The Barker Ellis Silver Co Ltd, established in 1801, is one of the oldest firms of silversmiths and electroplaters now trading in Birmingham. It still possesses the original Boulton & Watt dies acquired during its early days of manufacturing. The business appears in the Post Office Directory of Birmingham 1871 as Barker Brothers, silversmiths, producing a wide range of candlesticks, cutlery and tableware at their premises in Paradise Street. As Barker Brothers Silversmiths Ltd, it was incorporated in 1907. By the early twentieth century, the company had moved to Constitution Hill, where it remained until the 1980s. It also maintained a London showroom during the early part of this century. In the 1960s, the firm merged with another, old established company manufacturing silver plated and electroplated ware, Ellis & Co (Birmingham) Ltd. After a period as a subsidiary of Pentos plc, the business returned to private ownership in 1984. The archive consists mainly of design records for the products of Barker Ellis, and provides a very complete picture of this aspect of the business. The records were inspected at the company’s premises on 24 April 1991 by kind permission of Mr BG Lapworth.