Delightful Pair of Silver Peppers Walker & Hall by John Edward Bingham 19thc

A delightful pair of Silver peppers by Walker & Hall by John Edward Bingham, made from a heavy gauge of silver, substantial in the hand, and hallmarked with John Edward Bingham's initials and Walker & Hall hallmarks, date letter 'W' for 1894.

History:

Walker & Hall was established by George Walker (1816–1881), a Derbyshire-born table-knife forger. Walker had learned electroplating in Birmingham at the behest of the first Sheffield licensee of the process, John Harrison. George Walker later quarreled with Harrison and joined forces with a Doncaster schoolteacher, Samuel Coulson, and William Robson. Coulson supplied the capital, and they began an electro-plate venture at Electro Works, Howard Street, after taking out a license from Elkington of Birmingham in 1845. The firm was named George Walker & Co., electro-platers and gilders. Initially, it was plated for the trade, and James Dixon & Sons became a customer.

After Robson retired in 1848, Henry Hall (c. 1802-1889) joined the partnership. Hall had prospered in the grocery trade, partly in partnership with Sheffield wholesale grocer Edward Bingham (1808–1880). He had retired to his native Worcester, but electroplating tempted Hall with a fresh challenge. In 1852, when the firm employed about 60 workers, Coulson left, and Walker & Hall was formed. Hall was the traveler, and Walker was the technical man. John Edward Bingham (1839–1915), Edward Bingham’s son and the nephew of Anne Hall (Henry Hall’s wife), joined them in 1856.

Walker & Hall made good profits and registered its first silver mark in 1862. After this steady start, it emerged as one of the leaders in the silver and electro-plate trades. Walker told the Census (1861) that the firm employed 136 workers. In 1865, he retired to Warwick and died at Southport on May 4, 1881, leaving £13,378. Hall retired in 1873 and died at Abergavenny on January 3, 1889, aged 87, leaving £15,548. John E. Bingham took control, with his brother Charles Henry Bingham (1848–1901) as partner. In 1881, J. E. Bingham told the Census that the firm employed 413 workers. Other sources stated that the firm had between 500 and 700 workers by the 1880s (New Monthly, October 1882; Sheffield Independent, July 4, 1885). In 1892, Walker & Hall bought for £1,000 the assets of silversmiths Henry Wilkinson & Co.

In 1863, John Bingham married Maria Fawcett, the daughter of William Fawcett, a director at James Dixon & Sons. He became Master Cutler in 1881 and again in 1884 (when he was knighted). The Binghams were ‘men of mark’, even physically. Charles H. Bingham, who was Master Cutler in 1894, ‘stood 6 feet 3 inches, beating his nephew, Mr. A. E. Bingham, by half an inch. Even he, however, fell short of his grandfather, who stood 6 feet 7 inches in his stockings’ (Sheffield Daily Telegraph, October 3, 1900). When Charles H. Bingham died on October 2, 1900, aged 52 (leaving £74,000), Sir John’s only son, Albert Edward Bingham (1867–1945), became a director.

Fueling Walker & Hall’s rise was the almost insatiable Victorian and Edwardian demand for silver-plated goods: fancy entrée dishes, soup tureens, meat and venison dishes, tea trays, presentation plates, and prize cups. The firm apparently cast and plated its own products, ground its own cutlery, had engineers’ and cabinet-makers’ shops, and even made its own instantaneous Plate Cleaner’. All the firm’s products, whether large or small, were stamped with the ‘Flag’ trade mark, a banner bearing the letters ‘W & H, which was registered in 1861. In the nineteenth century, the company was the most prolific lodger of marks at the Sheffield Assay Office; it registered nine between 1862 and 1896. In 1904, Walker & Hall also received the first gold assay ticket after the Assay Office was allowed to stamp its own gold mark.

Electro Works was described as ‘one of the si

All our items can be purchased directly from the product page via PAYPAL (scroll down for Blue PayPal Button) payment, or by contacting us directly if you would prefer to pay via a bank transfer.

Our items are professionally and securely packaged. We send either fully tracked or Special Delivery. Please add £15 for small items (objets d'art that fit into a 25 cm x 25 cm box) or £25 for anything larger (large vases, boxes, candlesticks, etc.). Paintings are £30 each to ship. If in doubt, please contact us. Thank you.

Rest of the World Postage:

For worldwide clients, please contact us for shipping costs. Our international deliveries are sent via either Parcelforce, FedEx, or UPS.

All items purchased from Lee Sherman Antiques are covered under the Distance Selling Regulations, which give all buyers the right to cancel the purchase within 7 days after receipt of the item for a full refund, less return transport costs for items received in the condition they were sent.

In the rare event that items or packaging arrive damaged, please take photos on arrival; this will help with any insurance claims.

Please note: Lee Sherman Antiques travels throughout the UK to offer only the finest quality items for sale.

Old-school values with a modern outlook: our emphasis is always on providing a professional, efficient, and personal service to all our clients.

We ship globally (please inquire about shipping costs for any of our items).

All items purchased are usually dispatched within 24–48 hours, following a cleared payment.

Trade enquiries are always welcome.

(TRADE AND INTERIOR DESIGNERS, PLEASE CONTACT FOR TRADE DISCOUNTS FOR MULTIPLE PURCHASES.)

All Items: Porcelain, China, General Antiques, and Collectables:

Please note that all our items are second-hand, vintage, or antique unless stated otherwise. Therefore, all items will have small marks, irregularities, and wear commensurate with age and use. We will always describe obvious damage but not every tiny little imperfection; please see photos for condition; we take many clear, concise shots to allow you a complete overview; and please also note there may be color variation from the screen representation to the actual item.

Please check all photos before buying, ask any questions, or request more photos if you are not sure. We are friendly and helpful and only want you to buy what you want. So please look closely, and if in doubt, contact us or request further photos. We normally respond the same day and always respond within 24 hours or sooner.

Watches/Clocks/Barometers/Mechanical Items: These are not serviced, and no guarantee of performance is offered, although we will point out any obvious issues we are aware of.

We work hard to maintain this level of quality and service.

Please note that any props used to display or support an item are not included in the sale unless clearly stated.

Thank you.