Robert Radford Welch (1929-2000) was a silversmith and designer who balanced craft-manufacture and design for industrial production to create an impressively broad range of products, many of which are now considered icons of modern design.

The iconic Campden toast rack, originally created in 1956, is a fine example of his approach to product design and his clear understanding of production techniques. Part of the larger Campden range of tableware (designed 1956-58), it also found commercial success as a standalone product and it was later produced in a slimmer version, for use on board the SS Oriana, as well as in six and two-slice versions, the latter for the catering trade only.