Historic Ryde Society

‘Giving Ryde’s Past to the Future’

Historic Ryde Society Quiz Night Thursday 28 December 2023 at Yelf's Hotel, at 7p.m. for 7.30pm.   The Museum of Ryde will be closed from 24th December 2023 to 4th February 2024. We are opening Monday, 5th February 2024. We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Isle of Wight Observer November 11 1881

MR HENRY KNIGHT’S NEW INVENTION – We have just seen an extremely handy little instrument for opening tins, which has been invented and patented by Mr Henry Knight, and which is now on sale at all respectable ironmongers, price 1s. The knife works into a sort of groove, which fits the edge of the tin, and cuts round it very cleanly indeed. It is undoubtedly the best thing of the sort out, and all the grocers speak well of it.

This tin opener is on display in the Isle of Wight museum, Guildhall, Newport. It was Henry’s most successful patent, and he sold it to Crosse and Blackwell.

Henry Knight's patented tin opener

A HORRIBLE DREAM  – A gentleman suggests to me that the Council should have had Knight Mayor, and left him to govern the town by himself. This must have been something more than a dream – night-mare, in fact!

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