Hukin & Heath

Hukin & Heath were a Birmingham based manufacturing silversmiths and electroplaters.

Set up in 1855, the firm entered its first mark in Birmingham in 1875 and then a mark in the London Assay Office in 1879. Their manufacturing premises were based in Birmingham and their showrooms were based in Charterhouse Street in London.

In 1881 Hukin retired and the remaining Heath entered into partnership with John Hartshorne in 1886. Their trademark of a bird with spread wings is often found on their electroplated goods.

They are best known for their silverware produced in the 1870s and 1880s much of which was produced to the designs of Dr. Christopher Dresser, Dresser is renowned as “the father of industrial design” because he was able to design utilitarian artefacts for the general public that were able to be produced using the latest mass production techniques. The firm first presented Dresser designs in their showrooms in 1879 and the designs went on to be adopted by other companies such as Minton, Elkington, Coalbrookdale and Wedgwood.

Hukin & Heath also made unusual domestic items such as wares mounted on elephant tusks and monkey cruet stands.

They also supplied other well known retailers such as Dobsons of Piccadilly and Asprey & Co.

They stopped trading in 1953.