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Private company

Edgar Allen and Company

British steel making and engineering company1

Edgar Allen and Company was a steel maker and engineer, which from the late 19th century was based at Imperial Steel Works, Tinsley, Sheffield, South Yorkshire. The site was bounded by Sheffield Road, Vulcan Road and the Sheffield District Railway to which it was connected.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

  • Industryiron and steel industry1

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1980s or earlier highspeed Stag Brand drill bit by Edgar Allen and Company Sheffield England for Rolls Royce
Photo: R. Henrik Nilsson, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons4

Edgar Allen and Company was a steel maker and engineer, which from the late 19th century was based at Imperial Steel Works, Tinsley, Sheffield, South Yorkshire. The site was bounded by Sheffield Road, Vulcan Road and the Sheffield District Railway to which it was connected.2

The story

It was seen in the mid-1960s that some rationalisation was needed within the Sheffield steel industry, particularly steel founding. With respect to this Edgar Allen split into separate companies: EA Foundry, EA Steels, EA Engineering, and with one of its subsidiaries, Aerex Limited, EA Aerex. Similar moves were taking place at Samuel Osborn & Company, Jessop Saville & Company and Hadfields Limited.

The intention was to merge the foundry interests of the four companies to form one large steel foundry with the capability of making castings from a few ounces to 40 tons, with only English Steel Corporation's Grimesthorpe foundry in the city able to make larger. As negotiations were taking place the deal fell through leaving Osborn's and Hadfield's to merge, with the foundry being located on Hadfield's East Hecla (Vulcan Road) site, and Edgar Allen's to purchase Jessop's, relocating Jessop's special alloy (medium frequency) melting on Edgar's Sheffield Road site and the 3-ton electric furnace at one end of the Tropenas Melting Shop.

From Wikipedia’s article on Edgar Allen and Company, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Products and brands

There were several companies within the Edgar Allen group:

Aerex Limited of Chesterfield, (which amalgamated with the fabrication interests of the parent company to form Edgar Allen Aerex), industrial fan makers.

British Rema Manufacturing, Sheepbridge near Chesterfield.

Hollow Drill Steel Company, specialist drills for shot-firing in coal mining and quarrying.

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Openshaw Forge, Manchester, steel forgings.

Buell Limited, rotary drum dryers.

From Wikipedia’s article on Edgar Allen and Company, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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