Former employees of celebrated Carlisle crane makers, Cowans Sheldon, gathered for only the second time in decades.

The event, organised by ex-plant manager Ray McCreadie and former electrical engineer Gordon Dodds, hosted around 80 individuals whose pride in their work and camaraderie has kept a special place in their hearts, more than 36 years since they downed tools.

Founded in 1846 in Upperby, Cowans Sheldon relocated to St Nicholas, Carlisle at the end of London Road in 1857.

It was there where in 1933, the largest floating crane globally was fabricated by the team. It was later assembled in the Nagasaki dockyard in Japan by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

Another notable creation was the world's largest railway breakdown crane produced in 1961 for the Quebec Cartier Mining Company.

During both World Wars the company saw booming activity due to the demands placed upon heavy engineering for both the home front and war effort.

Bill Robinson, a 91-year-old former Chief Engineer, was the oldest ex-employee present at the November 11 gathering.

He recalled that he worked with a team of skilled engineers including names such as Walter Moffat, George Langhorne, David Atkinson and John Hind.

The event was also attended by ex-Carlisle mayor Bill Graham, who was an electrician at the plant, along with Fiona Baker, the widow of former managing director Simon Baker.

Mr Graham joked that the city should thank accident-prone engineer Fred McMurray for giving the city enough reasons to build a new hospital.

Fred, who has now sadly passed, began work at Cowans at the tender age of 13 in 1939, only ceasing work after his retirement at 65.

Allan Ritchie, an 80-year-old retired Works Superintendent spoke of how working at Cowans offered a strong grounding in life.

He said: “You got a grounding for life, and you could work your way up. Your progression was linked to how well you worked and that was a real incentive.”

Other attendees fondly remembered the growth opportunities, training and travel that came in hand with their roles.

David Killen, former chief electrical design engineer, travelled to places such as India and Holland on behalf of the company.

He said: “It was a perk; I wasn’t going to get to those places under my own steam.

"My experience at Cowans was fundamental to me, without Cowans I couldn't have done it.

"After I left the company in 1984, I then continued working in far off places which included Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, France, Italy, Korea, Singapore, Japan, Okinawa, Dubai, Philippines, USA, and Hawaii.

"From cranes to sub ocean cable laying equipment and to automated weapons handling systems on aircraft carriers. It’s a hard life but someone had to do it.”

Retired engineering lecturer at Carlisle Technical College, Tony Britton, taught around 200 Cowans’ apprentices from 1971 to 1994.

Mr Britton said: “They came in straight from school and they didn’t have much idea of what they were letting themselves in for. It was nice to see them develop.”

Among other sentiments relayed that evening, attendees like Alan Ross remarked that the night was "brilliant," and others including Will Aitken said: "It was great seeing old friends."

With attendees nestled in their nostalgia, laughter and pie and chips, former secretary Linda Foster, providing a helpful face at the door, surmised the general sentiment of the evening, elated at being able to attach names to faces once more.