What Do We Collect - Light Industries
The Cutlery Industry Collection
Sheffield has long had an international reputation for the quality of its cutlery and extent of its cutlery
industry. Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust has a designated collection of the finished items which
includes a comprehensive collection of Sheffield made cutlery as well as British and European cutlery.
The cutlery industry collection at Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust consists of approximately 1000
items of materials, tools and equipment used in the manufacture of cutlery and other similar edged products
such as surgical instruments. It includes part-forged and part-manufactured products. The collection also
consists of trade samples, trade cards, items of advertising and exhibition cases of edged tools. Objects
range from grinders’ tools, cutlers’ forging tools, samples of knives, shears, various types of razor blades,
material for handles and samples of forgings. The Trust collects finished examples of surgical instruments
as these are outside the remit of Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust.
A complete example of a cutler’s workshop is on display in the main gallery at Kelham Island Museum
as well as a grinder who can be observed using traditional skills to sharpen knives.
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