Sheffield has lost several long-running and much-loved businesses in recent years, from butchers to manufacturers.
But there are many popular firms in the city which have survived for generations and are still going strong, having survived recessions, world wars and more recently the double whammy of Covid and the cost-of-living crisis.
These are some of Sheffield’s oldest businesses which are still running, including Henderson’s Relish, where the recipe remains a closely guarded secret; Atkinsons, which is now the city centre’s last surviving department store; and Granelli’s, which is one of the nation’s oldest sweet shops.
1. These are some of Sheffield's oldest businesses, which have stood the test of time and have been trading in many cases for more than a century
These are some of Sheffield's oldest businesses, which have stood the test of time and have been trading in many cases for more than a century Photo: National World
2. Two Steps
Two Steps, on Sheffield's Sharrow Vale Road, claims to be Yorkshire's oldest fish and chip shop, serving up fried suppers since 1895. Over the years it has won praise from the likes of the Guardian and The Times newspapers, and singer Tony Christie famously posed outside for the sleeve of his 2008 album Made In Sheffield. Photo: JPIMedia
3. Forgemasters
Sheffield is probably still most famous for producing the metal which saw it branded the Steel City. While the demise of the city's steel industry in the face of fierce international competition has been well-documented, Sheffield Forgemasters International is still going strong. Its website describes how the firm's origins date back to the 1750s as a small blacksmith forge. George Naylor set up the foundations for the business as a commercial operation with the building of the Millsands Steelworks in 1805. His son in law, Edward Vickers, later joined forces with him to form Naylor Vickers and Co. The company has since been associated with many of the industry's most famous names such as English Steel, Firth Brown, British Steel and River Don Castings. Today, the firm proudly boasts, it is 'capable of producing the largest and most technically challenging cast and forged steel components in the world'. Photo: Simon Hulme
4. Simpkins
The confectioner Simpkins celebrated its centenary in 2021 and still operates from the same factory in Hillsborough, pictured here. Simpkins has been making its famous boiled sweets since being founded in 1921 by Albert Leslie Simpkin on his return from the First World War. The firm still uses the same techniques and some of the same machinery to churn out some five million sweets a week. The travel tins, which are a classic childhood memory of long car journeys, were introduced to prevent the sweets going sticky due to their high fruit juice content, with the white powder initially added to stop the sweets sticking together. The original tins of Simpkins sweets all contained Barley Sugar Drops, which according to the firm are proven to alleviate the symptoms of travel sickness, which is why they became called travel sweets. Simpkins is today run by Albert's grandchildren Adrian and Karen Simpkin. Photo: Chris Etchells