Pewter is essentially tin, but to be worked it has to be mixed with other metals. In past centuries the Company laid down strict specifications for the alloy and up to the end of the eighteenth century monitored pewter manufacture throughout England. The alloy used today in pieces which display the quality touchmarks of the Association of British Pewter Craftsmen (one of which, the Fine Quality mark, is pictured right) is in the range: tin 91-5% minimum, antimony 8% maximum, copper 2.5% maximum and bismuth 0-5% maximum, as determined by the European Standard for pewter. Modern pewter contains no lead.

Pewter may be fashioned in many ways: by casting in moulds of bellmetal, steel or sand using gravity method, by centrifugal casting using rubber or silicone moulds, by spinning on a lathe, by pressing, rolling or hand forming. Please see the manufacture page for more information.

The surface may be polished or darkened, engraved, etched or hammered. It may also be painted, enamelled or decorated. If the artefact is unsatisfactory the metal can be melted down (at about 250C) and reused without loss of quality.

The major constituent, tin, is produced from tin ore, the major source of supply being the Far East and South America. Tin is completely non-toxic, melts at a relatively low temperature (232C), has very good fluidity when molten, has good formability, and readily forms alloys with other metals. It is a relatively soft metal and it is for this reason that it is alloyed with other constituents before being used in the form of pewter.

The Hall has a fine representative collection of British pewter including many pieces of historical importance and items of quality contemporary pewterware.