David Constable (born Edgware, London 29 September 1939 died Pontllainfraith, Gwent, Wales 26 September 2023 ) was a British

candlemaker A chandlery ( or ) was originally the office in a wealthy medieval household responsible for wax and candles, as well as the room in which the candles were kept. It could be headed by a chandler. The office was subordinated to the kitchen, and on ...

and author, who ran Candle Maker's Supplies in

Gelligroes Mill Gelligroes Mill is a water-powered corn mill in Pontllanfraith, Caerphilly county borough, South Wales, designated as a Grade II* listed building in 1962. The mill is equipped with an overshot wheel with a cast iron frame and wooden buckets. When ...

Blackwood, Caerphilly Blackwood ( or ) is a town, community (Wales), community and an Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward on the Sirhowy River in the South Wales Valleys administered as part of Caerphilly County Borough. It is located ...

, Wales. An expert in candle making, he is noted for being a candlemaker to the British royal family for over 30 years and for British and Hollywood films and television. Constable is also a well-known educator in the art of candle making and has authored several books which have been translated into 10 languages.

Early life and career

Constable was born in London in 1939. At the age of 17 he went to live in Germany for several years where he became fascinated by the variety of candles being made there. Returning to London in the early 1960s he found an absence of candle shops and began making his own candles as a hobby. He began candle making as a professional in 1969 with his partner Annie, setting up a shop initially in Moor Park Road and then Beaconsfield Terrace Road, and then Blythe Road in West Kensington in 1976, just behind the Olympia Exhibition Hall. By this time he was contributing to artistic magazines such as '' The Artist''. He began making appearances on TV shows such as ''

Pebble Mill Pebble Mill Studios was the BBC's television studio complex located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England, United Kingdom, which served as the headquarters for BBC Birmingham from 1971 until 2004. The nine-acre site was opened by Princess Anne on ...

'', ''

The Generation Game ''The Generation Game'' is a British game show produced by the BBC in which four teams of two people from the same family, but different generations, compete to win prizes. The game There are eight competitors, hence the catchphrase "Let's me ...

'', where he was the guest expert on three occasions, ''

Vision On ''Vision On'' was a British children's television programme, shown on BBC1 from 1964 to 1976 and designed specifically for children with hearing impairment. Concept and production ''Vision On'' was conceived and developed by BBC producers Ursu ...

'', and many others. In 1980, Constable collaborated with

Lesley Judd Lesley Judd (born 20 December 1946) is a British former television presenter and dancer, best known as a long-serving host of the BBC children's programme '' Blue Peter'' (1972–1979). Background Born in London, the daughter of Leslie T. Judd a ...

to make a film about candle making, which was aired several times on

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

. In 1989, he was commissioned by the British Epilepsy Association to make a giant candle measuring 30 feet by 3 ft 6, weighing over seven tonnes. It took four winter months for the wax to fully set. In 1991, by royal warrant he became the official candlemaker to

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

and a regular candlemaker for royal residences including Highgrove and St. James Palace and various royal events. In 1993, Constable set up shop in

, Wales, and also runs a shop on Shepherds Bush Road in London. He has made candles for the

Harry Potter film series ''Harry Potter'' is a film series based on the ''Harry Potter'' series of novels by J. K. Rowling. The series was produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and consists of eight fantasy films, beginning with ''Harry Potter and the Ph ...

, the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, ''

First Knight ''First Knight'' is a 1995 medieval historical drama film based on Arthurian legend, directed by Jerry Zucker. It stars Sean Connery as King Arthur, Richard Gere as Lancelot, Julia Ormond as Guinevere and Ben Cross as Malagant. The film follow ...

'', ''

Interview with a Vampire ''Interview with the Vampire'' is a gothic horror and vampire novel by American author Anne Rice, published in 1976. It was her debut novel. Based on a short story Rice wrote around 1968, the novel centers on vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac, wh ...

'', ''

Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...

'', ''

The Huntsman The Huntsman was the winner of the 1862 Grand National steeplechase run on 12 March at Aintree near Liverpool, England. The winner was owned by Viscount de Namur and trained in France by Yorkshire born trainer Henry (Harry) Jeremiah Lamplugh w ...

'', ''

Gosford Park ''Gosford Park'' is a 2001 satirical black comedy mystery film directed by Robert Altman and written by Julian Fellowes. The film, which is influenced by Jean Renoir's French classic '' The Rules of the Game'', follows a party of wealthy Brito ...

'', ''

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

'', ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'', ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series created by David Benioff and for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of high fantasy novels by ...

'', ''

Downton Abbey ''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. It first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV (TV network), ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United St ...

'', and ''

Merlin The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) is an interferometer array of radio telescopes spread across England. The array is run from Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire by the University of Manchester on behalf of UK Re ...

''. He also made the candles for the

Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton took place on Friday, 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London, England. William was second in the line of succession to the British throne at the time, later becoming heir apparent. T ...

in 2011.

Teaching and publications

Constable has taught candle making by running workshops at Gelligroes Mill. He taught Bollywood actress

Dimple Kapadia Dimple Kapadia (born 8 June 1957) is an Indian actress predominantly appearing in Hindi films. Born and raised in Mumbai by wealthy parents, she aspired to become an actress from a young age and received her first opportunity through her fathe ...

the art of candle making. He has authored a number of books on the art of candle making which have been translated into 10 languages, including ''Candlemaking: Creative Designs and Techniques'' (1992), ''Beginner's Guide to Candlemaking'' (1997), ''Candle Making: Funstation'' (1998), ''Gel Candles'' (2002) and ''Beeswax Crafts: Candlemaking, Modelling, Beauty Creams'' (1996) with Norman Battershill and Polly Pinder.

Personal life

Constable has been married to Julie since the 2012. The couple have a son, George, born in 1988.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Constable, David 1939 births Living people Chandlers English artists Caerphilly Artists from London