Cutlery of all kinds including knives were made in Sheffield, England for centuries. Large factories employing thousands of people turned out all manner of tools, knives and generally cutlery. The products were exported all over the world. Sheffield salesmen were at work in every continent. It’s products were synonymous with quality and those of it’s craftsmen who failed to live up to the exacting standards required might expect to see there products smashed on the guildhall steps.

Furnaces roared night and day and steam hammers banged away. Steam trains would run down the streets in the industrial areas and smog and smoke were a fact of life.

Gradually it’s fine products began to be replaced with cheap imports. Sheffield could not compete and factories closed throwing thousands out of work.

The factories which were not demolished have been turned into things like student accommodation and Sheffield is a changed place.

Out of all this upheaval a few craftsmen have remained. Using the skills honed over centuries hand made knives and other objects are being made in small quantities. Some of the craftsmen are in their seventies but they are still working and producing fine craft made objects. Trevor Ablett one of the best is now nearly seventy and he makes folding knives. His partner makes Bowies and he is nearly eighty. They work in a back street factory and keep at it for six days a week. I scour some of the more obscure antique markets in the back streets of London looking for antique Sheffield knives but even those are hard to come by.

One of the specialties of Sheffield today is it’s fine penknives which utilise a variety natural materials for the handles including ebony and buffalo horn. The blades themselves are made to a variety of patterns some originating several centuries ago.

Knives to the Ettrick pattern which are thought to have originated centuries before round the village of Ettrick in Scotland are still being made as are more modern knives with shaped handles.

Artisan made Sheffield knives like the knives with the black ebony handles contrasting with the brass fittings and the polished steel present a harmony of material and function.

The few craftsmen left still soldier on but today what the internet has done is enabled them to bring their wares once again to the wider public. The salesmen traveling the world are long gone but the crafts still live on and you can see some of the products on http://www.sheffield-gb.com

They will never again be made in any quantities and frequently demand outstrips supply but for those seeking an item which you cannot buy in your local supermarket Sheffield knives make a fine gift. Not just for the connoisseur of knives but also for those who believe that owning objects of beauty made by people who still care about their products is of itself a worthwhile thing. Have a look – the smoke has cleared and it’s legacy is still there – just!