Sheffield Archives and Local Studies: History Key Stage 2 Unit 7 (Local History Study – How the locality was affected by the work of a significant individual)

Sheffield Archives and Local Studies: History Key Stage 2 Unit 7 (Local History Study – How the locality was affected by

the work of a significant individual)

Sheffield Lives:J. G. GRAVES

“Sheffield’s Fairy Prince”

• John George Graves was born in Lincolnshire in 1866.

• He moved away from his family to Sheffield aged 14 to become an apprentice watch-maker and jeweller, where he earned a shilling a week in pocket-money.J. G. Graves (1866 - 1945)

(Sheffield Local Studies Library

Picture Sheffield: s08250)

W. Wichman, Watch-makers and Jewellers,

Gibraltar Street, Sheffield [where J. G.

Graves worked as a young apprentice],

c. 1880


Picture Sheffield: s10605 )

1881 Census showing

occupants of 165 Gibraltar

Street, Sheffield

(www.ancestry.com )

ADDRESS NAME RELATIONSHIP TO HEAD OFHOUSEHOLD

AGE JOB WHERE BORN

165 Gibraltar Street, Sheffield

William Wichman

Head 35 Watch-maker Germany

Emelia Wichman

Wife 36 Sheffield

Florence Wichman

Daughter 19 Sheffield

Sabina Wichman

Daughter 17 Sheffield

Lilly Wichman Daughter 10 Sheffield

Charles Wichman

Son 7 Sheffield

John George Graves

Apprentice 15 Apprentice

Horncastle, Lincolnshire

• Where was J. G. Graves living in 1881 and who did he live with?

.

• From humble beginnings as an apprentice watch-maker, J. G. Graves rose to become a wealthy and successful businessman.

• He was also Sheffield’s greatest ‘benefactor’ (a person who gives money to help others) and became known as Sheffield’s “fairy prince”.

• Can you think of any places in Sheffield which carry his name today?

Graves Art Gallery,

Central Library, Surrey

Street

(Sheffield Local Studies

Library Picture Sheffield:

s06693)

Graves Park

(Sheffield Local

Studies Library

Picture Sheffield:

s11126)

Graves Trust Homes,

Southey Green



s27186)

• J. G. Graves started his own watch-making business in Sheffield aged 21.

• His first shop was at West Bar and he later set up shops at Furnival Street and Arundel Street.

• As his business grew he moved into the old waterworks offices on Division Street.

• He set up one of Britain’s first mail order businesses, selling watches, jewellery, cutlery and an increasingly wide range of products.

Business premises of J. G. Graves,

Watch importer, Jeweller, Electro-

plate and Cutlery Merchant, Division

Street, Sheffield

(Sheffield Local Studies Library Picture

Sheffield: y02781)

• At its peak J. G. Graves’ company employed 3000 people in Sheffield.

Pictures showing offices at J. G.

Graves mail order supplier, Division

Street, Sheffield


Sheffield: y02782, y02789, y02791 )

Front office

Typing room

Back office

J. G. Graves fork production at

Enterprise Works, St Mary’s Road,

Sheffield


Sheffield: y02817, y02819)

• As his business grew, J. G. Graves opened premises on other sites in Sheffield….

• In 1902, how many different buildings did J. G. Graves’ firm use in Sheffield?

• In which other cities did the firm have offices?

J. G. Graves Souvenir Programme,

10 March 1902

(Sheffield Local Studies Library: Local

Pamphlets, vol. 174 no. 3 042 S)

• J. G. Graves cared about the welfare of his staff members and wanted them to be happy in their work.

Letter from J. G. Graves to his

staff, December 1901

(Sheffield Local Studies Library:

MP489 m)

“My dear Friends,

As the year draws to a close, I feel a very natural desire to think of you all in some other way than merely as parts of a great business machine…I have felt it a privilege to share your pleasure and try to sympathise with you in your misfortunes, feeling myself, all the time, what a serious matter it is to be responsible…as an Employer ought to be for the welfare and happiness of such a large staff…”

• J. G. Graves and his wife Lucy held an annual party for staff of the company.

