Not currently on display at the V&A

Queen-heater

Heater
1958 (designed and made)
Artist/Maker
Grahamston Iron Co (manufacturers)
David Mellor, CBE, OBE, RDI (designers)
Place of origin
Sheffield (designed)
Falkirk (made)

Before central heating became ubiquitous, houses were heated either by open fires or stoves such as this example. Closed stoves were much more efficient in their heat output and more economical to run.


Object details

Categories
Architectural Fittings
Design Council Award Winner
Household Objects
Metalwork
Object type
Heater
TitleQueen-heater (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Cast iron with a grey buff finish, the doors glazed with heat resistant glass.
Cast Iron
Cast Iron
Heat-Resisting Glass
Casting
Painting (Coating)
Brief description
`Queen' solid fuel convector room heater, cast iron and glass, Scotland, Falkirk, made by Grahamston Ironfounders, designed by David Mellor, 1958.
Physical description
Solid fuel room heater, grey cast iron and heat resistant glass. Curved top with a slightly bowed front, the centre with two doors, hinged at the sides with three rectangular glazed panels in each, secured by a wing nut at the base, the ashtray at the base with a rectangular panel across the entire width and a circular locking mechanism in the centre, the side panels with rectangular grilles at the top. The stove sits on a recessed, rectangular plinth.
Dimensions
  • Height: 23in
  • Width: 18in
  • Depth: 9in
Style
Modernist
Production typeMass produced
Credit line
Gift of the manufacturer.
Object history
Historical significance: Winner of a CoID Design of the Year award in 1959
Summary
Before central heating became ubiquitous, houses were heated either by open fires or stoves such as this example. Closed stoves were much more efficient in their heat output and more economical to run.
Bibliographic references
  • Christopher Frayling, David Mellor, master metalworker, Sheffield, Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust, 1998, p.22. ill.
  • Teleri Lloyd-Jones, David Mellor Design, Woodbridge, Antique Collectors' Club, 2009, p.31. ill. ISBN.978-1-85149-603-7
  • Lilly Crowther, Award Winning British Design, 1957-1988, London, V&A Publishing, 2012. p.15. ISBN.978-1-851-77673-3
Collection
Metalwork Collection
Accession number
CIRC.218-1963

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Record createdApril 26, 2011
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1194564/queen-heater-heater-david-mellor-cbe/
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