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Ken Hawley obituary Ken Hawley obituary
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Ken Hawley, who has died aged 87, was one of Sheffield's foremost industrial historians, a former tool salesman whose inquiring mind, formidable drive and eye for an opportunity led him to assemble a collection of international importance. The Hawley Collection, comprising more than 70,000 tools from Sheffield, together with complementary material from elsewhere in Britain and around the world, includes 2,000 joiner's planes, 1,000 table knives, 260 micrometers, 50 anvils, 4,000 catalogues and thousands of associated documents. Having been housed for many years in a large shed in Ken's garden, it now has its own permanent display space in the city's Kelham Island museum, and is widely recognised as one of the best places to learn about tools and tool-making anywhere in the world. Ken Hawley, who has died aged 87, was one of Sheffield's foremost industrial historians, a former tool salesman whose inquiring mind, formidable drive and eye for an opportunity led him to assemble a collection of international importance. The Hawley Collection, comprising more than 70,000 tools from Sheffield together with complementary material from elsewhere in Britain and around the world, includes 2,000 joiner's planes, 1,000 table knives, 260 micrometers, 50 anvils, 4,000 catalogues and thousands of associated documents. Having been housed for many years in a large shed in Ken's garden, it now has its own permanent display space in the city's Kelham Island Museum, and is widely recognised as one of the best places to learn about tools and tool-making anywhere in the world.
The collection had its genesis in 1950, when Ken went to demonstrate an electric planing machine to a client in his workshop. "I saw a joiner's brace on the wall, and thought: that's an unusual pattern that I haven't seen before," he recalled in a filmed interview for the collection's website. "It was the first tool that I acquired, and it set me off. I had never taken the slightest bit of interest in anything historical, but that was it."The collection had its genesis in 1950, when Ken went to demonstrate an electric planing machine to a client in his workshop. "I saw a joiner's brace on the wall, and thought: that's an unusual pattern that I haven't seen before," he recalled in a filmed interview for the collection's website. "It was the first tool that I acquired, and it set me off. I had never taken the slightest bit of interest in anything historical, but that was it."
In 1965 he made a major set of acquisitions, when he visited a firm called William Marples in the course of business and the manager informed him that the plane-making workshop was about to shut down. The firm was the last in the world to make a particular variety of wooden plane, used by joiners. "Can I have one or two?" Ken asked. Before long he was carting off the entire contents of the workshop in his Volvo estate. "The only thing left was the benches," he said, and after a phone call to the owner he took those as well. In 1965 he made a major acquisition, when he visited the firm William Marples in the course of business and the manager informed him that the plane-making workshop was about to shut down. The firm was the last in the world to make a particular variety of wooden plane. "Can I have one or two?" Ken asked. Before long he was carting off the entire contents of the workshop in his Volvo estate. "The only thing left was the benches," he said, and after a phone call to the owner he took those as well.
From then until the 1980s, as economic and technological changes sent the tool-making industry into a nosedive, Ken established himself as the man to call when a firm was shutting down. His energy and knowledge were unmatched in knowing what to rescue from a basement, pull out of a skip, or even pick up in the street outside. In addition to collecting, he began to research and record disappearing skills, making short films of the tool-makers plying their trades. From then until the 1980s, as economic and technological changes sent the tool-making industry into a nosedive, Ken established himself as the man to call when a firm was shutting down. He was unmatched in knowing what to rescue from a basement, pull out of a skip, or even pick up in the street outside. In addition to collecting, he began to research and record disappearing skills, making short films of the tool-makers plying their trades.
He pursued knowledge with an extraordinary meticulousness, worrying away at puzzles that most other people would not even have noticed; how, for instance, could someone making handles for knives bore a hole that went exactly down the centre of the handle and come out at the other end also exactly in the centre? To answer that, he looked at a film of the operation again and again until he noticed that in repeatedly offering up the handle to the rotating drill bit and clearing out the drilled material, the operator each time rotated the handle a fraction of a circle, ensuring that the drill continued its central path. This almost trivial-sounding piece of research perfectly brings together Ken's extraordinary persistence, his attention to detail, and his respect for the craftsman who has learned on the job what is necessary for the high-class work that made Sheffield cutlers and tool-makers world famous. He pursued knowledge with an extraordinary meticulousness, worrying away at puzzles that most other people would not even have noticed; how, for instance, could someone making handles for knives bore a hole that went exactly down the centre of the handle and came out at the other end also exactly in the centre? To answer that, he looked at a film of the operation again and again until he noticed that in repeatedly offering up the handle to the rotating drill bit and clearing out the drilled material, the operator each time rotated the handle a fraction of a revolution, ensuring that the drill continued its central path. This almost trivial-sounding piece of research perfectly brings together Ken's extraordinary persistence, his attention to detail and his fascination with how the craftsmen learned on the job what was necessary for the high-class work that made Sheffield cutlers and tool-makers famous.
