Ken Hawley “we sell nowt but tools” RIP

[Blackbeard 10]

Sad to hear that Ken Hawley, one of the great Sheffielders, has died. Ken was an avid collector and expert on anything to do with tools steel and cutlery, he has left behind a wonderful collection.

http://www.thestar.co.uk/what-s-on/out-about/going-out/retro-farewell-to-man-who-saved-sheffield-s-tool-making-heritage-1-6800982

[peak4 279]

Yes, I spotted this the other day;

 

http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/aug/19/ken-hawley

 

An absolute gentleman, I always enjoyed visiting his shop.

R.I.P

[rockonvynil 10]

Sad to hear of his death,bought many of my tools from him, some are now nearly fifty years old and i'm still using them,Ken was a proper Sheffielder.

[1978 14]

Ken was a real gentleman, but heaven help anyone who entered his shop wanting nails or screws or that sort of stuff! Short shrift would be what they got "We are not ironmongers, we sell tools, and nothing but tools!"

 

But if you wanted any tool he'd either have it, or go out of his way to get it. And if you described the job you wanted to do he'd be able to identify the best tool for the job, even if you didn't know such tools existed.

[lazarus 68]

I knew Ken for around ten years and he was a "Manor Lad" like myself, he was born on Stonecliffe Rd and I was born on Harborough Ave, but our ages were a few years apart, I only had an email from him around four weeks ago. A lovely man and passionate about the tools and cutlery made in Sheffield.

[IRONMONGER 10]

Apparently the sign on his shop door on Earl Street read :-

 

"An IRONMONGER free zone, we sell nowt but tools"

[Blackbeard 10]

The BBC ran an archaeology “game show” called Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? on TV from 1952 to 1959 with notable panel members like Mortimer Wheeler, Glyn Daniel, John Betjeman, Anthony Blunt etc. Ken was invited to take part in one episode and from what I can remember he was a little in the dark with the “traditional” bits of ancient archaeology but when presented with bits of industrial archaeology the likes of Mortimer Wheeler and Glyn Daniel were well out of their depth. Many years later I talked to Ken about the program and he told me that the BBC arranged a reunion of panellists and the industrial archaeologists were put on a table at the back, well away from the “real” ones.

[999tigger 10]

Thats a really good obituary from the Guardian on Peak 4s link.

[Riannon 10]

He hadn't been down at Kelham Island for a while.

[shanes teeth 10]

I met Ken a couple of years ago when I went to Kelham Island a couple of years ago to try to donate an old hand operated "chip chopper" morticing machine to the tol collection.Unfortunately he had no room for it and already had several similar ones packed in containers with no room to show them!

I spent a fascinating afternoon with him while he told me all about his collection and showed me loads of tools from the archives,again,ones that he didn't have room to display.There were sets of old measures from trading standards from different local authorities amongst many other fascinating exhibits.He showed me many old Eclipse(I think) planes,which all appeared to be exactley the same but with tiny differences by which he could date them.

When I arrived I had never met him before and by the time I left it felt like we had been friends for years.A wonderful man.I always intended to go back to see him again sometime.We really shoudn't ever put these things off for lack of time!

He also managed to sell me a copy of his book.Crafty old so and so!