Ken Hawley the Founding Collector
Ken Hawley (29 June 1927-15 August 2014) was 'The Collector' and a Trustee of the Ken Hawley Collection Trust. From 1941 he gained a working knowledge of many Sheffield industries and he spent 30 years selling tools in his own shop in Sheffield. He acquired an unrivalled knowledge about the Sheffield edge tool and cutlery industries. He had the foresight to realise that as firms were contracting or closing down, valuable historical records for Sheffield's heritage would be lost. By rescuing many of the tools that make the tools and the stages in production, the Collection is now unique.
Click here to see Ken talking about how he started collecting or here to learn more about his life and achievements.
Amongst his achievements were the following:
• Received an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours, 1998 for his work as Custodian of Wortley Top Forge and his work amassing the Hawley Collection for over 50 years.
• Presented with one of ten medals given by the University of Sheffield in 1999
• Honorary Fellowship, Sheffield Hallam University, 1995
• Custodian of Wortley Top Forge, South Yorkshire, 1960s-2002
• President of the Tools and Trades History Society; a founder member and contributor to the Society's journal
• President of the Sheffield Trades Historical Society (now The South Yorkshire Industrial History Society) for 3 terms