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Alveston

Tea Service
1978 (made), 1961-1964 (designed)
Artist/Maker
J. & J. Wiggin Ltd. (maker)
Robert Welch MBE, RDI (designer)
Place of origin
Chipping Campden (designed)
Bloxwich (made)

Robert Welch (1929-2000) was trained at the Birmingham School of Art under Ralph Baxendale and Cyril Shiner. From 1952 to 1955 he was at the Royal College of Art, after which he was appointed as design consultant to J.J. Wiggin of Bloxwich, manufacturers of stainless steel tableware. Throughout his career he undertook many industrial design commissions (he designed the stainless steel tableware for the Orient liner Oriana) while continuing to practise as a silversmith.


Object details

Categories
Drinking
Metalwork
Tea, Coffee & Chocolate Wares
Object type
Tea service
Parts
This object consists of 4 parts.

  • Teapot
  • Hot Water Jug
  • Milk Jug
  • Sugar Bowl
TitleAlveston (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Stainless steel, stamped, welded and polished
Stainless Steel
Stamping
Welding
Lost-Wax Process
Polishing
Brief description
Stainless steel, Bloxwich, made by J.J. Wiggin Ltd., (Old Hall Tableware), 1978, designed by Robert Welch RDI.
Physical description
Tea service consisting of a teapot, hotwater jug, milk jug and sugar bowl in brightly polished, stainless steel.
Dimensions
  • Teapot height: 13cm
  • Teapot width: 21cm (maximum)
  • Hotwater jug height: 15cm
  • Hotwater jug width: 15cm (maximum)
  • Milk jug height: 8.5cm
  • Milk jug width: 12cm (maximum)
  • Sugar bowl height: 6.0cm
  • Sugar bowl diameter: 8.5cm
Style
Modernist
Production typeMass produced
Marks and inscriptions
Stamped on the base: OLD HALL for Old Hall Tableware Ltd. (The brand name for stainless steel tableware produced by J.J. Wiggin Ltd.)
Summary
Robert Welch (1929-2000) was trained at the Birmingham School of Art under Ralph Baxendale and Cyril Shiner. From 1952 to 1955 he was at the Royal College of Art, after which he was appointed as design consultant to J.J. Wiggin of Bloxwich, manufacturers of stainless steel tableware. Throughout his career he undertook many industrial design commissions (he designed the stainless steel tableware for the Orient liner Oriana) while continuing to practise as a silversmith.
Bibliographic reference
Charlotte and Peter Fiell, Robert Welch Design Craft and Industry, London, Laurence King Publishing, 2015. pp.92-93. ill. ISBN. 9781780676050
Collection
Metalwork Collection
Accession number
M.20-1978

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Record createdJune 2, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O238389/alveston-tea-service-robert-welch-mbe/
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