Steel manufacturer Sir Robert Hadfield founded his empire on the Hecla Steel Works in Attercliffe, established in 1872, which specialised in steel castings.

This was a revolutionary idea at the time because the idea of using cast steel instead of forged steel was not thought viable by the experts.

By the late 1880s Hadfields needed new premises so in 1897 building began on the East Hecla Works, a 90 acre site at Tinsley. The site, which is now home to the Meadowhall shopping complex, housed a six acre foundry, thought to be one of the largest in the world. In wartime the works produced 200,000 tons of steel per year and employed 15,000 workers.

Sir Robert's son, Robert A. Hadfield, became one of the world's leading metallurgists and published more than 200 scientific papers. But he is best known as the inventor of Manganese Steel, which he discovered in 1882. This was the first alloy steel and was extremely hardwearing and proved the perfect material for railway lines. Robert A. Hadfield became Sheffield's Master Cutler in 1899 and was also given the freedom of the city in 1939.

Hadfields also made shells and projectiles and extensive research led to the development of cast steel shells which did not fracture. The Hadfield 'Helcon' 12" capped shell could even penetrate armour without breaking.