• What might this picture tell us about J. G. Graves?

J. G. Graves annual tea party for his

staff at his home Riverdale, Riverdale

Road, Ranmoor, Sheffield


Picture Sheffield: u00367)

• The J. G. Graves’ company annual party included music, dancing, plays, films, sports, and other entertainment for guests.

• According to the 1902 programme what sports were there at the party?

J. G. Graves Souvenir Programme,

10 March 1902

(Sheffield Local Studies Library: Local

Pamphlets, vol. 174 no. 3 042 S)

• The success of his business made J. G. Graves very wealthy.

• But he spent a lot of his money on gifts for Sheffield to improve life for local people.

Pages from J. G. Graves mail order

suppliers souvenir booklet


Picture Sheffield: v01267 and V01273)

Sheffield Telegraph news

article on J. G. Graves’ gifts

to Sheffield, 19 July 1945


Newspaper Collection)

• What was J. G. Graves’ first major gift to the city of Sheffield in 1925?

• What other gifts did he make?

Graves Park,

Sheffield

(Sheffield Local

Studies Library

Picture Sheffield:

s11126)

• J. G. Graves gifted land to the city of Sheffield for public use, including Graves Park, Ecclesall Woods, Tinsley Playing Fields, Concord Park, and Blacka Moor.

• He funded playgrounds and public buildings including Graves Art Gallery and Graves Trust Homes. Opening of Surrey Road

Playground, Sheffield, 1933


Picture Sheffield: u00362)

Opening of Matthew Street

Playground, Sheffield, 1931



• In 1930 he set up a charitable trust ‘The J. G. Graves Trust’, which still runs today, carrying on his work trying to improve life for people in Sheffield.

Graves Trust Homes at

Little Norton Lane, Ridgeway

Road [Gleadless], and

Southey Green



S07808, s07811 and s27186)

• J. G. Graves was an enthusiastic art collector.

• He donated thousands of pounds (as well as pictures from his private collection) to local galleries, including Graves Art Gallery and Mappin Art Gallery.

Graves Art Gallery, Central

Library, Surrey Street, Sheffield



Mappin Art Gallery, Weston

Park, Sheffield



• As well as running a successful business, J. G. Graves played a big role in public life.

• He served as a Sheffield City Councillor for many years.

• He also acted as a City Magistrate and served for a year as Lord Mayor.

• In what year did J. G. Graves become Lord Mayor of Sheffield?

List of Sheffield Lord

Mayors

(Sheffield Archives: BIOG/16)

• J. G. Graves died in 1945. How much money does the newspaper report say J. G. Graves gave to the City of Sheffield during his life?

• How old was he when he died?• Roughly for how many years had he served on Sheffield City Council?• Did he have any children?

Newspaper obituary for J. G.

Graves in the Sheffield

Telegraph, 19 July 1945


Newspaper Collection)

Recap

• H• How old was J. G. Graves when he first came to

Sheffield to work as a watch-maker apprentice?• Roughly how many people did his postal order company

employ at its peak?• What was J. G. Graves’ first major ‘gift’ to the city of

Sheffield?• How much money in total is he thought to have given to

Sheffield in the course of his life?• What is the organisation called which aims to carry on

his work today?

Sheffield Archives and Local StudiesIf you would prefer to use this presentation as the basis for a class visit to Archives and Local Studies or in a visit by us to your class please contact us. Students will have the opportunity to see and touch the original items.

We offer:

• Access to original primary source material from Tudor times through to the 21st century.

• Class visits to the Central Library and to Sheffield Archives.

• Visits to schools to deliver classroom sessions.

• Introductory sessions for teaching staff.

• Online PowerPoint lesson resources.

www.sheffield.gov.uk/archives

Sheffield Archives and Local Studies: History Key Stage 2 Unit 7 (Local History Study – How the locality was affected by the work of a significant individual)

Documents

city of sheffield

sheffield archives

graves gifts

graves firm

graves souvenir programme

graves fork production

graves art gallery

graves gifted land