This Russell Hobbs comprises a Teamaker model 6002, a clock model 7002 and a tray model 9007. The kettle can be unplugged if not required. The kettle contains a stainless steel straining dish in which fresh tea leaves are stored. When the alarm goes off the water is heated, when boiling the water overflows into the straining dish flooding it, sinking it to the base of the kettle and brewing the tea. When the straining dish has sunk a magnet in the base causes the element to be switched off.

The Russell Hobbs company was originally based in the South East and is perhaps best known for its classic range of electric kettles (series K2, etc). They became part of the TI (Tube Investments) group (certainly by the 1970s) and were relocated to the Creda (formerly Simplex Electric Co.) factory at Blythe Bridge, Staffordshire. TI also owned Sunhouse, Radiation, Jackson, New World, Ascot and Raleigh bikes.

In the 1980's TI "refocussed" their activities and sold off their consumer divisions. Creda went to GEC (already part owners of Hotpoint) and Russell Hobbs went to Polly Peck, the company run by Asil Nadir (including Del Monte Foods), which subsequently went bust. Pifco Ltd, of Failsworth, Manchester, bought the Russell Hobbs assets from the receivers of Polly Peck PLC.

You can visit http://secure02.ecommercesoftware.com for a details about the origins of Russell Hobbs Ltd.

Russell Hobbs manufactured the Chelsea Teamaker model 7106. This is a remarkably compact design in stark contrast to the monstrously huge Goblins. The shallow kettle fits snugly behind the smart, simple fascia.

The Chelsea is lit by a 30w striplite, a comparatively expensive component to replace. My correspondant John Atack comments that as with all striplites the trick is to ensure that the lamp is installed with the filament down, suspended from its mounting in the glass, for maximum life. This is easy with the teamaker, he assures us, as the plastic lampshade acts as a diffuser and a clear bulb can be used. If an opaque striplite is used you have to squint along the tube through the bit of clear glass to check where the filament is.

The lower photograph shows the original manual for the Chelsea Teamaker 7106.

This model didn't require a teapot at all. A float containing the tea rested on the surface of the cold water. As the water boiled it bubbled over the surface of the float, beginning the infusion process and causing the float to sink gradually to the bottom of the kettle. When the float settled at the bottom of the kettle a magnet in it triggered the switching off of the heating element.

The main benefit of the 7106 is that you do not have to raise the light to alter the time and alarm settings, (you need to do this on the 7107).

The Chelsea Teamaker 7107 was little different from its predecessor. The positions of the 'Russell Hobbs' and 'Chelsea Teamaker' logos are reversed and a red 'on' indicator light has been added in the lower right corner of the kettle. There is also a 7107Q model which looks identical.