelin and Loxley flow into the river. In 1864 the Bradfield dam burst its walls and the resulting flood completely removed one mill shop and attendant furnaces at Old Park Silver. The insurance claim for damage totalled £1,932 (no small amount back then) and the mill subsequently re-established themselves as the main rollers to the silver trade in Sheffield under Mr. William Hobson Peace. In 1928 a new 500 h.p. electric drive replaced the steam engine previously installed in 1875. The mill worked until the 1950s before being succeeded by the Sheffield Rolling Co.

On with the pictures.

General shot of the main building:


img8196 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img8201 by HughieDW, on Flickr

The roof is now totally collapsed leaving just a shell:


img8190 by HughieDW, on Flickr

One of the several out-buildings with work of the graffiti artist Color:


img8227 by HughieDW, on Flickr

At the back of the main building a nice little piece by Coloquix:


img8191 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Here’s the mill wheel hut:


img8228 by HughieDW, on Flickr

…and the mill wheel itself:


img8195 by HughieDW, on Flickr

And the hut and mill wheel together:


img8199 by HughieDW, on Flickr

View through the trees of the second major building:


img8223 by HughieDW, on Flickr

And a front elevation:


img8220 by HughieDW, on Flickr

On the inside looking out:


img8218 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Inside a whacky bit of graff courtesy of Color(?):


img8205 by HughieDW, on Flickr

The roof is a leaking!


img8211 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Street art by Brayk (left) and Color(?) right:


img8217 by HughieDW, on Flickr

And a fantastic second piece by Coloquix:


img8216 by HughieDW, on Flickr

More work by Color maybe:


img8207 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Good ventilation!


img8206 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Color has been busy here:


img8193 by HughieDW, on Flickr

And just round the corner a large but slowly decaying piece of work by Sheffield’s premier graff artist, Phlegm:


img8258 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img8257 by HughieDW, on Flickr

…and finally a third piece by Coloquix:


img8256 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Thanks for looking!


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## Mikeymutt (Apr 2, 2015)

Nice set there thank you..like the graffiti.


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## HughieD (Apr 2, 2015)

Mikeymutt said:


> Nice set there thank you..like the graffiti.



Cheers Mikeymutt. Like a mini urbex art gallery it was....


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## smiler (Apr 2, 2015)

Lovely stuff, some magic pics I enjoyed the shots of the water wheel and artwork, most enjoyable, Thanks


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## tumble112 (Apr 2, 2015)

Nicely captured and thats some of the best graffiti I've seen. Liking the Mill Wheel.


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## flyboys90 (Apr 2, 2015)

Superb graffiti and a really interesting site and water wheel.


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## HughieD (Apr 3, 2015)

flyboys90 said:


> Superb graffiti and a really interesting site and water wheel.



Cheers mate. Cracking little site and that I'd a sweet water wheel.


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## Dirus_Strictus (Apr 3, 2015)

tumble1 said:


> Nicely captured and thats some of the best graffiti I've seen.



Nice set of photographs here.

Still looking as good as when it was first completed. This is one of the very few places where I think the graffiti actually enhances the site and visit. Apart from the overshot water wheel from the original drive system, all that is left is the brick and masonry work - which could belong to any old factory of the period, unless one knows the history.

If I may elaborate on the making of 'Sheffield Plate' for those that do not know the method - Yes, it is a fusion of silver and copper, but the fusion comes about when a thick plate of silver is soldered onto a thick copper sheet. By a process of rolling and careful annealing, the thick bi-metal sheet is rolled down in thickness until a thin layer of silver is formed. The physical strength of the finally produced bi-metal sheet comes from the much thicker copper base sheet that remains after rolling. A very clever way of producing cheaper 'silver' goods and a far more durable silver 'coating' than the later electro plate, although one can still find old items where years of polishing have worn the silver layer away from corners and raised embellishments.


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## HughieD (Apr 3, 2015)

Dirus_Strictus said:


> Nice set of photographs here.
> 
> Still looking as good as when it was first completed. This is one of the very few places where I think the graffiti actually enhances the site and visit. Apart from the overshot water wheel from the original drive system, all that is left is the brick and masonry work - which could belong to any old factory of the period, unless one knows the history.
> 
> If I may elaborate on the making of 'Sheffield Plate' for those that do not know the method - Yes, it is a fusion of silver and copper, but the fusion comes about when a thick plate of silver is soldered onto a thick copper sheet. By a process of rolling and careful annealing, the thick bi-metal sheet is rolled down in thickness until a thin layer of silver is formed. The physical strength of the finally produced bi-metal sheet comes from the much thicker copper base sheet that remains after rolling. A very clever way of producing cheaper 'silver' goods and a far more durable silver 'coating' than the later electro plate, although one can still find old items where years of polishing have worn the silver layer away from corners and raised embellishments.



As always a font of knowledge...thank you Dirus!


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## UrbanX (Apr 9, 2015)

Fantastic set of images! Love that phlegm too so much - am gutted to have missed out on his last print release! 
Love it, thanks for sharing


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## DirtyJigsaw (Apr 9, 2015)

Lovely. Nice graff in there too.


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