Silver Argyle by Garrards, 1916

This antique silver argyle was made by the prestigious Garrard & Co during the First World War.

Argyle's are clever pots for delivering warm gravy (or sauce) to the table. They are so called because their use was first promoted by the 5th Duke of Argyle. The story goes, that John Campbell, the fifth Duke of Argyll, and his wife Elizabeth Gunning, Baroness Hamilton of Hameldon, disliked the cold gravy that arrived at their table from the kitchens of Inverary Castle. So through several adaptations, where hot water lay next to the gravy in a variety of ingenious methods to maintain its temperature prior to use, the double-skinned Argyle was born. They were very difficult to manufacture and so were expensive to buy - few therefore were made and even less survive.

This argyle (or argyll) has an outer liner that can be filled with boiling hot water via the small spout with hinged cover. This will keep gravy warm for the duration of a meal. The handle is wicker-covered to protect the user from the heat. In excellent condition with just a slight kink to the base of the spout.