JP — Profuse thanks for your
post, suggesting Whitefriars. You've saved me a lot of work, as, as you had probably realised, Stevens & Williams seemed the most likely candidate, with others coming before Whitefriars in my list of possibilities.
It's proved quite interesting working it out, hence the delay. I've had to look at how drinks services were marketed, not just by Whitefriars, but by other British manufacturers, and then at their terminology. Besides the amazing collection of Whitefriars catalogues online at
www.whitefriars.com, the best resources I've had available to me relate to John Walsh Walsh and to Stevens & Williams.
What is interesting (and obvious, once you think about it) is that the trade catalogues took the same approach — not surprising, really, as they were mainly selling to the same trade buyers. No drinks service was illustrated in its entirety, but most illustrated a few sets in some detail, usually a full range of glasses, together with a wine decanter, and sometimes a whisky bottle/decanter and/or a handled claret. Price lists and factory pattern books are more comprehensive, showing a wider range of decanters, including liqueurs, spirits and sherries. You generally find a revealing note somewhere in a price list, like this from Stevens & Williams:
Any other Articles to match at proportionate prices. — indicating that they almost expected additional items to be ordered.
So, what is this set? As JP said the glasses are Whitefriars. Actually sherries in pattern C438, shown in catalogues 1957–1974. In the last two catalogues, 1972 and 1974, the pattern is named
GARLAND. The pattern continued up to the end in 1980, but only as a sugar and cream set.
Whitefriars catalogues illustrate only the wine decanter in this pattern, see the
1966 page for example. Sherry decanters are infrequently shown by any manufacturer, but the few shown are quite light in design. I was fortunate to happen across
this page in the 1957 catalogue, showing three
Sherry Sets, all quite light, one showing a foot and a hollow stopper as here. Note the Whitefriars terminology — not
Sherry Suite, nor
Sherry Service.
So, in conclusion, it's a
Whitefriars C438 GARLAND Sherry Set, 1957–74 catalogues, complete and undamaged, so probably quite unusual.
Grateful thanks to all who helped. :hiclp: :hiclp: :hiclp: :hiclp: :hiclp: :hiclp:
Bernard C.
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