Knife manufacturer: Taylor's Eye Witness

Taylor's are one of the few traditional Sheffield knife manufacturers still remaining in the city. Their origins date back to 1896 and they make folding knives, scissors and kitchen knives, although the latter is by far the largest proportion of their trade.

They have successfully expanded and modernised their range of kitchen knives by working with new designers, but their range of folding knives has so far been neglected and sales have suffered. Currently just one employee, Russel White makes the bulk of their folding knives, and they are now keen to try to expand the trade and would like to develop a line of higher quality, higher value knives.

From their prestige range of folding knives:

Witness works circa 1890 and 2009:

The pocket knife room in its heyday and in 2009 with its current sole occupant, Russel White, with researcher Grace Horne experimenting with a parser:

Russel at work and the parser which is used to cut a shield-shaped recess in the scales for traditional decorative metalwork:

Tools of the trade including some hand made ones for specialised jobs:

Mass production of standard range knives: