Topic: Pilkington Bros glass samples

[Lustrousstone]

I did say primarily  Cathedral is the texture, not the colour range

[Anne]

Not the kitchen Chris, maybe the front parlour though?  :chky:

[Chris Harrison]

No lass, it were definitely the splashbacks round the kitchen sink. 

I remember going to meet my granddad coming out of work (c. 1964), and found him struggling down North Hill with a cardboard box full of coloured square glass off-cuts packed in straw!  Grandma complained that they were useless, so he used them as tiles - presumably to prove a point.

He said it was cathedral glass.  If I remember right, it was hammered or frosted on one side, which meant it keyed into the grouting better!

[Chris Harrison]

Ah, this explains it quite well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_glass

[Anne]

What a great story Chris! I bet the neighbours thought that was well-posh!   :clap:

Yes, Cathedral is textured - you can make out the texture in some of Sue's samples.

This topic has just got me wondering if there is a comprehensive list of stained glass makers anywhere?

[David E]

Cathedral glass is also called 'Figured'. Originally it was rough plate glass, like that used for greenhouses, or early railway stations, but with improvements to the technology to make rolled plate glass, this process was adopted from about 1850.

Double-rolled is where the glass is passed through two sets of rollers, to allow more complex textures (such as opposing patterns) to be impressed onto the malleable glass. This was patented by W E Chance (different company to Chance Bros.) in 1885.

However, I don't think Sue's samples are deliberately textured. More likely these are plain rolled glass, where clarity was not a high priority, and the surface is entirely dependant on the smoothness (or not!) of the rollers. Modern 'stained' glass can often be tinted rolled glass, and the additional use of textures can prove some stunning results. Did Max ever post a photo of her dining room window?

[Frank]

This topic has just got me wondering if there is a comprehensive list of stained glass makers anywhere?

No. Although a well documented subject matter as far as churches are concerned, the makers are often anonymous and remain today one of the most common type of freelance glass-worker in addition to those employed by companies.