Hunt & Roskell / Robert Roskell (London) jewellery

Hunt & Roskell was a renowned jewellers and silversmiths on Bond Street in London who for many years held the Royal Warrant of Queen Victoria. The firm was the successor to the celebrated silversmith Paul Storr who had left Rundell, Bridge & Rundell to set up his own workshop on Harrison Street near Clerkenwell in 1819.

 A couple of years later he went into partnership with John Mortimer and began trading from 13 New Bond Street as Storr & Mortimer. In 1826 they took an additional partner, John Samuel Hunt, who brought a welcome investment capital of £5,000 with him. The firm was increasingly successful and in 1838 they moved to new premises at 156 New Bond Street settling in just prior to the retirement of Paul Storr at the end of December that same year. This prompted a name change to Mortimer and Hunt which the business more... operated under from 1839 until 1843 when John Mortimer retired and the name changed one again, this time to Hunt & Roskell. At this time the partners were John Samuel Hunt, his son John Hunt, Robert Roskell Jn. (son of the respected pocket watch maker Robert Roskell from Liverpool) and Charles Frederick Hancock.

Hunt & Roskell's commitment to excellence earned them several prestigious commissions and royal warrants. They were appointed as jewellers and silversmiths to Queen Victoria, and later, to Queen Alexandra and King Edward VII. They exhibited at the Great Exhibition held in 1851 at the Crystal Palace in London’s Hyde Park where they were noted for the splendour of their display, reputedly worth a total of £100,000. Further exhibitions followed both at home and abroad including New York in 1853 and Paris in 1867. In addition to their silver-making activities, Hunt & Roskell also operated as luxury retailers, offering a diverse range of jewellery and luxury goods. Their flagship store was located at 156 New Bond Street in London, a prime location for attracting high-profile customers. As the years went by, the firm underwent some changes in ownership and name. In 1897, after the retirement of Robert Roskell, the business was renamed R. S. Hunt & Roskell. Eventually, it merged with another esteemed jewellery and silver firm, J.W. Benson, in 1898, forming Hunt & Roskell, late Storr & Mortimer.

Hunt & Roskell continued to operate under various names and ownership structures throughout the 20th century. It merged with other renowned firms, including Spink & Son and Garrard & Co. Ltd., and underwent several changes in leadership and location. It was acquired by J.W. Benson of Ludgate Hill who kept the name and continued trading under Hunt & Roskell until 1897 when it was converted into a limited company and styled Hunt & Roskell Ltd. which is how it remained until trading ceased towards the end of the 1960s.