Do they still make/sell Monogram cutlery?

[victormh]

Cardew is correct about production, which included many types of scissors (run by an experienced lady by the name of Connie) - I was general manager there 1964/1968 (ish) and worked closely with old Isaac Samuel Dearden. At the time his son Dennis was Man Dir (heard he died number of years ago and not old at the time) and son in law Alan was Co Sec.

Others I remember was Aubrey (Pat) Wilson, Mable, Pat, Elaine (x2) the office girls, Dennis Eady, old ISD's brother on the loading bay, Joyce, Ian Herrington in the stores, (who became a prison officer at HMP North Cave and died quite young), Alf the old guy who was the labourer and his daft assistant young Billy. John Green in the forge, Doug the van driver etc.. and a few others who would have left there by 1970. When I left, I arranged for part of my job to be taken over by Ron Annible, but I think he may have gone to a neaby building where all of the Instalex cutlery was then being moved to. Ron lives in Eckington with his wife Dennise

Regards - Grey Eminence - Subang Jaya - Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia

[shinyhappy68]

Hi,

 

I was wondering if Monogram cutlery was still being made in sheffield?

This may sound strange, but i have a favourite knife (monogram) which has been with me since i took a shine to it as a kid, over 20 years ago!

 

So i was wondering, instead of making myself look territorial/crazy evey time i see a friend/guest/OH using my knife, if i could buy a set?

 

Thanks

 

Do you mean this?? xx

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Amefa-Monogram-Carlton-Cutlery-Stainless/dp/B002B5488M

 

Its made in Sheffield, Orgreave I believe x

[Krush]

No, not quite, it maybe the same manufacturing brand tho, I will have a good Google now.

Thanks

[shinyhappy68]

No, not quite, it maybe the same manufacturing brand tho, I will have a good Google now.

Thanks

 

Your welcome google Amefa it's who manufacturers it x

[victormh]

Yip, they are based on the Orgreave Trading Estate, off Retford Road, between Handsworth and Woddhouse Mill.

 

Monogram had financial problems as far back ast the mid 60's, and by 66 were tied in with a firm by the name of Instalex, and started marketing solid cutlery as opposed to hand made higher end items. This was the time of the influx of cheap and nasty cutlery from the far east

 

After a while Amefa took over and that is where they are today

 

Monogram/I S Dearden closed down in Liverpool Street around 1970, maybe just before or after.

 

Regards - Grey Eminence - Subang Jaya, Kuala Lumput, Malaysia

[Brigger]

Hi Krush,

What is the length of the knife/knives you are looking for? I have a new box of 6 knives (total length 18cm). The lid states Kirk's forged stainless cutlery, Monogram.

[GHerrington]

Cardew is correct about production, which included many types of scissors (run by an experienced lady by the name of Connie) - I was general manager there 1964/1968 (ish) and worked closely with old Isaac Samuel Dearden. At the time his son Dennis was Man Dir (heard he died number of years ago and not old at the time) and son in law Alan was Co Sec.

Others I remember was Aubrey (Pat) Wilson, Mable, Pat, Elaine (x2) the office girls, Dennis Eady, old ISD's brother on the loading bay, Joyce, Ian Herrington in the stores, (who became a prison officer at HMP North Cave and died quite young), Alf the old guy who was the labourer and his daft assistant young Billy. John Green in the forge, Doug the van driver etc.. and a few others who would have left there by 1970. When I left, I arranged for part of my job to be taken over by Ron Annible, but I think he may have gone to a neaby building where all of the Instalex cutlery was then being moved to. Ron lives in Eckington with his wife Dennise

Regards - Grey Eminence - Subang Jaya - Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia

 

 

Hi, I saw your post and it mentions my dad, Ian Herrington, who you rightly said used to work there before becoming a Prison Officer. He sadly died of cancer at the age of 45. I don't suppose you have any old photographs of him do you? We have only a handful of pictures of him when he was young, it'd be fantastic to get our hands on any others that may be out there!

[Hydrochillim]

I appreciate this is now an old topic but, as the surviving Son of Isaac Dearden I do remember the firm from its beginnings as Goff and Dearden in a "little mester's" workshop in Gell street through Dacre Street works and then to Petre Street following the acquisition of James Kirk Ltd., as one of the contributors to this thread has mentioned.

On 26/06/2011 at 15:05, victormh said:

Grey Eminence

Grace has listed quite a few former employees in a different thread and it was very nice for me to read names that came back to my memory.

Interestingly there is also a thread regarding the manufacture of knives by Monogram and one ill informed respondent claimed that they did not make them but imported them from the far east. I can assure you, having worked at a knife grinding machine, the contributor is wrong  and only in the latter years of the firm were imported knives a significant part of the business.

