Report - George Barnsley's Cornish Works, Sheffield January 2015

mookster · May 2, 2020

I was a little late to the GB's party compared with other people out there who were lucky enough to visit in the years before I did, somehow I was never in the right area when it was on my mind and so I did the usual thing of getting distracted by other places and other things. The closest I had come to exploring GB's was the summer before where I made it into the Wharncliffe Works next door but couldn't find a route through there to the big prize. Fast forward to Christmas 2014 and I'm discussing with my friend where we should go for a post-New Year jaunt and for once, George Barnsley's was right at the forefront of my mind. Soon enough I found myself in Sheffield with my friend as dawn broke on a wet January day, we had a rough idea of the access into the site at that time so made short work of that so as to not arouse any potential suspicion from anybody who may have been working at the time and got in.

George Barnsley & Sons Ltd was founded in 1836 and were originally situated on Wheeldon Street, Sheffield. By 1849 they had moved to the Cornish Works, which were much larger premises. They specialised in the manufacture of files and cutting tools for use in the shoe making industry. There are a number of family names that are known to have deep roots in the Sheffield area, and the Barnsley name is undoubtedly one of them. In 1650 George Barnsley became Master Cutler, a role fulfilled by another George Barnsley in 1883. This George Barnsley was of the second generation of the firm of George Barnsley and Sons, toolmakers. The business grew to become the world’s leading producer of tools for shoemakers. The technological revolution of the 20th century saw a decline in the need for traditional tools. George Barnsley’s survived until 2003 when the premises finally closed.

George Barnsley's is arguably one of the best derelict factory sites the UK has ever had, it was old - very old, full of stuff, full of decay and had oodles of character and endless photo opportunities. It became a well known icon of exploring in the UK and for a good reason, as it was even in it's later days an amazing place to explore. It was a total timewarp from top to bottom and frankly it's incredible it survived so well for so long in Sheffield of all places. I loved my time here, I just wish I'd pulled my finger out a bit earlier and seen it before it got quite so tagged and emptied out. I believe a couple of years later, around 2017, the buildings were all stripped out as they are now awaiting a conversion project.