In 1997, Sheffield celebrated the seven hundredth anniversary of cutlery making in the City.
The club decided to mark the occasion by making a film, to be called "Seven Hundred Years".
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With the help of sponsorship by the then Master Cutler, we set out to trace the history of Sheffield cutlery, starting from the original cottage craft, leading up the great industry which made Sheffield world-famous. We used a documentary approach, illustrated by dramatised scenes from the past: cutlers fighting over the use of their marks, a pack horse carrying cutlery over the Pennines, the dreadful working conditions in early factories. We were lucky to use some fine locations - the Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet, the Bishop's House Museum, Whirlow Farm. Filming the story of how Sheffield rivers provided the power for the grinding wheels took us to some outstanding scenery around the City.
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Many people helped us with the film. Cutlers' Hall and the Sheffield Library allowed us into their archives. Two cutlery firms, Taylor's Eye-Witness and the Nickel Blanks Company, let us film in their factories. The film was introduced by Stan Crowther, the former MP and Mayor of Rotherham and an accomplished entertainer. He recorded the commentary and even sang a song about one of the industry's young victims.
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The film had its premiere in Cutlers' Hall in 1997 before an invited audience. It went on to win a Gold Seal in the IAC International Film Competition at Buxton in 1998. Members had a lot of fun (and a few problems) making the film, and we all thought the end result was very worthwhile.
Copies of the half-hour video are available from Sheffield Movie Makers at £10 each, on VHS or DVD-R format.
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