I began work with Robert Heritage in 1972, about a year after I left college. It was a very valuable experience for me. He didn't talk much about his approach to design but he was very innovative. The starting point for any new project had to be a new idea, perhaps it would be in the manufacturing process, or in the materials, or in the way of arranging the components. The QE2 chair is a great example - it still stands out. Like an apprentice I learnt an enormous amount from him and we had great clients to work for - Concord Lighting, Race Furniture, Archie Shine, Gordon Russell. After Bob took up the Professorship of the Furniture Design School at the Royal College of Art we moved our studio to Jay Mews, the road behind the college, and I became a director of the company.
Bob retired form college in 1984 and we split up the clients and I set up my own consultancy. He died in 2008. I have collected some examples of his work together here and I hope to build up an archive and links to other sources.
Stephen Hall.
