Atlas House
John W Sutcliffe started his company in a premises he shared with a relative who was a joiner however he quickly moved into his own premises in the early 1900's on Town Street in Horsforth near Leeds. The factory was based at the back of the familys home. Atlas House was to be the heart of Sutcliffe Pressings right up until the factories closure. Employing around 30 staff it was a small enterprise yet produced thousands of boats per year. Many of the staff stayed at the factory throughout their working life and remained loyal employees untill the very end. As stated elsewhere on this website the factory started by doing indiustrial repairs and producing photography eqiupment but moved to the production of oil cans in 1903. In 1920 a boat was added as a 'sideline' but due to its sucess more models were added to the range and Sutcliffe went from strength to strength. Throughout its 99 year history Sutcliffe Pressings produced a wide range of toys, Boats were the staple product with Submarines, Oil Cans and a small range of other toys being produced over the factorys life. After 64 years of producing these beautiful toys Sutcliffe closed its doors for the last time. The rights to the name, the machinery and much of the left over stock was bought by a single individual and amazingly most of it remains today untouched and stored away. Sadly the factory was demolished after it closed. There is however one remaining legacy of Sutcliffe in the form of Atlas House which can be seen clearly from Town Street and is well worth a visit for any Sutcliffe enthusiast if and when you visit Horsforth.
The pictures above show Atlas House in 2014. It has since been converted to a residential property so looks quite different. Interestingly the change in stone to the rear of the property shows where the original factory roof came up to. Where the factory once stood is now a carpark for a series of flats.
The far left and right pictures show Norma Varley painting a Sooty Speed Boat and Nautilus Subrmarine.
The picture below shows factory workers producing Jupiter.
Horsforth Village Museum
Horsforth Village Museum is located at the bottom of Town Street about 5 minutes from Atlas House. It houses a range of exibits including a range of toys made by Sutcliffe Pressings as well as information about the factory itself. It also now and again has large collections of Sutcliffe Boats on display. If and when another collection is put on display at the museum information will be available on this webite. The museum is again well worth a visit for anybody interested in Sutcliffe Boats and can be combined with a look at the home of Sutcliffe Pressings, Atlas House.
