Alexander Sym, the donor's great grandfather, moved to Manchester from Kilmarnock in c.1850 to work for Mr. Ezard at his iron foundry. When Mr. Ezard retired in c.1882, Alexander Sym entered into a partnership with Campbell Forrest, who had been a foundry manager in Paisley, and bought the company from Mr. Ezard. In c.1943, the Forrest family left the partnership and the donor's father Ralph Sym took over the running of the company. On his death in 1961, the donor and his brother took over as Directors, followed by their sons Nigel and Philip in the 1970s. When the CPO was issued, the company considered moving to new premises, but as the industry was in decline elected for voluntary liquidation instead. The company finally wound up in 2004. Forrest & Sym was an Iron Foundry located on Phillips Park Road, Ardwick, Manchester. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Ardwick and Ancoats areas of the city formed a significant location for iron and steel works, as there were good transport links - initially with the canal network and later with rail and road links. Forrest & Sym was one of a number of companies in the area, including W & J Galloway & Sons, John Hetherington & Son, and Richard Johnson & Nephew. The Forrest & Sym foundry was situated opposite the Richard Johnson & Nephew works. The area was cleared in the late 1990s to make way for sports facilities used at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. The company was requisitioned for war work during the First World War and manufactured hand grenades and gas bombs. Government inspectors were based at the factory, and the firm became an engineering company as well as a foundry.