Joseph Billam (1885-1942) was born in Sheffield, the son of Joseph Billam (1857-1931) and his wife, Eliza.  The family lived at Warburton Square (Matilda Street). Joseph Sen. was a table knife hafter, but his son was trained as a nickel plater.  In 1907, at St Paul’s Church he married Florence Emma (1883-1969), the daughter of Clem Lawton, an actor. In the following year, Joseph established a business as an electro- and nickel-silver plater at 122 (back of) Eldon Street.  Joseph and Florence ‘began polishing cutlery, scissors, and bicycle parts, which they then electro-plated before delivering them to their customers on a handcart’ (Sandwell Evening Mail, 22 January 1991).

By 1912, their address was Dundee Works, Eldon Street, in a building shared with Drop Forgings (Sheffield) Ltd.  As nickel and chrome platers, Billam’s produced flatware (spoons and forks) and regularly advertised for buffers. The firm also mirror-polished stainless steel cutlery and in the interwar years its output included table knives. In 1935, J. Billam was registered as a private limited company with a nominal capital of £2,000 and Joseph and Florence as directors. Joseph Billam, of Grange Crescent, died at The Royal Hospital on 27 September 1942, aged 56.  He left £6,802 and was buried at City Road Cemetery.

The Billams’ son, Gordon (1907-1983), became the managing director. In the postwar boom in the late 1940s and early 1950s, the company expanded. Extensions were made to the factory in Eldon Street and the firm also had a London office at Burley House, Theobolds Road, WC1. In 1953, Gordon Billam and his brother, Cyril (1913-?), branched into other areas of engineering. They launched (with Mildon Wholesale Ltd) Aircraft & Sheet Metal Engineers Ltd, with £10,000 capital. Its Sheffield office was at Fargate.

In 1964, the authorised capital of J. Billam Ltd was raised to £200,000 (£150,000 paid up) and a portion of the firm’s ordinary shares was offered to the public. Billam marketed stainless steel table cutlery, kitchen knives, and carving sets, with the trade names ‘BILCHROME’, ‘FESTIVAL’, and ‘FLORENCE’.  In the early 1970s, Billam’s established Mildon Cutlery Co Ltd at Preskase Works, St Mary’s Road; and Pulp Case Co Ltd, 119 St Mary’s Road.  However, Billam’s continued to develop its engineering interests. It began supplying the aircraft and motor industry with castings and other precision metal components. Customers included Rolls Royce. In 1979, Billam’s profits hit a record £375,124.  J. Billam plc was formed, which after 1980 shed cutlery manufacture in favour of engineering. By 1991, the Billam group comprised Aircraft & Sheet Metal Engineers Ltd of Sheffield; cutting tool specialists Carr Lane Engineering Services Ltd of Bradford; and Billam Security (Glazing and Shopfitting Ltd), based in Sunderland (Sandwell Evening Mail, 22 January 1991).

Billam’s eventually occupied a modern, two-storey factory at Eldon Street, which was photographed in the early 1980s (PictureSheffield.com: s36641). By then, Gordon Billam had retired. He died at Whitby Memorial Hospital on 26 December 1983, leaving £381,659. The factory was later demolished and modern buildings now cover the site. The Billam group was liquidated in 2011.