ciscoagent
proper brummie kid
Ivan Shortt, born and bred in Birmingham, managing director of Ellis & Co (B’ham) Ltd, manufacturing silversmiths, who occupied at Victorian factory in Hall Street off Constitution Hill, Birmingham. The name of the company was a tribute to Ellis Greenberg who had the good sense, or luck, to acquire many of the dies used by Matthew Boulton in the manufacture of silver plated goods. The result was that Ellis & Co had the privileged ability to restore antique Sheffield plate bought by Ivan Shortt from dealers all over the country, generally in poor condition. The work was carried out by artisan craftsmen silversmiths working in the traditional way sitting at benches in front of windows in the upper garrets of the factory. Restored goods were assayed and certified as original (because the new content was below a defined threshold) before export to the company’s subsidiary in New York. Ivan Shortt was also a good friend of Sir Solly Zuckerman, who was Chief Scientific Adviser to H M Government.