Earliest types

The electric kettle was a uniquely British product, owing its existence and development to the British habit of tea-drinking. The application of electricity to heat drinking water was similar to pressing laundry in that the new appliance developed from the traditional, non-electric product it was intended to replace. An electric kettle was first made by Crompton and Co. in 1891 and all the earliest examples had the element in a separate chamber under the water, maintaining the 'fire under the water' layout of traditional boiling vessels. The electric kettle was, with a few exceptions, a strictly functional object and seldom seen outside the kitchen, being regarded as a supplementary appliance to the electric cooker. The separation of water from the element made the kettle inefficient and expensive to run.

Improvements in efficiency and design

Faster boiling was achieved by Swan in 1922, by placing the element in a metal tube, directly into the water chamber. Swan, Hotpoint and some other manufacturers employed a cut-out or patented safety ejector mechanism which disconnected the electrical supply if the kettle boiled dry. Swan even provided a spare fuse inside the handle cavity. Despite such advances, most electric kettles of the 1920s and 1930s retained the traditional look of their non-electric ancestor, usually being made from copper with the option of nickel-plate or vitreous-enamel finish. Some lighter aluminium kettles were made in the 1930s and a few chrome-plated streamlined designs with Bakelite handles appeared in the late-1930s. During the 1939-45 war, Swan continued production of their utility kettle with a plain 'Wartime' finish, when other electrical appliance manufacturers were producing parts for planes and tanks: presumably, keeping the nation supplied with tea was more important that pressed laundry or clean floors. In the light of wartime metal shortages, Hawkins introduced an all-ceramic model.

Sleeker designs, usually with a chrome-plate finish and always with the element placed in the water, became the standard after 1945. It was not until ten years later in 1956, however, that the kettle caught up with the iron and toaster by appearing in a fully-automatic form. This was made by Russell Hobbs, using a controlled jet of steam from the boiling water to cut the power supply via a fast-acting bimetallic strip. This invention was the last stage in the development of the modern kettle until the plastic jug kettles of the late-1970s.

Electric saucepans

An appliance which had a relatively short life (it was popular in the 1920s, but had disappeared by 1939), was the electric saucepan or boiling pan. In concept, this was very similar to the early electric kettle, with separate chambers for the water and electric element, but with a long side handle and no spout. Large versions in various pint capacities, such as those made by Premier, were intended for both kitchen and breakfast-table use, whereas smaller pans could be used when travelling or for heating water for shaving.

• 1912 Premier
• 1920 Magnet
• 1920 Elektra boiling pan
• 1925 Premier Quickset 2672
• 1933 Hawkins Supreme
• 1935 Swan
• 1939 Swan Wartime finish
• 1944 HMV Bentinck
• 1948 Swan Royal
• 1958 Swan
• 1958 GEC
• 1960 Russell Hobbs K2

c1920 Elektra Foreign Typical early small 'electric saucepan' which could be equally well used for boiling water for a pot of tea, poaching an egg or heating water for shaving. Compact size and 110 volt suggests intention for travelling. Nickel-plated steel drum and lid, sealed in electric element with separate connector pins. Black-painted wood handle and lid knob.

1912 Premier model 477 UK Birmingham Early Premier kettle with separate element compartment and individual electrical connector prongs. Polished copper finish. Basic chamber profile remains consistent into the 1930s with changes to finish, handle, spout, feet, flex connector and safety ejector (see 1925 Quickset model)
1920c Magnet UK Early Magnet (later GEC) kettle with separate element compartment and side mounted electrical connection. Polished nickel finish. Highly decorative, especially feet and handle supports, reflects Edwardian tastes in table and interior decoration and designed as a centre-piece for breakfast or tea table - less functional than Premier models. Heat resisting black vitreous-enamelled ceramic feet, turned wooden handle. Patent 28779/1911, museum example date-stamped 3.25. 900 watts power.
1925 Premier Quickset model 2672 UK Birmingham Standard Premier kettle from mid-1920s to late 1930s. Available in nickel-plated copper or polished copper finishes and later chromium-plate. Elegant design with small lid. Separate chambers for water and heating element. Patented safety cut-out with replaceable fuse, later patented (1930) reset button on 'Quickset' model. Turned wood handle, lid knob and feet, painted black. Earliest models have larger black enamelled ceramic or copper feet. Electrical Review article 1925, 1926. Available in 1926 Harrod's catalogue.
1933 Hawkin Supreme UK Hastings Distinctive design: mottled grey vitreous stove-enamel finish, grey raffia-covered handle, over-large black spherical phenol plastic feet. Two patent application dates for 1933. Available in several capacities.
c1935 Swan model C223 UK Birmingham Standard mid-30s Swan kettle with fused safety ejector (covered by patents, applied for 1936). Design evolved to c1965; new spout profile and black phenol plastic handle grip (c1939/45), simpler handle and off-centre lid knob (c1950), flaired-in spout (c1955). Available in various capacities; polished copper and nickel-(later chromium-) plated finishes.
c1939 Swan Wartime finish UK Birmingham Rare wartime-edition appliance (marked 'Wartime Finish') and based on pre-war utility Swan design. Basic brown vitreous enamel finish, including handle, only fitting for main lead (with fused safety ejector). Click here for a close-up of the 'Wartime' label. Click here for the wartime issue guarantee.
1944 HMV Bentinck model KSDL3 UK Hayes A pioneering, advanced kettle design - also futuristic and streamlined - probably by Christian Barman (see HMV irons). Striking design, but also ungainly and not as successful as the 1935 iron. Teardrop design, echoed in lid knob. Ergonomic feature of large, sculptural handle and steam guard. Kettle in chrome-plated copper, handle in black phenol plastic. Various sizes available well into 1950s. Maybe a pre-1939 design, patent and design registration numbers are 1944, though probably not produced until after 1945.
1948 Swan Royal model 102 UK Birmingham New low profile design with streamlined details, developed into 1970s through several material/detail changes. Chromium-plated copper with flaired -in spout, streamlined phenol plastic hoop handle, phenol plastic knob and feet.
c1958 Swan model CH113E UK Birminghan Next phase of Swan model 102. Chromium-plated steel with longer flaired-in spout, streamlined part-thermoplastic handle, streamlined phenol plastic knob, strange reversion to ceramic/alloy feet from previous use of plastic.
c1958 GEC model 0214DM UK London Stylish and elegant late 1950s/1960s kettle. Lightweight design with tapering forms, oval lid knob. Unusual white details - handle, lid knob and connector cowl - cellulose-sprayed black phenol plastic. Chrome-plated steel kettle, lid and spout, chrome-plated wire handle supports adds to lightweight appearance.
1960 Russell Hobbs model K2 UK Croydon Second version of pioneer automatic electric kettle. (first model K1 1956). Popular model - not updated until K3 of mid-1970s - became standard automatic kettle in UK. Chrome-plated copper water chamber, later versions in stainless steel with 'brushed' exterior finish. Black phenol plastic handle and switch/connector housing. Earliest version has oval two-pin socket with earthing rim; later version have circular combined socket. Early versions also have more curvaceous spout; later ones are straight. Boiling water produces vapour which is forced through slot in lid to activate sensitive bimetallic strip in top of rear housing, switching off current and releasing push switch. Click here for detail of trip switch.