Knife, Butcher
Production date
1945-Mid 1950s
Description
A butcher's knife with a well worn steel blade, and a flat rectangular wooden handle. The word "Newhaven" is stamped on the blade.
Object detail
Artist/Maker
Production role
Manufacturer
Production date
1945-Mid 1950s
Production place
Classification
Credit line
That
old
knife
rattling
at
the
bottom
of
your
drawer
could
be
a
piece
of
Taranaki
manufacturing
history.
Import
restrictions
imposed
following
World
War
II
meant
good
quality
kitchen
knives
were
scarce.
This
prompted
returned
serviceman
Howard
Putt
to
establish
a
knife
factory
at
Otakeho,
south
Taranaki.
Using
skills
he
learned
in
the
Middle
East
his
first
knives
were
made
with
old
handsaw
blades
but
as
production
took
off
these
were
substituted
by
good
waste
steel
from
a
shovel
making
factory.
Adopting
the
Newhaven,
Green
River
and
Bleu
Jean
brands
the
factory
produced
carving
knives
and
serving
forks
which
were
soon
selling
nationwide.
At
its
peak
the
factory
employed
13
staff
and
churned
out
700
dozen
knives
in
one
month
but
the
return
of
cheaper
imports
in
the
1950s
proved
fatal
to
the
enterprise.
This
Newhaven
branded
butcher’s
knife
was
acquired
by
Taranaki
Museum
in
1990.
Accession number
A81.987
Collection type
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