SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

raveydavey wrote: I can remember a van offering knife sharpening, etc visiting Dib Lane occasionally in the early '80's, parking up outside the shops for the day for people to take their knives to.I'm sure it was the Maturi one, but my memory could be playing tricks on me.I suppose the demand for knife sharpening has all but gone nowadays with most people simply throwing knives away and replacing them when they go dull, given the low cost (comparatively) of buying new. Plus can you imaging wandering the street with a bag full of knives for sharpening nowadays? You'd spend the night in clink trying to explain that one! "Man with van" type knife sharpening still exists. Certainly the last Thursday of every month he shows up on Hampstead high street and does both pubs, three restaurants and McD's [though I think they only use knives on the customers].Six quid and the knives come back sharpened and honed and, on request, he will re-harden and temper the knives; but that's more expensive and you dont get them back for a month.Much better then having the "chef" use a knife "steel" which only leaves a rough bur which feels sharp but doesn't cut correctly or last long.

Bramley4woods wrote: Brunel wrote: "they had one in King Edward Street"That was a different firm, can't remember the name for now.Before Vicar Ln. Maturi was on Eastgate, LH side going up the hill. That, I believe, was "Woods" tools. If I am not mistaken they had another shop in the city centre. Flippin Nora - you'rre right - my brain attackplaying games with me I think - apologies to all, Bramley is correctBut they did relocate from there to the top of town didn't they?    

"That, I believe, was "Woods" tools."That's the one, they moved from K. E. St. to Eastgate, couple of shops lower down from the Vicar Ln. Jnc.Now gone of course, no room for the small shop.

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I seemed to remember Maturis having a shopon Burmantofts St.Leodis showsthis to be Alfonso Maturi.Also on Leodis but not yet mentioned here is a Peter Murturishop at 3 George Street at the side of the 'Madhouse'Market Tavern.

Bramley4woods wrote: Brunel wrote: "they had one in King Edward Street"That was a different firm, can't remember the name for now.Before Vicar Ln. Maturi was on Eastgate, LH side going up the hill. That, I believe, was "Woods" tools. If I am not mistaken they had another shop in the city centre. Woods, purveyors of Zeus books and Rabone Chesterman rules to apprentices everywhere.

Maturi's were 'origionally' in George street, directly opposite the side entrance to the Market. This was in the 1940/50's. Mr Maturi himself (seem to remember he wore spectacles) worked in the back room sharpening scissors. I'm pretty sure his wife worked in the shop. The shop referred to in King Edawrd`Street was indeed Woods. I remember buying my first electric drill ) a Bridges) from there. Think it was a family business. Lovely lady worked there; as helpful as can be and a delight to deal with. The young man (may have been the son or nephew) then opened a shop in Eastgate, directly opposite the Gas showroms next to the newspaper shop.

alanlad wrote: Maturi's were 'origionally' in George street, directly opposite the side entrance to the Market. This was in the 1940/50's. Mr Maturi himself (seem to remember he wore spectacles) worked in the back room sharpening scissors. I'm pretty sure his wife worked in the shop. The shop referred to in King Edawrd`Street was indeed Woods. I remember buying my first electric drill ) a Bridges) from there. Think it was a family business. Lovely lady worked there; as helpful as can be and a delight to deal with. The young man (may have been the son or nephew) then opened a shop in Eastgate, directly opposite the Gas showroms next to the newspaper shop. I seem to remember on the BBC Peoples War website, reading a very good story in which one of the Maturi family was featured.I have a feeling it was to do with the deportation of people with Italian or Germanic surnames being deported or interned.The person in the story was deported back to Italy I think, and played a very brave part in the underground there?

I remember Peter Maturi's in Eastgate both as a child and later as a teenage catering student who bought knives from them in the late 1960's to early seventies. Nobody has mentioned the most remarkable window display they had, a giant, bright red Victorinox Swiss Army Penkife with blades that folded in and out continuously. I remember the old mobile knife sharpening van too. Specialist shops like this with the 'Aladin's Cave' attractions are missed by we nerds, the world over!

In the 1940s I lived on the Gipton Estate and a man came on regularly there on a cycle with a box on the front marked Maturie's. he was knife grinder and sharpener who somehow converted the pedal part so that as he pedalled a belt rotated and he sharpened the knives.

Later in the early 1950s I worked at Spalding's, an American sports firm in King Edward Street and next door was Woods, a double fronted tool shop. they had the most fantastic display of tools, chisels, hammers, screwdrivers etc. in their windows.

While I worked there I cut off the water supply for all the shops on both King Edward. St. and Queen Victoria St. plus one side of the Mecca / County Arcade for over 24 hours but that's another story