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David Mellor
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David Mellor is one of the best known 20th century British designers and has an international reputation for his cutlery design from the 1950s to the present day. He has always specialised in metalwork and his new museum in Hathersage shows the full historic collection of his work and that of his son, Corin Mellor - extending from marvellous examples of David’s handmade silver to the traffic lights we stop at every day.
David Mellor was born in Sheffield in 1930. He studied at Sheffield College of Art, the Royal College of Art and the British School at Rome. David was Royal Designer for Industry in 1962, became an Hon. Doctor RCA in 2000 and was awarded the CBE in 2001.
The wide-ranging exhibition at Hathersage is an eye-opener for anybody with an interest in design. David Mellor Design operates on the simple principle that well-designed equipment can improve your life.
David Mellor Cutlery is manufactured in a purpose-designed modern factory in the Peak National Park. The Round Building, designed by Sir Michael Hopkins, has won numerous architectural awards. The famous David Mellor shop in Sloane Square, London, and the factory at Hathersage in Derbyshire, sell a professional collection of kitchenware and tableware, expertly selected for those who love to cook and eat.
Examples of David Mellor's influential key designs can be viewed as part of a timeline:
- 1953 - 'Pride' cutlery (Silver plate)
Designed when David Mellor was still a student at the Royal College of Art, London. Included in the first Design Centre Awards in 1957 and in production ever since. - 1959 - Bus shelter (Galvanised steel)
Used nationally from 1959. David Mellor was responsible for the first modern street furniture in Britain. - 1966 - National Traffic Light System
Commissioned by the Department of the Environment. Mellor's design is still in use throughout the UK. - 1966 - Square Pillar Box (Post Office)
The design aroused public controversy as a departure from the traditional pillar box. - 1968 - Bronze Fountain (University Botanic Garden, Cambridge)
Throughout the 1960s Mellor combined special one-off commissions in silver and other metals with street furniture and industrial design. - 1969 - Disposable cutlery (White plastic)
Designed for Cross Paperware and made in millions. - 1971 - 'Eclipse' hacksaw frame
General purpose saw designed for the leading Sheffield tool manufacturers, James Neill. - 1986 - Cutlery for people with a physical disability
Ergonomically designed as part of the Helen Hamlyn Foundation's campaign to improve living standards for elderly people.
Further details of David Mellor, the museum and his designs may be found on his web site: David Mellor Designs.
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