Ken Hawley Collection Trust
Sheffield’s world-famous toolmaking skills are being saved for future generations thanks to a £228,381 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The Trust has landed the major funding boost for its new project, ‘Pride, Passion and Skills – Made in Sheffield,’ which will capture disappearing crafts, protect priceless industrial knowledge, and inspire young people to take pride in the city’s manufacturing past — and its future.
The project will help preserve and share Sheffield’s world-famous tool and cutlery heritage, while creating new opportunities for people to learn skills, participate and feel pride in the city’s manufacturing past and present.
Film crews wil work with young people from the University Technical College yo capture the skills and processes at six local companies, Footprint Tools, Durham Duplex, Ernest Wright, British Silverware, Thomas Flinn’s and Staniforth’s for future generation and their prospective employees. New digital films wil;l be added to the Trust's growing YouTube channel which has over 13,000 followers and 1.5 million visits online.
Two new interactive catalogues will also allow visitors to turn over the pages and marvel at the range of items made in Sheffield, along with a refreshed website to make more of the collection accessible to people across the UK and beyond, for people who may not be able to visit in person.
The project will also offer hands-on opportunities such as work experience for young people, outreach activities for local communities, and a chance for volunteers and collectors to contribute knowledge, memories, and objects to a number of ‘digital galleries. These will showcase some of the least accessible items in the Ken Hawley Collection, including the world’s largest collection of saws and micrometers, Sheffield’s famous pocket-knife makers Stan Shaw and George Wolstenholme.
Alongside this public-facing work, “Pride, Passion and Skills – Made in Sheffield” will strengthen the long-term sustainability of the Ken Hawley Collection Trust by reviewing governance and IT systems, recruiting, and training new volunteers, and building stronger partnerships with local industry and education providers.
The Trust, based at Kelham Island Museum in Sheffield, holds over 100,000 objects which tell the story of Sheffield’s light trades – from cutlery and edge tools to measuring instruments and silversmithing.
This new project will work closely with Sheffield heritage manufacturing companies, schools, and community groups to connect past and present, and inspire future generations.
The Trust are very grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the millions of National Lottery players who have made it possible for them to continue its celebration of Sheffield’s world-famous tool heritage not by just preserving it but connecting it to a future where skills continue in local young people.
The project will run from March 2026 to May 2029.
New Publications Available
You can either obtain them down at the Hawley Gallery or buy them at our online shop
"500 Sheffield Treasures, a guide to identifying and collecting Sheffield cutlery and flatware" by Nick Duggan (Sales of the book include a donation to S6 Foodbank)
  
Scissors: their history and use [as Made in Sheffield Series]
From medieval shears to precision surgical instruments, this book traces the fascinating evolution of scissors and their manufacture in Sheffield. Featuring photographs, historic catalogues, and examples from Ernest Wright, Whiteley and others, it is the most comprehensive guide to scissors ever produced.
Steel Files [as Made in Sheffield Series]
A rare look into one of Sheffield’s most skilled trades. Discover how files were forged, annealed, ground and cut by hand, meet the file cutters who worked in walk-up bothies and back kitchens, and explore the vast variety of file types used in engineering, silversmithing, woodworking and more.
Augers [as Made in Sheffield Series]
A complete history of wood-boring tools, from ancient spoon augers to the refined twist augers of the 19th and 20th centuries. Includes detailed descriptions of auger types, how they were made, and the many trades — from shipwrights to coopers — that depended on them.
You can buy all the books above - click here
Research
Did you know that we can help with research into local companies, tools and cutlery made in Sheffield, working conditions, methods of manufacture? We have a large collection of tool catalogues, ephemera, photographs and firms’ histories relating to Sheffield.
Click here for more information and contact us to find out if we can help.
Exhibitions
New A-Z of Tools
Look out for our new A-Z in the Hawley Gallery featuring a fascinating mix of items from the collection.
The Story of Pen & Pocket Knives
A look at the evolution of the folding knife into the pocket knife we know today. Click here for more information
'Britain's Tool Factory' - Moore & Wright
Moore and Wright was a household name, calling itself “Britain’s Tool Factory”. The exhibition tells the story of the company and its products.
Click here for more information.
Take a look at our Digital Resources
A digital knife archive has been compiled for the Name on a Knife Blade Project, plus we have a Youtube channel and a variety of resources to download - click on the links below.
The 'Name on a Knife Blade' database
Our 'You Tube' channel - New films added!!
Downloads
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