Skates of Steel

Ever wanted to know how they get two edges on a skate blade?

Visit the Hawley Gallery here at Kelham Island Museum and enjoy free admission on Mon 21 February when Peter Gribbon, a local hand grinder of skate blades for ice dancers, will be talking about sharpening skate blades by hand as part of our exciting new temporary exhibition - Sheffield's Got the Edge! Skate blades through the ages (Dec 2010 - March 2011).

Peter's talks will take place at 10.30am and 11.30am followed by a talk by Lloyd Gibson, Assistant Captain of Sheffield Steeldogs Ice Hockey team at 12.30pm, when Lloyd will explain what makes a great skate!

Home to the Steeldogs, Sheffield is well known for its love of ice hockey but did you know Sheffield has a long history of making skates and skate blades?

This new exhibition features Victorian skates from the Hawley Collection and investigates how skates were made in the past, discovering how skate blades were sharpened, or ground, by hand and now by machine - literally how they get their edge!

Our thanks to Peter Gribbon and Puck Stop at Ice Sheffield for their advice on grinding and the Sheffield Steeldogs for their generosity in providing an ice hockey kit taking pride of place in the exhibition.

For details of all activities available as part of the temporary exhibitions programme visit the Hawley Collection