Kenneth Cheesman was born in Southgate, Middlesex [now London], England on 1 February 1900. He studied at the Royal College of Art, London and qualified as an architect. He was employed in the London office of the architect and designer Oliver Percy Bernard (1881-1939) as chief draughtsman from c1929 to 1930 and from 1939 to c.1950 worked as architect to Pilkington Brothers. During this period he designed showrooms for Pilkington in Glasgow, Leeds, Nottingham, St Helens, and London (1934-37), the interior of Kirk Sandall Hotel in Doncaster (1934), and a showroom for British Vitrolite in London (1934).
A colour photograph of a cocktail bar designed by Kenneth Cheesman for the British Vitrolite Company is illustrated in 'Decorative Art' 1935 (p.77); a photograph of a bar counter constructed from glass corner bricks, with floor and walls in Vitrolite tiles, designed by him for Pilkington Bros. is illustrated in 'Decorative Art' 1939 (p.68); photographs of a bar counter constructed from glass corner bricks, with floor and walls in Vitrolite tiles, and of a Shanks' pedestal basin designed by him for Pilkington Bros. are illustrated in 'Decorative Art' 1940 (pp.83, 86); and a photograph of a glass wall fountain designed by Sigmund Pollitzer and Cheesman and produced by Pilkington Brothers Ltd. is illustrated in 'Decorative Art' 1941 (p.55).
Cheesman also designed the 'glass train', a travelling exhibition for Pilkington, which toured Britain in the late 1930s. The walls, floors, and ceilings of the train were of glass. The exterior of the train was entirely covered, with the exception of the roof, with 120,000 miniature glass mirrors. Post World War Two projects included stands for Pilkington at the 'Building Exhibition' at Olympia in London (1947), the Engineering and Marine Engineering Exhibition (1949), the Wallpaper Manufacturers Exhibition in London (1950). Cheesman was also involved in the design of the South Bank exhibition of the Festival of Britain 1951.
Following World War Two Cheesman was in partnership with or collaborated with George Fairweather (1906-1986). They designed offices and showrooms for Pilkington Bros. Ltd. Selwyn House, Cleveland Row, London in 1949-50.
He died on 2 March 1964. His death was registered in Liverpool
'Offices and showrooms for Messrs. Pilkington Bros. Ltd. (glass manufacturers), Selwyn House, Cleveland Row, London’. [Designed by G. Fairweather and K. Cheesman] Architects' Journal March 1950 30, pp. 402-407.
'Offices and showrooms for Messrs. Pilkington Bros. Ltd. (glass manufacturers), Selwyn House, Cleveland Row, London’. [Designed by G. Fairweather and K. Cheesman] Architectural Design April 1950 pp. 102-103, 106
Thirties: British Art and Design before the War London: Arts Council of Great Britain, 1979 [Catalogue of an exhibition at the Hayward Gallery, London, 25 October-13 January 1979]