On the production line in the 20s and 30s: Forgotten photographs chart the progress of industry at castings company in Derby

  • Images capture life at the Leys Malleable Castings Company in 1920s and 30s Derby
  • Leys was the largest malleable iron foundry in Europe at one point
  • Company closed in 1986 and the site was demolished to be replaced with factory units

By Helen Lawson for the Daily Mail

Published: | Updated:

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They sat in boxes for eight years, but now pictures of life at one of Britain's most significant industrial firms in the Twenties and Thirties are to go on show for the first time.

Photographs showing the workers of the Leys Malleable Castings Company in Derby were discovered by researchers in the city's Local Studies Library.

Leys, which made castings for cars, opened in Derby in 1874 and became the largest malleable iron foundry in Europe.

This photo from 1928 shows women at work in the sand core shop. They created the moulds for castings by mixing sand with oil and baking it

This photo from 1928 shows Derby women at work in the sand core shop. They created the moulds for castings by mixing sand with oil and baking it

Men in a workshop at the company grinded down the metal work before it was sent out to customers

Men in a workshop at the company grinded down the metal work before it was sent out to customers

The picture collection, including this one from the early 1930s, were sat in a box at Derby's Local Studies Library

The picture collection, including this one from the early 1930s, were sat in a box at Derby's Local Studies Library

The scale of the site meant it had its own railway line to bring in raw materials and dispatch the company's products to customers around the world.

Some male workers also served as the company fire brigade.

They were required to live near the factory and had alarms in their homes in case of an emergency call-out.

One of the photographs shows the firemen covered in soot after attending a pulverised coal fire at the factory.

Others show women at work in the core shop and sand core shop - making moulds from baked sand and oil and the castings themselves.

Women in the sand core shop in the 1930s are depicted in the photographs of the Leys Malleable Castings Company - set to go on display for the first time

Women in the sand core shop in the 1930s are depicted in the photographs of the Leys Malleable Castings Company - set to go on display for the first time

The Leys Fire Brigade photographed after attending a pulverised coal fire in the factory. The brigade was made up of regular workers who lived near the factory and had alarms in their homes in case of an emergency call-out

The Leys Fire Brigade photographed after attending a pulverised coal fire in the factory. The brigade was made up of regular workers who lived near the factory and had alarms in their homes in case of an emergency call-out

The Leys main office, away from the workshops, in the 1920s

The Leys main office, away from the workshops, in the 1920s

Men are seen working with molten metal at a furnace and grinding down metal work.

The site was closed down in 1986 and demolished bit-by-bit to be replaced with factory units.

But visitors to Derby's Market Hall will be able to take a glimpse into the city's industrial past as part of the Format festival, which opens on March 8 and runs until April 7.

The firm's founder Sir Francis Ley also played another significant role in Derby's heritage.

He reintroduced baseball to Britain with Derby County Baseball Club from 1890.

The Ley's Baseball Ground became home to Derby County football club for 102 years before the club moved to its new Pride Park stadium in 1997.

A Leys train leaving the factory sidings with a consignment of castings in 1933 is one of the rare photographs offering a glimpse into the working life of one of the UK's most significant industrial companies

A Leys train leaving the factory sidings with a consignment of castings in 1933 is one of the rare photographs offering a glimpse into the working life of one of the UK's most significant industrial companies

The early photos of the Leys Malleable Castings Company will be exhibited for the first time at the FORMAT International Photography Festival in Derby, which opens on March 8

The early photos of the Leys Malleable Castings Company will be exhibited for the first time at the FORMAT International Photography Festival in Derby, which opens on March 8

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