Supporting British Industry & Craftsmanship
Ernest Wright is a traditional scissor and shear maker based at Kutrite Works in the centre of Sheffield. The company aims to make between 8,000-12,000 units a year, crafting each pair by hand using traditional methods and machinery by the skilled team - known as "putters".
Ernest Wright was founded in 1902 by Ernest Wright Sr., the son of a local scissors-borer, and the business passed down through five generations of the Wright family - who had been involved in the making of scissors since at least the 1800's.
By the 1970s the workshop employed more than eighty people, but global competition and mass manufacturing gradually eroded Sheffield's once-thriving scissors trade, and the company's fortunes took a further blow in 2018 with the death of owner Nick Wright. The company was nearly lost when the Wright family business went into receivership, but it was rescued by two enthusiasts Paul Jacobs and Bart Fanoy. Today the company is growing again, with a passionate team who have taught themselves the necessary skills to manufacturer the wide range of scissors and shears.
The firm crafts every pair to order rather than holding stock, with orders typically taking around twelve weeks to fulfil, and its range spans everything from Turton kitchen scissors and stork-shaped embroidery scissors to left-handed shears for tailors and dressmakers. In 2021 the company secured its future by purchasing its historic workshop premises on Broad Lane outright.
"It's a relief to come across companies like Ernest Wright - where new owners have saved it from closure and gone on to invest in the building, the team and its future - securing jobs and preserving the skills for future generations." Carmel King photographed Ernest Wright in July 2022 for for The Archive.
