Sheffield to celebrate stainless steel centenary
THE 100th anniversary of the discovery of stainless steel in Sheffield will be marked by a year of events in the city in 2013.
The programme has been put together by a city-wide partnership led by Master Cutler Neil MacDonald with significant financial support from business in Sheffield.
In 1913, Harry Brearley discovered that adding chromium to molten iron produced a metal that did not rust while working at the Brown Firth Laboratories in Sheffield.
Speaking at the launch for 100 Years of Stainless Steel – Sheffield 2013, Mr MacDonald said Mr Brearley’s real skill was to quickly realise the potential for stainless steel to be adapted to different uses.
“2013 will provide us with a unique opportunity, not only to celebrate the lasting legacy of Harry Brearley that will foreever associate stainless steel with Sheffield but also to recognise the spirit, innovation and entrepreneurship that is so much part of Sheffield’s make up and will be in the future.
“And its a chance not to just to celebrate it quietly, as we normally do, but to blow our own trumpet and tell everyone about it.”
Mr MacDonald said the range of events covering history, education, science, technology and culturer reflected the range of organisations working together to mark the anniversary.
One of the first events will be ‘Designed to Shine’, an exhibition at the Millennium Gallery organised by Museums Sheffield.
The free exhibition will include early stainless steel products and contemporary items as well as pieces loaned by people from the city and art using the material.
Kim Streets, chief executive of Museums Sheffield, said: “Designed to Shine will chronicle a entury of design and innovation. It will showcase a diversity of objects made from stainless steel and celebrate the impact this discovery had on Sheffield and on the world.
“Harry Brearley’s discovery shaped the city we know so well and reaffirmed Sheffield’s international reputation for innovation, entrepreneurialism and outstanding quality.”
Marketing Sheffield is helping to organise the events and is looking to capitalise on the attention the anniversary will bring to the city.
It has developed a new mark inspired by the marks used in the past on stainless steel goods made in Sheffield that it hopes current businesses will adopt.
Brendan Moffett, director of Marketing Sheffield, said: “These things come along once in a lifetime, literally, so we are very excited about we can do with this.”
Organisations supporting the 100 Years of Stainless Steel are: Barber Harrison & Platt, DLA Piper, Finance Yorkshire, Hill Dickinson, Hart Shaw, HSBC Bank, Irwin Mitchell, HLW Keeble Hawson, Lloyds Banking Group, Nabarro, PwC, Sheffield Hallam University, Withers & Rogers, Yorkshire Bank, Outokumpu and Sheffield Forgemasters.
