Inventors of Silver Plating
The originators of silver-plating were George Richards Elkington and Henry Elkington who began their research in times of the industrial revolution. By the 1830's they had patented their processes and 1840 saw the technique of electro-plating brought to perfection.

John Culme, in his Directory of Gold and Silversmiths, said that "Elkington Electroplate was soon accepted with the result that the firm allowed a number of manufacturers to use the technique under licence. Among the earliest granted were those of Christofle & Cie of France".

Royal Endorsements
In 1868, Queen Victoria permitted much of the royal plate to be copied by Elkingtons and after that a convention was entered into by "several Princes of the reigning families of Europe" whereby they agreed mutually to assist the company in allowing copies of their own national objects for the process of art.

Royal Warrants
For its excellence in artistic quality and fine design for which the company has received the highest possible awards at the Great International Exhibitions, Elkington & Co has been awarded the Legion d'Honneur of the French Republic and has the distinction and honour of holding Royal Warrants to their late Majesties Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, Queen Alexandra, King George V, Queen Mary and King George VI, as well as the Duke of Windsor (formerly King Edward VIII) and H.R.H. the late Princess Christian and their late majesties the King of Spain and King of Italy.

RMS Titanic & White Star Line
Elkington were the suppliers of flatware to the luxury dining sections on board the Titanic and other ships in the White Star Line fleet. The pattern supplied was Dubarry and we are delighted to say that this is still available today via our site with the original makers' branding (beware of imitations) and with the White Star Line logo on if required. Dubarry pattern settings in all materials are available, but please see this page for more information -

If you are seeking RMS Titanic memorabilia, try this link to: RMS Titanic artefacts on EBay

You will also find Elkington cutlery on display in the Royal Yacht Britannia's banqueting room, having been used by the British Royal Family and the many distinguished guests who have spent time on the Yacht, up to the time that it was decommissioned in the late 1990's.

Elkington Family History
For more information on the Elkington family from one of the descendants, please click here - Elkington Family History.

Patterns -
The Elkington cutlery patterns on display on this site are a culmination of craftsmanship covering a period of elegant refined classical designs from the early 1600's to the present day. Click here to view the current range of patterns in our Showroom.

Click here for more information on the history of stainless steel.