Ken was born in Sheffield to Walter and Isabel. Until he was three, the family lived on the city's Manor estate, and then moved to Wadsley, which was his home for the rest of his life. In 1942, forced to leave education as part of the war effort, he helped in his father's business making bespoke wire guards for machinery. At a time when the city still had thousands of workers in scores of firms, the young Ken crawled about the floor of workshops measuring up machines for the guards to be custom-made. He would often ask himself how the manufacturing processes were done, or, when opportunity arose, ask the workers directly. In the process, he gained his lifelong respect, bordering on veneration, for the people who did these highly skilled and undervalued jobs. Ken was born in Sheffield to Walter and Isabel. Until he was three, the family lived on the city's Manor estate; they then moved to Wadsley, which was his home for the rest of his life. In 1942, forced to leave education as part of the war effort, he helped in his father's business, making bespoke wire guards for machinery. At a time when the city still had thousands of workers in scores of firms, the young Ken crawled about the floor of workshops, measuring up machines for the guards to be custom-made. He would often ask himself how the manufacturing processes were done, or, when opportunity arose, ask the workers directly. In the process, he gained his lifelong respect, bordering on veneration, for the people who did these highly skilled and undervalued jobs.
After returning from army service in 1947, he started selling tools, first with a firm in Sheffield, then with one of Britain's pre-eminent tool dealers, Joseph Gleave of Manchester, and following another spell with a Rotherham firm he was able to start his own in Sheffield in 1959, running for the next 30 years as a specialist shop. To distinguish it from hardware stores, he put up a sign in the window that became renowned locally: "We sell nowt but tools". After returning from army service in 1947, he started selling tools, first with a firm in Sheffield, then with one of Britain's pre-eminent tool dealers, Joseph Gleave of Manchester. Following another spell with a Rotherham firm, he was able to start his own specialist shop in Sheffield in 1959, which he ran for 30 years. To distinguish it from hardware stores, he put up a sign in the window that became renowned locally: "We sell nowt but tools".
A chance conversation in 1991 with Janet Barnes, then director of Sheffield's Ruskin Gallery, resulted in The Cutting Edge, the first public exhibition of any part of his collection. Interest and recognition of its value followed, culminating in the formation of the Ken Hawley Collection Trust in 1994. The University of Sheffield provided premises and a single member of staff, Joan Unwin, who with Ken started the immense task of sorting, storing and cataloguing the many thousands of items. The collection became officially recognised as a museum in 2002, but its first premises were far too small and overcrowded for proper displays to be mounted, and it moved to Kelham Island in 2010. A chance conversation in 1991 with Janet Barnes, then director of Sheffield's Ruskin Gallery, resulted in The Cutting Edge, the first public exhibition of any part of his collection. Interest and recognition of its value followed, culminating in the formation of the Ken Hawley Collection Trust in 1994. The University of Sheffield provided premises and a single member of staff, Joan Unwin, who with Ken started the immense task of sorting, storing and cataloguing the many thousands of items. The collection was officially recognised as a museum in 2002, but its first premises were far too small and overcrowded, so it moved to Kelham Island, on the river Don, in 2010.
Over the years, Ken built up a committed team of volunteers, tasked with becoming experts on various branches of the trades represented in the collection. Among other tasks, they attempted to document some of the information that was in Ken's head but had never been recorded anywhere else. He was interviewed at great length – these tapes have been transcribed and are in the KHCT – and he co-authored books on blade manufacture; cutlery, silver and edge tools; wooden spokeshaves; and knife-making in Sheffield, as well as contributing to a selection of pamphlets on subjects including button-making and the coopering trade. Over the years, Ken built up a committed team of volunteers, tasked with becoming expert on various branches of the trades represented in the collection. Among other tasks, they attempted to document some of the information that was in Ken's head but had never been recorded. He was interviewed at great length – the tapes have been transcribed and are in the collection – and he co-authored books on blade manufacture, cutlery, silver and edge tools, wooden spokeshaves, and knife-making in Sheffield, as well as contributing to a selection of pamphlets on subjects including button-making and the coopering trade.
In addition to his work on the collection, Ken was the driving force behind the preservation of the unique 17th-century water-powered iron forge of Wortley Top Forge near Sheffield; work that was recognised when he was appointed MBE in 1998. But his biggest legacy, without question, is the collection that he always intended to be a tribute to the industry and the city he loved. "Sheffield was a wonderful place, with all the skills of the different people. I feel very privileged to have lived through that, really." In addition to his work on the collection, Ken was the driving force behind the preservation of the unique 17th-century water-powered Wortley Top Forge near Sheffield – work that was recognised when he was appointed MBE in 1998. But his biggest legacy, without question, is the collection that he always intended to be a tribute to the industry and the city he loved. "Sheffield was a wonderful place, with all the skills of the different people. I feel very privileged to have lived through that, really," he said.
He is survived by his wife, Emily, whom he married in 1953, and their two sons.He is survived by his wife, Emily, whom he married in 1953, and their two sons.
• Kenneth Wybert Hawley, tool collector and historian, born 29 June 1927; died 15 August 2014• Kenneth Wybert Hawley, tool collector and historian, born 29 June 1927; died 15 August 2014
• The Hawley Collection
• Kelham Island Museum