Breakfast tray set

Classification(s):
Wood
Date: c.1951 - 1976
Organisation: Betula Woodware
Dimensions:
78 × 353 mm (7.8 × 35.3 cm)
Medium: Wood, glass
Object number: W115
Place of Production:England
DescriptionBreakfast tray set by Betula Woodware, retailed by Heal’s. Made in England. The breakfast set comprises a tray, 2 eggcups, a toast rack, salt and pepper shakers, 2 condiment dishes and a small spatula/honey spoon (possibly not original). The Heal’s product label is to the front; it reads “64/BE 63/- N”. The Betula care label is to the reverse, it reads, “Made in England Betula, How to clean Betula Woodware, never wash, wipe with a cloth damped in vinegar and polish with clear wax polish”. Fragments of Heal’s sticky tape packaging remain.



ProvenanceThis object was originally acquired for the Inner London Education Authority’s (ILEA) ‘Circulating Design Scheme’ collection.

The collection was instigated by the London Country Council (later the Greater London Council) and the Council of Industrial Design (COID). The collection’s original purpose was concerned with the teaching and dissemination of modern, ‘good design’.

The collection was established in 1951/52 as the ‘Experiment in Design Appreciation’, later renamed the ‘Circulating Design Scheme’.

The Circulating Design Scheme lent boxed showcases to London schools. The showcases contained handling objects, material samples and interpretation on a specific subject.

COID withdrew its involvement in the Scheme in 1957. After which time, it was managed exclusively by the London County Council from 1957-1963.

After the administrative restructuring of London authorities, the Scheme was jointly managed by the Greater London Council and the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) from 1963 – 1976.

The Scheme was operational until 1976 when the collections were withdrawn from circulation. ILEA was abolished in the late 1980s and the collection was donated to Camberwell College of Arts in 1989/90.

ILEA was responsible for secondary and tertiary education in the inner London boroughs, this included Camberwell.