An iconic British designed and built 3 pint cast kettle, designed in 1938 but produced from 1946 onwards. This example is in great shape but has not been over polished. It is easy enough for you to choose the finish you want, either the aluminium-y polish as shown here, or with some Duraglit (manufacturer's recommendation) to a bright silvery shine. This is the K3 kettle, and we absolutely love it!
Picquot ware
Picquot ware was designed from the 1930's but only produced in volume from 1946 due to the factory being used for war ammunition manufacture. It was regularly produced up to 1980.
It was produced in the Burrage and Boyd factory in Northampton. This address was an aluminium smelting factory. The Picquot ware team invented a hybrid of Magnesium and Aluminium which they styled Magnalium. This was done to allow the finished products to be buffed to a very high shine which is more difficult with Aluminium alone. The original handles were of Sycamore but people making new handles these days tend to use Black Oak.
In 1946 as Britain recovered from war, the V and A in London ran an exhibition called Britain Can Make it in which they showcased iconic 'new' British designs. The K3 featured in this exhibition. It is well worth looking up the pictures of all of the products from this exhibition as there is some fabulous stuffage!
Burrage and Boyd had various financial difficulties following a loan foreclosure in 1980 and the Piquot ware brand passed through a number of owners until the assets were sold to Picquotware Ltd in 2004. This did not result in a renaissance however and Picquotware Ltd was dissolved in 2010.
If you like this kettle, please also take a look at our other kitchen and cookware here
