The Albyn Works

The historic factory building  is a very typical Victorian Sheffield workplace. It has now been subdivided  into around 40 units for use by numerous small businesses  with one of the largest enterprises  being the "Sheffield  Brewery" which has it's own bar on site and provides guided tours. The building is an interesting reminder of the British factory system in the 19th century but the one of the main products manufactured here played an important role in keeping the British armed forces looking their best for many years.

Prior to 1880 the British Army whitened the buckskin belts etc on their traditional red uniforms with pipeclay. This caused large amounts of white dust to be produced when the troops moved, was not waterproof  and was not very long lived.

The factory was a replacement for one destroyed in the "Great Sheffield Flood"(https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/dale-dyke-dam-marker-and-memorials) of 1864. In 1880 Joseph Pickering introduced a product which would remain in use with the British,  and most Commonwealth, armies unfor over 80 years and the Albyn Works was where it all started. It is said to have been developed on the site from an earlier product, a polishing cream used to polish silver, and was first tried out at the nearby Hillsborough Barracks. The product was called Blanco and locally the works is still known as the "Blanco Factory".

Blanco will be well known to anyone who served in the British or Commonwealth  forces before the 1960s when the webbing made of natural cotton was replaced with, self-colored and easily cleaned,  artificial polymers. 

At first Blanco was only produced in white, but later in various shades of khaki. Blanco was slightly waxy, much more waterproof and much more long lasting. It was applied, on a regular basis, to the webbing belts, ammunition  pouches etc of the battlefield load bearing equipment and ceremonial equipment. It was also made in special colors such as black , for rifle regiments, blue/grey for the RAF and even a maroon one for parachute regiment belts to match the famous red beret.

After the British Army dropped its red coats for battlefield  use the original white Blanco continued to be used for military  police and navy uniforms as well as ceremonial uniforms. It was also produced for  civilian  use for tennis shoes etc.