Ashtray
1936 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The Government Hospitality Fund (GHF) was instituted in 1908 to provide official hospitality on behalf of Government when ministers acted as hosts for lunches, dinners and receptions. GHF was centrally funded and remained a semi-autonomous body attached to various departments until 1999 when it became a section within the Foreign and Commonwealth office.
The GHF cutlery and tableware has seen service at important government functions throughout the 20th century. Collectively known as the State Dinner Service, this piece was part of 19,500 items of silver, porcelain, glass and linen still in use today, for official ministerial hosted lunches or dinners. It is looked after by the Government Butlers at Lancaster House, and only used when there is a Butler to supervise and run the event, at Lancaster House, Downing Street, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Admiralty House and No 1 Carlton Gardens. It has also been used at Chequers, to host President Yeltsin in 1994, President Chirac in 1995, and at Cardiff Castle in 1998 when HM the Queen hosted a dinner for the European Council.
The GHF cutlery and tableware has seen service at important government functions throughout the 20th century. Collectively known as the State Dinner Service, this piece was part of 19,500 items of silver, porcelain, glass and linen still in use today, for official ministerial hosted lunches or dinners. It is looked after by the Government Butlers at Lancaster House, and only used when there is a Butler to supervise and run the event, at Lancaster House, Downing Street, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Admiralty House and No 1 Carlton Gardens. It has also been used at Chequers, to host President Yeltsin in 1994, President Chirac in 1995, and at Cardiff Castle in 1998 when HM the Queen hosted a dinner for the European Council.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | |
| Brief description | Glass ashtray transfer printed with the royal coat of arms on its base, with silver rim, from the Government Hospitality Fund tableware collection, Mappin & Webb, Sheffield, 1936 |
| Physical description | Glass ashtray with silver rim, transfer printed on base with royal coat of arms. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Hallmarks on the silver rim of 'M&W', a crown, a lion passant and a lower case 't'. (Makers mark for Mappin & Webb, city mark (Sheffield), standard mark (Sterling .925), and date letter (1936).) |
| Credit line | Given by the Government Hospitality Fund |
| Object history | Historical significance: tableware used by the Government Hospitality Fund when ministers acted as hosts for receptions. |
| Summary | The Government Hospitality Fund (GHF) was instituted in 1908 to provide official hospitality on behalf of Government when ministers acted as hosts for lunches, dinners and receptions. GHF was centrally funded and remained a semi-autonomous body attached to various departments until 1999 when it became a section within the Foreign and Commonwealth office. The GHF cutlery and tableware has seen service at important government functions throughout the 20th century. Collectively known as the State Dinner Service, this piece was part of 19,500 items of silver, porcelain, glass and linen still in use today, for official ministerial hosted lunches or dinners. It is looked after by the Government Butlers at Lancaster House, and only used when there is a Butler to supervise and run the event, at Lancaster House, Downing Street, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Admiralty House and No 1 Carlton Gardens. It has also been used at Chequers, to host President Yeltsin in 1994, President Chirac in 1995, and at Cardiff Castle in 1998 when HM the Queen hosted a dinner for the European Council. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.37-2012 |
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| Record created | October 16, 2012 |
| Record URL |
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