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Alveston

Carving Set
1964 (made)
Artist/Maker
Harrison, Fisher and Co. Ltd. (maker)
Old Hall Tableware Ltd. (distributor)
Robert Welch MBE, RDI (designer)
Place of origin
Chipping Campden (designed)
Sheffield (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 Sheffield, 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
Eating
Metalwork
Product Design
Tableware & Cutlery
Object type
Carving set
Parts
This object consists of 3 parts.

  • Carving Knife
  • Carving Fork
  • Knife Sharpener
TitleAlveston (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Stainless steel, forged and polished
Stainless Steel
Forging
Polishing
Brief description
Carving set consisting of a carving knife, fork and sharpening steel, stainless steel, Sheffield, 1964, made by Harrison Fisher & Co. Ltd., for Old Hall Tableware Ltd., Bloxwich, Staffordshire.
Physical description
Carving set, the handles of the knife and sharpening steel of teardrop form, waisted centre, rounded end, the faces of the handle slightly convex. The knife blade has a straight leading edge terminating in a point, curved cutting edge. The carving fork, the handle of teardrop form, waisted centre and rounded end, extending to a bowl with two elongated prongs, spring loaded finger guard of pyramid form centred near the prongs. Knife sharpener, the sharpening steel a striated rod with a conical tip, and connected to the handle by a waisted throat.
Dimensions
  • Carving knife length: 37.1cm
  • Carving knife width: 2.8cm (maximum)
  • Carving fork length: 28.5cm
  • Carving fork width: 2.6cm (maximum)
  • Knife sharpener length: 39.5cm
  • Knife sharpener width: 2.6cm (maximum)
Style
Modernist
Production typeMass produced
Marks and inscriptions
  • OLD HALL STAINLESS ENGLAND (Etched on to the bladeand stamped on the bowl of the fork)
  • REGD.DES.916872 IN UK (Stamped on the underside of the finger guard on the carving fork.)
  • OLD HALL ENGLAND (Stamped on the rod of the knife sharpener.)
Credit line
Gift of Robert Welch, MBE, RDI
Object history
Made by Harrison Fisher & Co. Ltd., Sheffield, for Old Hall Tableware Ltd., Blxwich, Staffordshire.
Production
This set as with the rest of the "Alveston" range designed by Welch was marketed under the brand name; "Old Hall Tableware 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 Sheffield, 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.
Associated object
Circ.652-1965 (Design)
Bibliographic reference
Charlotte and Peter Fiell, Robert Welch, Design: Craft & Industry, London, Laurence King Publishing, 2015. pp.106-7. ill. ISBN: 9781780676050
Collection
Metalwork Collection
Accession number
CIRC.648-1965

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Record createdJune 1, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O237937/alveston-carving-set-robert-welch-mbe/
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