Hunt to find giant set of Sheffield-made scissors continues

A Sheffield cutlery firm is still on the lookout for a giant set of scissors that have vanished into thin air.
Geoffrey Boycott with the giant scissors which have gone missing. Picture: Taylor's Eye WitnessGeoffrey Boycott with the giant scissors which have gone missing. Picture: Taylor's Eye Witness
Geoffrey Boycott with the giant scissors which have gone missing. Picture: Taylor's Eye Witness

Taylor's Eye Witness mounted an appeal a month ago to track down what may well have been Sheffield's biggest pair of cutters, made in the 1970s at the company's historic factory on Milton Street in the city centre.

The instruments, thought to be about two feet long, were often loaned out, and it is believed they were simply not returned after being used for a special occasion. The manufacturer had forgotten about them, but realised they were lost when a picture of former Yorkshire and England cricketer Geoffrey Boycott snipping a ribbon with the scissors was found during an office move to new premises off the Parkway.

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The plea went national after being reported in The Star and was picked up by the BBC - but no-one has come forward as yet.

"There's no news, I'm afraid," said Joanne Chapman, who runs Taylor's social media accounts from the Famous Sheffield Shop on Ecclesall Road.

However, the attention the appeal received was encouraging, she added. "It went mad on the radio. We've not given up hope just yet."

It is thought the picture of Boycott was possibly taken in the 1980s. Staff at Taylor's have been sorting through old documents during the move from Milton Street, the firm's home of more than 150 years.

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Joanne previously urged people to 'check their drawers and cupboards' for the scissors. It is hoped they could be put on display, or loaned out again.

"We don't know that much about them. we don't know who the last person was that they went to but they never came back. They're not something you can just put in your top pocket."

Taylor’s Eye Witness, which remains an independent company, was founded by John Taylor in the early 19th century. The name is said to have been prompted by the line "No eye hath seen such" from Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1. It makes kitchen knives, scissors and pocket knives, and has invested £1 million in its new 32,000 sq ft factory on the Parkway Industrial Estate. The unit was previously owned by Sheffield Council - as part of a deal, the authority has taken on ownership of Milton Street's Grade II listed Eye Witness Works.

Anyone with information about the scissors should email [email protected] or call 0114 272 4221.