Livery Masters’ Weekend

This weekend saw the return of the Livery Masters’ Weekend, an annual gathering of Masters, Prime Wardens and their consorts from City and UK livery companies. The Cutlers’ Company of Hallamshire hosted this year’s event, the first since 2019, laying on a tour of interesting sites that traced the progression of Sheffield’s manufacturing and engineering prowess from the pre-industrial era, through the Industrial Revolution to the bleeding edge of modern technology and the height of contemporary design. Representatives of over 100 livery companies attended and finished off the tour in style with a Gala Dinner at the Cutlers’ Hall on the Saturday evening.

We organised a special Goldsmiths North ‘pop-up’ as one of the destinations on the tour, welcoming guests to the gallery space at Persistence Works where many of our Sheffield-based exhibitors have their workshops. Each group of guests had an hour to engage with the work on display, meet the makers and buy a piece as a souvenir of the weekend. We were also offering the opportunity of visiting a silversmith’s workshop upstairs. Although it was an action-packed day for them, the guests were excited to see the quality and variety of work on display and intrigued by the taster of what Goldsmiths North will have to offer in July.

We would like to thank Goldsmiths North exhibitors Angus McFadyen, Jen Ricketts and Colette Bishop who spent the day demonstrating engraving, piercing and chasing. Also David Fowkes, Rebecca Joselyn, Brett Payne, Gonzo Studio, Helena Russell and Charlotte Tollyfield for being there to display and speak about their work. It was also great to have Emma Paragreen there as a representative of the Sheffield Assay Office answering questions about hallmarking and in particular about the Platinum Jubilee commemorative mark. Thanks also go to Yorkshire Artspace for allowing us the use of the gallery space at Persistence Works.