Unknown Old Photograph by J. Bambridge, Gateshead of Factory Workers

[SparkleyShoes]

I have discovered this old family photograph that I have no idea about. (I've had to crop some of the edges off in enable to make the file the right size to upload). The photograph is mounted on a back board and in the bottom right corner the photographer's name and address is embossed and says: J. Bambridge. 197 High Street, Gateshead.
I don't know the date of the photograph but believe it is at least pre-1914. The photograph shows men and women in a metal factory. I know that the family that came from Gateshead had surnames or Haughey and McGiven, and that on the 1911 census some of their occupations are 'Labourer Plate Mills', which I'm not sure what that entails.

Does anyone know anything about the photograph or the photographer please? Or even the industry in the area?

Any information is greatly received. Thank you in advance.

[Seoras]

I would say around WWI time. I wonder if that first machine is some kind of kiln. The operator is certainly using a long pair of tongs to keep some distance.

[macintosh]

Steel Mills rolled red hot steel ingots into various shapes like railway line, angle beams "I" beams, fish plates etc, Fish plates were later reheated and cut and punched with holes for joining railway lines together.
Plate mills would roll out from ingots and slabs plate of various thickness for shipbuilding and construction.

One possibility of your pic is an annealing operation on a small scale, punched or cast products are annealed by heating  in ovens which alters the carbon in the metal to make them more malleable and then cleaned and polished by wheel/sanding and shotblasting operations, possibly small components for some other product assembled elsewhere.

Great pic, especially the boiler suit on the man in centre.

James

[arthurk]

Wouldn't it have been unusual for women to be doing that kind of work? This makes me wonder if it was during WW1, when women took on many of the jobs of men who had gone off to fight.

Arthur

[Treetotal]

I gave it a bit of a clean for you...Hope you don't mind.
Carol

[SparkleyShoes]

Thanks for all the information so far everyone. And thanks for cleaning up the photograph, of course I don't mind you doing it, you've done a good job

I know older generations of the family worked in about the 1890s and presumably before then as well worked in the coal and iron sector. Also I think the branch of family in Gateshead originated from Ireland.

You're all probably right with it being during WW1, I just thought it wouldn't be much after then because the family moved away from Gateshead after the war. We've just ended up with this photo with no information with it, so I don't know why we have or if any family members are on it or not. And even if I did find other photos of people it could be the faces on this one aren't that clear for a comparison really.

Thanks again everyone, it's much appreciated.

[JGDavies]

The items stacked on the bench on the right look like the bases of flat irons for ironing clothes to me. They have two holes where the handle would be attached perhaps before plating.

[Geoff-E]

I agree they look a weebit likeflat ironsbutIimagine theywouldbecast iron.

Ohdear,Ijustspiltwhiskyonmykeyboard,itlooksasifthespacebarnolongerworks.

[sarah]

Hi Sparkly,

Hope you don't mind but I thought I would try moving your post to Durham to see if anyone has any local knowledge on the factory.

Hope your Keyboard has dried out Geoff, you did make me laugh

Sarah