Red mid-century 'Melaware' plastic cruet set with stand
This bright red 'Melaware' salt and pepper pot on stand was made by BIP (British Industrial Plastics) under their brand Melmex, using melamine, a plastic developed after the Second World War.
Its brightly coloured red plastic is reflective of a desire for streamlined ergonomic pieces which plastic could be moulded into giving a modern appearance.
This piece was probably designed by Albert Henry 'Woody' Woodfull (1912-2011) and John Vale at British Industrial Plastics, and is a variant on their famous 1946 designed cruet which included a mustard pot.
Woodfull joined BIP in 1934 as a product designer, becoming their head of their new Product Design Unit in 1951 at their factory in Streetly, West Midlands, where he continued until his retirement in 1970. Woodfull and Vale went on to design a range of plastic tableware for W.R Midwinter which was made by BIP Gaydon Ltd (which had previously been Streetly Manufacturing Co Ltd) - Gaydon and Melmex both appearing as trade names.
Dimensions of set:
- Height approx. 7.5cm
- Width approx. 11cm
- Depth approx. 5.5cm
