Geograph - photograph every grid square

Part of the Irwell Sculpture Trail, ‘Factory Girls’ is a public artwork by Sheffield artist David Appleyard. For this project he worked with local young people to explore the lives of teenagers over five decades.

This sculpture, installed at Merchant’s Quay in 2010, celebrates the women workers of Metropolitan Vickers, once the largest factory in Western Europe. During the Second World War thousands of women trained in skilled jobs traditionally reserved for men. While their brothers, husbands and fathers served in the armed forces they helped to maintain the production of vital defence equipment. This included instruments for use in radio and radar, as well as component parts for over 1,000 Lancaster Bombers.

Each figure in the group is named after a former employee, this one is “Margaret”. The figures are made from enamelled cast iron and their forms were inspired by products made at the electrical engineering firm in nearby Trafford Park.