DAVID MELLOR CUTLERY FACTORY
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Location: Situated off B6001 Grindleford Road between Leadmill Bridge and Hathersage, about a quarter of a mile from the latter.
Visit: Hathersage today is a large, attractive village with hotels and shops lining the main street. In 2026, The Sunday Times, in its Best Places to Live list, named Hathersage as one of the seven best places to live in the Midlands. To the north, Stanage Edge rises steeply and to the south flows the River Derwent. In the 19th century, the scene was very different. Five chimneys belched out black smoke, Hathersage being the centre of the needle, pin and wire drawing industry. Those industries, along with their smoke, vanished around 1900, although four mills remain, but now with different uses.
Refreshments: There is an excellent café on site. Alternatively, The Plough Inn by Leadmill Bridge is a popular visitor destination, as are the numerous cafés, pubs and restaurants in Hathersage.
The Upper Derwent Valley: The Upper Derwent Valley, often described as the “Lake District of the Peak”, is surrounded by magnificent countryside where water and woodland, topped by high moors, predominate. In recent years, forestry has become an important factor, and the sides of the valley are clothed in conifers. Not surprisingly, the area has become so popular that over two million people visit each year.
The valley was a very attractive location for the storage of water, with its long, deep sides and narrow points for dam building. All, this combined with a high average rainfall, low population level and heavy demand for water from the industrial towns that surrounded the Peak District, made the case for reservoir construction. The Howden and Derwent Reservoirs were the first constructed. At that time, the water demand was satisfied. But demand continued to grow, and the decision was taken to build one very large reservoir, to be called Ladybower. It entailed the flooding of the villages of Ashopton and Derwent and caused considerable unrest. However, the project went ahead, and the villagers moved to new houses at Yorkshire Bridge.
DAVID MELLOR CUTLERY FACTORY
The David Mellor Cutlery Factory is on the southern side of Hathersage, along Grindleford Road. It comes as a surprise throughout the countryfor many visitors who would not expect to find a purpose-built cutlery factory in the heart of the countryside. The fact that the factory, designed by David Mellor, has been described by Sir Michael Hopkins as a ‘minor masterpiece of modern architecture’ out of what was once the local gas works, will also come as a shock.
Set discreetly back from the road, this highly functional industrial building hides its beauty away from the casual observer hurrying by on the busy road. It is only when approached up the gravel driveway, and the whole site explored, that it is possible to fully appreciate the architectural value of the Round Building and the more recent additions.
The factory is internationally famous for its cutlery, designed by David Mellor and displayed in the Design Centre. But a further surprise awaits the first-time visitor entering the café to find fully functional traffic lights in operation. Apart from cutlery, David Mellor designed the national traffic light system, which is still in use to this day and a square pillar box for the Post Office, but this was not so successful. He also designed many other items of street furniture in use today through out the country.
The café, equipped with all the finest David Mellor tableware, serves light lunches as well as specialist teas, coffees and cakes.
