Graham Snowdon I should imagine that 90 per cent of the population of Sheffield have heard of the Assay Office, and are vaguely aware of its role in hallmarking items of precious metal, but few fully appreciate its significance on the national and world stage. Sheffield Assay Office has been making its mark since 1773 when local … Read more
Peter Stubbs, who travelled from his home in Bakewell and was warmly welcomed by an audience of 48 members, is no stranger to Stumperlowe Probus Club. This was his fifth visit to us in just over two years. Peter is a man of many parts, and talents. On his first visit he managed to cram … Read more
These are troubled times for printed newspapers, all of whom are haemorrhaging circulation in the face of competition from the internet, and social media in particular. Many are in their death throes. For somebody who spent his entire working life in journalism, the figures make depressing reading. When I started work on the Yorkshire Evening … Read more
In the days when Doncaster Rovers’ home ground was Belle Vue, the town was proud of the fact that it had the largest playing area of any club in the Football League, at 110 yards long by 72 yards wide. But, in a town where size obviously matters, the old Rovers’ pitch would be dwarfed … Read more
I wasn’t cut out to be a marqueteur. I even failed my GCE ‘O’ level in woodwork. So I could only marvel at the intricate skill with wood veneers, knives, scalpels and fretsaws displayed not only by master furniture maker Thomas Chippendale but also by our speaker Jack Metcalfe. It was not until the last … Read more
When is cutlery not cutlery? When it’s a fork or a spoon. Nick Duggan was impressed that the majority of his audience knew that only something that cuts can be defined as cutlery. But then we are a Sheffield-based club, after all, and our membership includes three former Masters Cutler. Even my Oxford English Reference … Read more