Tray. Walker & Hall, Sheffield, England, 1894.

Tray. Walker & Hall, Sheffield, England, 1894.
Silver plated.
With hallmarks.
Weight: 2528 g.
Measurements: 61 x 42 cm.

Silver plated tray, with punches from the British firm Walker & Hall. Its oval design, refined and with clean lines, is decorated with a border of gadroons between the seat and the eaves.

The firm of Walker & Hall was founded in Sheffield in 1845 by George Walker, who became assistant to Dr. John Wright. Dr. John Wright had conducted important experiments on electroplating, Walker secured the electroplating rights for Sheffield. Henry Hall joined the business and in 1853 it became Walker & Hall. The factory was in Howard Street, Sheffield, while showrooms were opened at 45 Holborn Viaduct, London. Branches were opened in Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Cardiff, Belfast, Hull, Bristol, Melbourne and Adelaide (Australia), Cape Town (South Africa). Walker & Hall became a public limited company in 1920 under the name Walker & Hall Ltd and merged in 1963 under the name British Silverware Ltd with Mappin & Webb and Elkington & Co. Walker & Hall Sheffield were mainly Sheffield manufacturers, but items with assay marks from Birmingham, London and Chester can also be found.