Tools & Trades History Society

Videos

Ken Hawley - Tool Collector

Founder member, past President and figurehead to TATHS and the Hawley Collection Trust, Ken Hawley passed away in 2014. For those who remember him, and those who never had the privilege of meeting him, these videos give a splendid introduction to the man and his lifelong passions. The videos are the work of Sheffield-based company Corvideos.

In this one he introduces the collection of tools at the Ken Hawley Collection in the Kelham Island Museum.

 

Here he reflects on his own life and reminisces about Sheffield's heritage:

 

Here he describes how he came to start collecting tools, at the right time, in the right place, as the Sheffield tool companies rushed to dispose of their obsolete stock and equipment:

 

 

Ken Hawley - The full story

For several years, a few videos of Ken Hawley have been available on YouTube, and have been featured here. Since his death, the team at Corvideos who made them have released longer versions. These are well worth watching, to understand in greater depth his passion for tools.

 

Part One:

 

 

Part Two:

 

 

Part Three:

 

 

Part Four:

 

Jane Rees on collecting

In this video, TATHS President Jane Rees chats about the pleasure of collecting old tools. It was filmed by Woodlands TV on the TATHS stand at "Treefest" at Westonbirt Arboretum, in August 2013.

 

Tool Identification

These videos are from the website of the Social History Curators Group. Produced with Arts Council funding, they are intended to help museum curators identify tools in their collections. As well as these three videos featuring well-known TATHS members, their website has other videos and information of interest to old tool enthusiasts.

Here, Jane Rees gives an introduction to tool identification in general. (See also her Beginner's Guide.)

 

 

Here Des Pawson, in his Museum of Knots and Sailors' Ropework, introduces tools for Rope Working and Rigging.

 

In a second video, Des shows us the tools used for Sail, Sack and Canvas working: