David Mellor (cutler)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David Mellor, RDI, (born 1930) is a cutler and industrial designer.
Born in Sheffield, Mellor studied art at the Sheffield School of Art, the Royal College of Art in London and then the British School at Rome. In 1954, Mellor set up a studio in Eyre Street, Sheffield, and was employed as a design consultant by silversmiths Walker and Hall. They began manufacturing his first cutlery range "Pride", later including a tea service. In 1962, the firm began making Mellor's "Symbol" series of stainless steel cutlery. The Design Museum, writing about these series, note that "by pioneering the use of cheaper materials such as stainless steel and, later plastics, in beautifully made cutlery, Mellor made it more adaptable to changes in design and technology."[1]
In 1960, Mellor moved to a purpose-built studio at 1 Park Lane in Broomhall, Sheffield.[1] In 1962, he was designated a Royal Designer for Industry by the Royal Society of Arts for his work in "Silver, Cutlery and Light".[2] Around this time, he married Fiona MacCarthy.[3]
Mellor also designed street lighting, traffic lights and bus shelters for Abacus. He also designed a new style of postbox which proved unpopular.[1]
In 1969, Mellor opened a shop on Sloane Square in London. In 1973, he acquired Broom Hall in Sheffield to expand his workshop, and in 1990 he moved to the Round Building in Hathersage, Derbyshire.[4]
Mellor was diagnosed with dementia in 2000 and as of 2006 is being cared for in a nursing home in Sheffield.[3]
