Where Mordex was

[Stathamender]

I've done a bit more searching through old telephone directories and I think I can now give a defnitive account of where Mordex was in Sheffield.

They turn up first in 1951 where they're listed under Mordex Precision Industries as being a manufacturer of tools and jigs at 134 Porter Street. Porter St was part of an area of rundown housing and small industrial premises near the bottom of The Moor in Sheffield. Like The Moor itself and many other streets around it, it suffered significant damage during the Sheffield Blitz in late December 1940 when 350 tons of high explosives and incendiary bombs were dropped over a 9 hour period. Most of the damage actually took place away from the presumed targets - the steel and armaments factories in the East of the city - occurring instead in residential areas and the city centre. Mordex are here until 1955 when I suspect the area was cleared as part of the post-war rebuilding programme, it's likely their site is now occupied by either the city's covered market or Decathlon https://www.google.com/maps/@53.3735167 ... 312!8i6656.

In 1956 they move about half a mile to the Laycock And Sons building at 37 Suffolk Road near the railway station, which they share both with Laycock and with Hill Bros, Silversmiths https://www.google.com/maps/@53.375842, ... 312!8i6656. At this time they drop the Precision Industries part of their name and the reference to tools and jigs. In 1961, still at Suffolk Road, they add the description 'Fishing Tackle' to their name.

In 1963 they're found at 34 Walker Street, a mile or so away, in a part of town known as The Whicker, an area of small industrial units in buildings dating back to the mid 19th century, they've dropped Fishing Tackle from their name (though it's still there in their Kelly's listing).

The next year they've moved again, though less than 100 yards, and they're in what will remain their home for the rest of their time: Seal House on Andrew Street. They're now describing themselves again as 'Engineers'. In 1972 they acquire additional premises at Snow Lane, another nearby area of small back street industrial units but by 1980 only Seal House is listed. Their last listing is in 1983. Not long after buildings in this area start being razed to make car parks and if Seal House didn't go then, in 2005 Andrew St itself is flattened to build the final part of Sheffield Inner Ring Road (now known as Derek Dooley Way). Here's a view of Andrew Street just before this happened: https://www.picturesheffield.com/fronte ... 6&prevUrl=. It's possible that one of the older buildings you can see in the middle distance was Seal House.

I think I need to go and change my anorak.

[SkimmingTheCream]

Thank you for the information about Mordex Iain. Its interesting to know about Sheffields angling history even though Im transplanted in Sheffield over from the ' dark side' as my Sheffield born daughter calls it.
Id never heard of Mordex when I fished as a youngster in the 70s but I aquired a well used Mentor reel a couple years ago due to its local connections
Trevor

[Stathamender]

I've corrected a few minor errors above and put in a linkto a photo of Andrew St before its demolition.

[Watermole+]

Many thanks for your well-researched and very interesting history of the company.
By chance, I have just been working on making centre bosses for Mordex Merlin reels, the one on my bench being the first I have ever seen of their products and It is both fascinating and at the same time, sad to read of their history and eventual demise... Yet another company struggling to compete and constantly adapt In an increasingly competitive market-and now like all our fishing tackle companies before them, gone, just as surely as though they had never existed..

There seems to be a lot of similar manufacturing practice in common with W.R.Products (Westley Richards? ) Speedia reels...rapid cast ‘mazak’ backplate and reel seat..pressed metal drum flanges etc but to my mind, there were just too many corners cut on quality control to keep costs down and probably the use of thin plastic, moulded parts lost them much of their appeal, which seems a shame.

Thank you again for posting ..a very concise and complete history.

wm+

[Stathamender]

And, in case you were wondering, a Mordex is an extinct amphibian (technically a Temnospondyl) from the Carboniferous era found in certain parts of the Czech Republic. Although I think the name was possibly a combination of parts of two surnames.

[Nobby]

I once made the mistake of thinking WR Products was something to do with Westley Richards but it seems not. The company was Birmingham based not Shepherds Bush ...though possibly had a shop in Piccadilly once as so many game tackle makers did.

It amused me to read of Seal House. Surely a reference to their logo?

[Stathamender]

It was indeed I should think, with 'Royle Seal'. I have tried looking for someone associated with them called 'Royle' in data bases but with no luck. I would have thought a distinct name like Seal House would have left a trace somewhere but no. Natty pair of slippers there in that photo.

[Kev D]

Do you think they used Royle Seal cheekily because they didn"t have the credentials to use Royal Seal?
I remember a virtually identical seal logo used on a rubber bath mat my Mum had when we were young; Suba Seal l think it was. Miles off topic ,sorry.

[Mole-Patrol]

In that area of Sheffield there were many small cottage industries specialising in niche products, knives and steel tools mainly. Same in the West Bar area. 'Little Mesters' they called the cutlery makers, but there was a lot more to Sheffield industry than knives and forks. We used to use some of the derelict factories for police dog training. It was eerie going into small workshops and vast factories that had just been left and abandoned when times got hard. I recall going into UCAR on Beeley Wood Rd and in the football pitch sized dining hall seeing a huge wooden plaque listing all the workers who had done 25 years there. It brought a lump to my throat. The locker rooms still had clothes hung up and personal effects left behind. Some of the smaller places still contained specialist tools. I was always saddened when I left these tombs of British industry.

We did have some laughs though. One evening I found a load of hub caps from vintage British cars that may have been sent in for re-chroming just before the factory closed. I filled one of my colleagues kit bags with them. Well, he was a Scouser

Another time we arrived at an old engineering company to do some training searches and after allowing the 'criminal' to go and hide I sent Jet to find him. The 'criminal' had been told where to go by the instructor so when Jet started barking in a totally different area the instructor was a little bit confused. The dog had found two real burglars who had been busy dismantling the copper pipes from the toilet block when the land shark arrived and spoiled their day

I made a film about the fishing in this area of Sheffield:

[Liphook]

Nice film Clive