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Ken Hawley


tozzin

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Very sad to hear Ken Hawley has past away, I knew him for just a few years, he was a very nice chap. Only two weeks ago he sent me more information on on one of my Retro articles and he said enjoyed reading them, that really was praise. He will be sadly missed.

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Met him at one of our steam rallies about 12 years ago and had a long conversation with him as he was a guy who loved talking about Sheffield industry, toolmaking and his collection of local tools.
Sorry to hear he has died, he was a nice man and really knew his stuff.

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Seems the Star, Look North and Calendar didn't think the death of Ken warranted any news space and yet it made the Guardian.

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There's quite a bit in the Sheffield Telegraph today, including almost a whole page. It includes a quote of what was said to be his catch-phrase "You'll not be wanting this will you?" First Christine Ball passed away a couple of weeks ago, now Ken, the collection staff must be in shock.

Link to the guardian obituary

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I could remember the shop "Hawleys Tools" but could not remember where it was,after a bit of head scratching I wondered if it was the "Posh" tool shop just off The Moor,sure enough that was it ,on Earl Street ,now demolished to make way for the transferred Castle Market.

There is a photo of Earl Street and the shops on Picture Sheffield reference s23877 

I can remember going into the shop K.W.Hawleys as a young adult and asking about some tool or other,I recall the man in the shop being a bit sharp with me so I never bothered going back in,possibly this was Ken Hawley.

As a young man I didn't know a lot about tools but I could at least ask ,maybe Mr Hawley didn't like dealing with Adolescent Riff Raff.

Anyway now I can appreciate that he did have a contribution to make to an important aspect of Sheffield History.

--RoobyDoo tel 07748403815--

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On 2 January 2017 at 08:27, roobydoo said:

I could remember the shop "Hawleys Tools" but could not remember where it was,after a bit of head scratching I wondered if it was the "Posh" tool shop just off The Moor,sure enough that was it ,on Earl Street ,now demolished to make way for the transferred Castle Market.

There is a photo of Earl Street and the shops on Picture Sheffield reference s23877 

I can remember going into the shop K.W.Hawleys as a young adult and asking about some tool or other,I recall the man in the shop being a bit sharp with me so I never bothered going back in,possibly this was Ken Hawley.

As a young man I didn't know a lot about tools but I could at least ask ,maybe Mr Hawley didn't like dealing with Adolescent Riff Raff.

Anyway now I can appreciate that he did have a contribution to make to an important aspect of Sheffield History.

--RoobyDoo tel 07748403815--

His shop was on Matilda Street, in the photo you can see what was Marks & Spencer on the Moor.

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3 hours ago, tozzin said:

His shop was on Matilda Street, in the photo you can see what was Marks & Spencer on the Moor.

K W Hawley (Tools) Ltd., tool dealers, 6 Earl Street.

1965 directory.

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I'm a bit confused,if you look up Matilda Street you would see where Dixons used to be on the next block to the Debenhams block,between them was Rockingham Way,there was not a deal on there apart from access to a car park and a loading bay,on your RHS would be Woolworths and Burtons.

In the Picture Sheffield photo S23877 you can make out Hawleys Tools on the LHS opposite Blacks camping ,from the car registration numbers taken about 1988.You can see Marks and Spencers building on the far side of the Moor.

Did Mr Hawley have an earlier shop on Matilda Street?

                               --RoobyDoo--tel:07748403815

 

 

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1 hour ago, roobydoo said:

I'm a bit confused,if you look up Matilda Street you would see where Dixons used to be on the next block to the Debenhams block,between them was Rockingham Way,there was not a deal on there apart from access to a car park and a loading bay,on your RHS would be Woolworths and Burtons.

In the Picture Sheffield photo S23877 you can make out Hawleys Tools on the LHS opposite Blacks camping ,from the car registration numbers taken about 1988.You can see Marks and Spencers building on the far side of the Moor.

Did Mr Hawley have an earlier shop on Matilda Street?

                               --RoobyDoo--tel:07748403815

 

 

It seems to look that way.

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The Sheffield Archives have a collection (ref SY38) - summarised as follows:

K. W. Hawley Tools Ltd was incorporated on 23rd June 1961 (company number 00696352). The company first appears in Kelly's Trade Directory for Sheffield in 1961 at 43 Button Lane. The previous directory, dated 1959, shows a Yaxley Tool and hardware Company at that address.  In the directory for 1963 K. W. Hawley Tools is shown at 6 Earl Street, Sheffield, where it remains until the early 1990s. It is not known when the company was dissolved. It was still listed in a business directory as late as 1992, but does not appear from 1996 onwards.  

The collection includes 75 items ( Purchase and sales invoices 1965 - 1967, stock books 1966-1967 etc ) and there is a related collection in 9 boxes at Kelham Island of sales day books, wages books and miscellaneous notebooks, 1960-1989.

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5 hours ago, Edmund said:

The Sheffield Archives have a collection (ref SY38) - summarised as follows:

K. W. Hawley Tools Ltd was incorporated on 23rd June 1961 (company number 00696352). The company first appears in Kelly's Trade Directory for Sheffield in 1961 at 43 Button Lane. The previous directory, dated 1959, shows a Yaxley Tool and hardware Company at that address.  In the directory for 1963 K. W. Hawley Tools is shown at 6 Earl Street, Sheffield, where it remains until the early 1990s. It is not known when the company was dissolved. It was still listed in a business directory as late as 1992, but does not appear from 1996 onwards.  

The collection includes 75 items ( Purchase and sales invoices 1965 - 1967, stock books 1966-1967 etc ) and there is a related collection in 9 boxes at Kelham Island of sales day books, wages books and miscellaneous notebooks, 1960-1989.

It could be that Kens shop stood at the corner of Eyre Street and Matilda Street, I can remember looking at the decorative displays in his shop window on Matilda Street and if his letter box was on Eyre Street that was his postal address even though the majority of the shop stood on Matilda Street

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I knew Ken since the late 70's, mostly as the custodian of Wortley Top Forge. He was top of the class with his knowledge of tools and the cutlery trade. He could be a little abrupt at time but you accept that once you knew him.

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