Sheffield Forgemaster to celebrate 250 years after new research shines light on firm's origin
Historic South Yorkshire steel giant, Sheffield Forgemasters, is celebrating its 250-year anniversary, after new research traced the origins of the company.
It comes after the Ministry of Defence-owned business 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.
Gary Nutter, chief executive officer at Sheffield Forgemasters, 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.
Sheffield Forgemasters as it stands today 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.
The 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 30,000 m2 Machine Shop.