Object Description
A rare silver toasting fork by the Keswick School of Industrial Arts. The fork is of knotted designed with a carved ebony handle. Really a lovely piece.
The main fork is hallmarked as shown in the images. The cap to fork handle is unmarked but I am sure is also sterling silver and original.
See The Loving Eye & Skilful Hand: The Keswick Schoool of Industrial Arts by Ian Bruce for more information The Keswick School of Industrial Arts (KSIA) was founded in 1884 by the Reverend Hardwicke Rawnsley (who went on to found the National Trust). The School was one of the earliest ventures of its type as part of the arts and crafts movement and one of the leading proponents of the benefits of a rural location, which in time motivated Ashbee’s Guild of Handicraft’s move from London’s East End to the Cotswolds. The KSIA was not only one of the first of the industrial art schools or guilds, it was also, to its enduring credit, the longest established, finally closing in 1984.