Fish Cutlery Set

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Barker Brothers

c. 1920

Overview

Fish Cutlery Set in Cherrywood Box with brass plaque on lid. Brass hinges, keyhole surround and lock, lock marked "Secure Lock".
Inside box is lined with purple fitted baize, with a drop-down holder for the forks held in place by swing catches.
Six fish knives, EPNS with shell and scroll pattern on handles, blades marked on the back with: E P followed by a Clover Leaf with a star in each petal, then N S followed by another Clover Leaf with a lazy B in each petal.
Six fish forks with the same shell and scroll pattern on the handle and an additional floral design on the flat of the fork, no markings, although obviously made by Barker Brothers to match the knives.

Historical information

The Barker Brothers are one of the oldest firms of silversmiths originating from Birmingham. The Barker Brothers, also known The Barker Ellis Silver Company, was established in 1801.
The business is listed as Barker Brothers in the Post Office Directory of Birmingham from 1871 as Barker Brothers, the company became Barker Brothers Silvermiths Ltd in 1907.
The Barker Brothers enjoyed success during this period, and produced silverware from offices in both Birmingham and Chester, with the items crafted in Chester being created under the supervision of Herbert Edward Barker & Frank Ernest Barker themselves.
During the 1960s The Barker Brothers Silversmiths merged with Ellis & Co., also of Birmingham, and the business went through a period of being a subsidiary to Pentos PLC, eventually returning to private ownership in 1984.
The company maintained premises in London until the mid-1980’s, firmly establishing its reputation for high quality silverware and electroplate goods.
The Barker Brothers were known for producing utilitarian silver, flatware and tableware, and their silverware encompassed many popular styles of the era; such as Queen Anne, Art Deco and Nouveau - no doubt influenced by the silversmiths who joined the company as its reputation grew. Their success is certainly due to their ability to adapt and produce a variation of styles, moving with the popular fashion in silverware at the time.
https://www.acsilver.co.uk/

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-124-2022.30

Material

Brass

Cherry (Wood)

Electroplated Nickel Silver

Fabrics

Shell (Animal Material)

Themes

Art and Design

Social History