TALKS AND EXHIBITIONS

Talks

The Invention, Development and use of the Bessemer Converter
Wednesday, 13th December at 2.00 p.m.

Henry Bessemer was a prolific inventor but his most famous invention was a furnace for converting high carbon pig iron into wrought iron and steel. Click here to book your place.

New Temporary Exhibitions

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.

NEW 'LITTLE MESTER' SCULPTURE ON DISPLAY

This incredible new sculpture by local scrap metal artist, Jason Heppenstall, and students from Sheffield University Technical College was made as part of our latest Lottery Heritage Funded project.

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

The Hawley Collection is an internationally important material record of tool making, cutlery manufacture and silversmithing from Sheffield, together with complementary material from Britain and the rest of the world.

This collection is unique in that it combines finished artefacts and work in progress to illustrate how things were made. Together with published catalogues, archival material, pictures, photographs, tapes and films, it records the development of many of Sheffield's manufacturing processes and products and the skills of the workpeople involved.

Ken Hawley

For over fifty years he collected the tools, the 'tools that made the tools', catalogues, photographs and information connected with the Sheffield tool, cutlery and silversmithing industries. During his working life, including thirty years selling tools in his own shop in Sheffield, he acquired an unrivalled knowledge about Sheffield's industrial heritage.

It was Ken Hawley's wish that the Hawley Collection stay in Sheffield to provide exhibitions, displays and information for the people of Sheffield and visitors to the city. He saw the Collection as a tribute to the craftsmanship, skills and excellence displayed over the centuries by Sheffield firms and workpeople.

The Hawley Gallery at Kelham Island Museum in Sheffield opened in 2010 as the first permanent display space for the Hawley Collection.

Visit the Gallery to see the displays and exhibitions and learn more about Sheffield's industrial heritage at one of our events. You can investigate the history of Sheffield tool making by using the collection for your research. If you know something about Sheffield's toolmaking history please share your knowledge with us.