Stan Shaw: Busts of the famous Sheffield knife maker were created

A pair of busts depicting a famous Sheffield craftsman will pay tribute to the city’s last ‘little mesters’.

Stan Shaw, who died aged 94 in 2021, had an order book of royalty and rock stars and was renowned for his handmade pocket knives.

He was apprenticed to the cutlery industry in Sheffield at the age of 14 and was still demonstrating his craft shortly before he died.

An artist and friend of the Shaw family designed the busts, one in bronze and one in stainless steel, and they are now ready to go on display.

The “little meters” were self-employed metalworkers whose more specialized skills complemented the city’s large steelmakers.

They made Sheffield famous in the Victorian era and Mr Shaw’s family claim he was the last survivor of the network.

Local technology firms Castings Technology International and Performance Engineering Solutions used 3D laser techniques to create Mr Shaw’s likeness.

One of the sculptures will be on display at his workshop in the Kelham Island area, which has now been converted into a museum dedicated to his work.

Renowned around the world for creating high quality knives, famous figures for whom Mr Shaw produced blades included Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh and members of Elvis Presley’s band.

The other bust will be on display at Cutlers Hall alongside a family collection of Mr Shaw’s knives.

Family friend Chris Denham was inspired to create the artwork after a conversation at Mr Shaw’s memorial service at Sheffield Cathedral.

He said: “I’ve seen Stan at work many times over the years and he once joked to me, ‘I’ve never worked a day in my life.’

“However, he created incredibly complex knives by eye and enjoyed every minute of it, between drinking tea and chatting with people who were interested in his work.”

Mr Denham added: “It’s all so special because Stan inspired me to leave teaching to become a full-time artist when he was made redundant to become a full-time knife maker in 1985.”