John Shortridge

John Shortridge was born in Bewcastle, Cumberland in 1803. He started working as a stonemason and had moved to Downpatrick in Ireland by 1828. Shortly afterwards he moved to Liverpool, working as a brick maker and by 1839 had a brick making company that may have been involved in the construction of docks in Liverpool. Around 1840 He moved to Glossop to work as a contractor on the Sheffield to Manchester railway line. The work he was involved in included a 7.5 mile length of track through Longdendale. He then moved to Sheffield forming Miller Blackie and Shortridge. This the company built the Wicker viaduct for the extension of the railway to Sheffield town centre. The arches for the train station, Victoria Station, were also built by his firm and completed in 1848-1849 .

John Shortridge with Joseph Bennett Howel!, and James Jessop started Hartford Steel Works, in Sheffield. In September 1858 James Jessop left the business and it became known as Shortridge, Howell & Co., with John's son William becoming a partner in the business around 1866. In 1848 John Shortridge and Charles Wright started Shortridge and Wright, a gunpowder company based at Worsbro, Barnsley. His son Richard was involved in this company by 1851. He had other interests including property - he claimed £20 for flood damage in 1864 from the Sheffield Waterworks Company for 5 houses he was renting out close to the steel works.

In 1850 John Shortridge aquired 30 acres of land at Broadfield, Heeley, in four lots from the Norton Hall estate auction. Part of this land was used to build his house, Chipping House, which was completed in 1852. On another part of this land, on opposite side of Abbeydale Road, he built a brickworks. In January 1852 he started running an omnibus between the Royal Hotel in Sheffield and the Red Lion public house in Heeley. In 1856 an hourly service was being offered. In 1862 the fare was advertised as 3d. The service was started in Heeley at 9am and ran every hour with a break from 12 to 1 then every hour until 9pm with an extra evening service on Saturday.

Joseph Howell was removed as a partner of Shortrdge Howell & Co in March 1867 on being found using false reciepts to misappropriated £2500. He was declared bankrupt in 1868. William Shortridge successfully sued Joseph Howell for £12,271 owed to the company in 1869 but Joseph Howell had no assets. By 1880 Joseph Bennet's finances had recovered - he had a new company Howell and Co. that owned Brook Hill Steel Works and Sheffield Tube Works.

John Shortridge died in 1869 after his carriage overturned when his horse bolted, leaving him with terminal injuries. His will stated that all his business interest were to be sold off to provide funds for his family. Charles Wright took over the gunpowder business. The Hartford Steel Works had been bought by Samuel Osborn in 1868. The steelworks was later renamed the Clyde Iron and Steel Works and operated until 1970.

A train station was opened in Heeley in 1870 and the Sheffield Tramways Company opened a tram line to Heeley between 1873 and 1877 with a tram depot built in 1878. In 1879 there was still an omnibus service to Heeley - it ran from Sheffield Post Office. It is probable that John Shortridge kept his omnibus running until his death in 1869 as he was developing the land near his home for housing at the time of his death.

John Shortridge, Heeley
	Source	(Smith)
	Filename	SRT.003
	Value	3d
	Add Desc.	Sheffield & Heeley Omnibus
	Size (mm)	28x18
	Manufacture	Copper
	Notes