The business was an immediate success. His renowned refusal to compromise on quality and design soon saw his craftsmen supplying the top London stores and his pieces were exported throughout the World, including special commissions for international royalty, and many governments. He was also responsible for producing a special trophy for the American Kennedy dynasty. Roberts and Doré continued to flourish through three generations of the Roberts family and two World Wars, when its expertise was harnessed in supplying cutlery and food containers to the troops.
By 1995 however, an increasing shortage of craftsmen and changing public tastes meant that old-fashioned companies such as Roberts and Doré no longer seemed to have a place in a brash modern world and the well-known R&D hallmark all but disappeared.
However by 2008 - exactly 100 years after the birth of Roberts and Doré - it appeared that the public had regained its appetite for quality goods made in an uncompromsingly old-fashioned way. In response to this and to celebrate R&D’s centenary, the Roberts family have designed a special collection of fine sterling silver, silverplate and rich traditional leather accessories.
Each item is a celebration of timeless classic design with a commitment to a century of quality, and comes exquisitely presented in a luxurious gift box.
In 2009 the range was joined by the Picnic and Barbecue Collections from Picnic at Ascot enabling our tradition of fine dining to be extended outside in the summer months.
Roberts and Doré has a distinguished pedigree dating back to 1908 when Thomas Roberts, a respected figure in the City of London, was unable to source silverware of the quality he desired. Establishing himself as a manufacturing silversmith and cutler, he gathered together some of the best craftsmen in the country and took on extensive premises in London’s Hatton Garden which soon had a reputation for being the finest silver showrooms in London.
