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Benham & Froud - Herbert
Benham & Son
Benham & Sons Ltd.
John Kepp, - Richard & Edward Kepp |
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Benham & Froud c1855-1924,
Chandos St, London, describing themselves variously as general metal workers,
art metal workers and lamp manufacturers. The famous 'orb' was adopted because the firm made the
present cross on the dome of
St Paul's Cathedral in 1821 and it could be seen from the shop in London.
An orb may also have been used by other makers.
Interestingly, it also represents and inverted 'ankh', the Greek symbol
for copper. Ankhs & Orbs
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These brief notes are derived from work by John Hardcastle:
In 1785
John Kepp set up as a coppersmith and brazier in Chandos Street, London.
Around 1818 the company was in the names of Richard and Edward Kepp.
In 1821 they made the replacement orb and
cross for St. Paul’s Cathedral 23ft high and weighing seven tons.
The orb and cross trademark was
used from 1855 to 1924.
In 1855 the
company was taken over by Herbert Augustus Benham, Joseph Froud and four others,
becoming known as Benham & Froud.
In 1906 it was reformed as Herbert Benham
& Co. in Marlborough Mews, Great Marlborough Street London W., moving
to Ramillies Place, London in 1920 and not
found in directories after 1924.
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This 'Kepp' mark
can be seen on the underside of a souvenir circular box made from the copper of
the original ball and cross from St. Paul's Cathedral. |
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(These two photos
courtesy Tonny Beentjes.) |
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The famous
candlestick design frequently acknowledged to Dr Dresser was also made by James
Henry Stone of Birmingham and is identifiable by his Rd Design number 53791. |
Marks St-Sz |
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Benham articles
often come with another mark of which this triple diamond is one example. They may be
workshop identity marks. |
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Under a
coal scuttle can be seen this 'doubled Y' mark to the right of a distorted '16'.
(Photo Roderick Butler) |
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....and
here is a stylised leaf mark beside the orb. |
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Benham & Sons,
Wigmore St., London, was established as an entirely separate company in the
1870s and became Limited in 1892 with six directors, four of whom had the
surname Benham but no relationship has yet been established. They produced
copperware of similar quality to Benham. The company apparently closed in 1907
but may have moved to Birmingham. Benham & Sons,
Ltd., Strafford House, Strafford Place Birmingham 12, were marketing
cookware until late 20th century.
Photo courtesy John and Sarah Hardcastle. |
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