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.
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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.
We’d love to hear your memories of these Sheffield institutions, and any suggestions of businesses we’ve missed off our list.
5. The Cutting Crew
The Cutting Crew barber shop, on London Road, Sheffield, was established in 1880, and is believed to be the longest-running in the city. It is today run by Kathy Chisholm, who first joined the salon in 1984. Its previous owner was Andrew Wilkinson, who was at the helm for 38 years until he sadly died in 2020. He achieved legendary status in Sheffield, with his style and personality making him well known in his salons and in the city’s nightclubs. Photo: Errol Edwards
6. Ponsford
The family furniture firm Ponsford recently celebrated its 130th anniversary, having been founded in 1893 by Harry Ponsford, who started out selling household goods from a wheelbarrow in Sheffield. In the 1930s, the flourishing business moved to a shop on London Road in Heeley, where it remains today, having expanded to also occupy a more modern 'Millennium' building linked to the original premises by its covered 'Jubilee Bridge'. Ponsford is pictured here in 1987. Photo: Picture Sheffield
7. Our Cow Molly
This much-loved Sheffield dairy farm in the pictureque hilltop hamlet of Dungworth was founded in 1947 by Hector Andrew. More than seven decades later, the family firm is still going strong and is today as famous for its ice cream, which it has been producing since 2007, as its milk. It prides itself on delivering whatever the weather, even to the hardest to reach homes in deep snow, and has not been afraid to move with the times, setting up a vending machine dispensing milk, ice cream and more from 8am to 8pm every day. Pictured at the Our Cow Molly farm is owner Eddie Andrew with Sarah Traveller-Watson, of Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust. Photo: David Bocking
8. Henderson's Relish
No meal is complete without a splash of Henderson's Relish, which has been produced in Sheffield using the same secret recipe since 1885. After more than a century on Leavygreave Road in Broomhall, the business moved in 2013 to a new factory off the Parkway, with the famous old building set to be transformed into a cafe and restaurant. Henderson's Relish has elevated dishes throughout its history, been a special ingredient in cocktails and even been used to create artworks. Having long been one of Sheffield's best kept secrets, it's finally getting the recognition it deserves further afield. Pictured here are owner Constance Freeman, centre, with manager Kathleen Spivey and maintenance engineer Duncan Gillespie, on the bottling line at the Henderson's Relish factory in March 1987. Photo: Sheffield Newspapers