Cutlery is one of those things that we tend to take for granted. In the western world, we use it with our consumption of almost every meal, yet eating with silver and stainless steel utensils is still a relatively recent occurrence. It wasn’t until the 1400′s when enjoying a plate of food with a fork and knife became commonplace among the society’s elite, and it took at least another century for this practice to filter down to the lower classes.

Over the course of another hundred years, the use of cutlery was widespread in the western world, and the city of Sheffield in England was one of the earliest manufacturing hubs.  By the end of the thirteenth century, Sheffield was world renowned for its production of high quality tablewear – giving it the nickname, “steel city“.

David Mellor, born and trained as a silvermith in Sheffield, is the best known cutlery designer in Britain. We recently visited his cutlery factory in Hathersage, just outside Sheffield in the beautiful Peak District National Park to see where and how some of the knives, forks and spoons we use everyday are made.

The factory, designed by architect Sir Michael Hopkins, is perfectly circular, almost 100 feet in diameter, and constructed of natural stone and steel. It is purpose built and has won numerous architectural and environmental awards since its completion in 1990. It has even been described as a ‘minor masterpiece’ of modern architecture. A stone rim runs the perimeter of the factory, with an impressive bicycle wheel structure supporting the roof of Finnish pine. Inside, the factory is modern, with lots of subtle design touches, such as custom wood light fixtures and symmetrically arranged tool sets. Aesthetics here, however, are secondary to its function. The circular form of the Round building is ideally suited to the linear process of cutlery manufacture, which here is conducted in a clockwise manner at successive stations. Each piece of cutlery goes through intricate stages of blanking, forming, cutting, grinding, plating, and polishing to produce something of consistent quality.

It is incredible to see that cutlery is still being manufactured in the traditional way and in its historic home, with great skill required from the workers to achieve a high quality end product.This quote from David Mellor does well to encapsulate the overall feel of the factory and his attitude towards his own work:

‘For me, in all aspects of my activity – from the architecture of our buildings, the selection of products for my shops, down to the choice of the right rivets for my cutlery – to aim for the highest visual standards has been paramount, and perfecting this skill has been one of the main aims of my life as a designer”.

While we were at the factory, we were pleasantly surprised to see David Mellor’s young grandson being taught the tricks of the trade on the factory floor, ensuring that the necessary skills are passed down to the next generation. It’s comforting to know that the future of cutlery design is in safe hands.

davidmellordesign.com

Words & Photos: Rich Stapleton