South Yorkshire Times, December 13, 1947

Glass Works Relic

Huge Chimney Felled At Mexborough

Four men chiselled industriously, but the crowd who waited in the bitter cold of a December afternoon on Tuesday were becoming impatient and many would have moved away had it not been for a desire to be in at the “kill.” Suddenly there was a cry, and the four men started to run. The onlookers watched the awesome drop and heard a heavy thud while the earth trembled beneath their feet. This was the scene in Barron’s Yard, Mexborough, on Tuesday when a 90ft high chimney was felled by four men who had toiled with hammer and chisel all day. The chimney was felled on the instructions of Mexborough Development Company on whose land it stands

A “South Yorkshire Times” reporter learned from 84-years-old Mr Charlie Morris that the chimney was formerly part of a glassworks owned by Messrs Waddington’s of Mexborough, for whom Mr, Morris had worked 70 years ago when there  were two glassworks on the site, which were separated by a large brick wall. The other factory was Barron’s glassworks.

There were many more men among the crowd who watched the chimney fall who were former employees at the old glassworks and perhaps to them it was not just a spectacle but marked the irrevocable end of a trade in Mexborough to which they had been loyal servants.

Among them was Mr. Tom Hobson a former fitter at the glassworks who had worked there from being a boy until the glassworks closed down Mr. Fred Chester, Mr. Frederick Woodcock, and Mr. E. Shaw were among other former employees who watched the destruction of the chimney, even as they had watched its construction 36 years ago.

The chimney which was 10 feet square at the base and contained approximately 1.20,000 bricks was demolished by Messrs MacDonald and Company, of Nottingham The work took four men about seven hours to complete. The chimney was felled only with the aid of hammers and chisels which were used to remove bricks at the base until the stack toppled and fell.