Today we took a quick trip into Leeds. We wanted to see the Knife Angel ……

The Knife Angel is a contemporary sculpture formed of 100,000 knives created by artist Alfie Bradley and the British Ironworks Centre. It is 27 feet tall and incorporates 100,000 knives collected from 200 knife banks. Knives were donated anonymously or were seized by police from crime scenes or from arrests. The sculpture was created in order to highlight knife crime and educate young people on the harmful effect violent behaviour can have on their communities.

Once the knives were delivered to the British Ironworks Centre, each one was disinfected and blunted. The knives were then welded onto an existing steel frame to form the body of the angel and remaining knives were welded onto steel plates to form the wings. Families who lost loved ones as a result of knife crime were invited to have a message engraved onto a blade used in the sculpture. Over 80 families contacted the artist in order to engrave a personal message. 

In 2018 the Knife Angel began a nationwide tour highlighting the anti-violence message behind its construction. It is currently in Leeds, outside the Royal Armouries. Quite a juxtaposition!