If anyone picks up this message and wants more information I will do my best to provide it via the Forum.

 

[victormh]

So Hydrochillim is the last surviving son of Isaac Samuel.

 

Was his wife Lillian as was one of their daughters ??

 

I recall there was Denis and 2 no daughters - one daughter married Alan England who was made Company Secretary. The friend of one of the daughters married Doug ???? who was a diabetic, lived near to the top of Station Road, Woodhouse

 

Doug worked in the packing/despatch and also drove the van (there was a Bedford Dormobile type and that was changed to an Austin J4) - the older guy in the department, and very cantankerous, was Isaacs brother Tommy Dearden - nearby was Joyce Wigfull and her girls doing the finishing and order assembly.

 

Isaac had a dark blue Austin Westminster car and Denis/Alan and the company reps had the small A.40's. I seem to remember that one of Isaacs fiends from his time in the 10th Royal Hussars was an Austin dealer in the Bradford area - the cars almost always had HD in the registered numbers and at the time that was for the Bradford area. The Austin Westminster around 1964/5 was GHD

500. some years later, maybe around 1977/78 I know Isaac was diving a dark silver coloured MK 11 Jaguar - model before the XJ type

 

At the time 1964/1968 Pat (real name Aubrey) Wilson was Works Manager - lived on the Wybourne Estate

 

The foreman in the forge was John Green, quite religious and I think was a Lay Preacher.

 

Many others I can visualise but right now not sure of their names

 

As for not making knives - incorrect they made the normal knives with Xylo handles - even some very cheap with whittle tangs and pre formed bolsters, plus their Pagwood handled range of knives and the ones with the small Alma fork, and to special order the hard soldered 30 year plate mega expensive types - main types being Kings, Empire and Gordon patterns

 

There was also the Master Chef range of kitchen knives and there was knive and fork manufactured with silver ferrules and Stag handles - some from the centre of the Stag Antler and the more expensive from the tip of the Antler - bugger of a job for the girls picking out very similar shaped and colours to form 12 no handles (6 no knives and 6 no forks in each set). The Antler colour would vary from light brown to light red, plus various shades of grey

 

The Pagwood was bought in large sheets, maybe about 6ft x 3ft in size and then taken to Harry Parkin for cutting and shaping into knife/fork handles

 

Many blanks were bought in and then finished in the factory, knives went out to a 'little mester" for hollow grinding etc - think his name may have been Himsworth ?

 

Interesting times when cutlery was made by skilled people, not automated mass production machinery

 

I seem to remember Isaac once telling me that in the "proper" cutlery items there was at least 52 patterns - one for week of the year 

 

As for the stainless steel range which they "bought in", that was supplied by a company called Instalex -  from about 1965/6, I think

 

Of course at one time there were ISD/Monogram pocket knives

 

Hope this brings back memories Hydrochillim

 

Best Wishes from Malaysia - Saturday 9-30am 30 degrees and climbing with clear blue sky - should get up to 100 plus by late morning - that's about average - we do not have seasons and of course we are not very far north of the Equator - Equator runs through the Southern Tip of Singapore, which from here - southern residential suberb of Kuala Lumur is 294km (184 miles) - to the north Bangkok is 748km (468 miles) - our North/South Highway (like your M1) runs from our border with Thailand right down Malaysia and to the centre of Singapore Island

 

Best Regards - Victor

 

 

 

 

 

Doug ???? just remembered - his name was Doug Reville - bit hazy after 58 years since leaving Monogram - left November 1968

 

Regards Victor 

Edited December 28, 2019 by nikki-red

[Hydrochillim]

Hi,

Yes, wife was Lilian as is one of the two daughters.

 

Doug Reville is correct as are most of your other recollections but you appear to have misunderstood my remarks about the manufacture of knives. I made the comment that the subscriber to the Forum who claimed they did not make knives was wrong and that I did spend some time grinding them as the Dacre street works did have a blade grinding bay, (just outside of which were two automatic scissor blade grinding machines).

 

You may remember that scissor blades were forged at Stamforge, (owned by ISD), and kept of metal "sticks" containing 56 blades to allow for 8 to be "wasters" so the stick ended up producing 24 good pairs of scissors.

 

I have and use several knives, (including penknives), and other cutlery that were made by Monogram and not bought in from Instalex.

 

As you comment on Pagwood I have some of that too and it is still looking good. Do you remember the research done with Bostick to produce a fixing for the pagwood handles and the induction machines bought to make sure the handles wouldn't part from the steel blades during their life?

 

(I also have a soirée companion)

 

Sounds very pleasant where you live so enjoy it and have a very Happy New Year.