Topic: Edward Bolton rectangular pressed glass flower trough RD 252159, 28 April 1871

[agincourt17]

Edward Bolton of Orford Lane Glassworks, Warrington registered 10 glass designs during his time as proprietor, and they cover the period from 5 July 1869 to 11 August 1888. The most commonly-encountered Edward Bolton design must surely be the Grace Darling boat flower trough in all its variants (RD 39414, registered on 11 December 1885).

Thomas Joyce gives an excellent overview of the Orford lane Glassworks and its proprietors (including Edward Bolton) at
http://www.inchicore-pressedglass-museum.org/Edward%20Bolton1.htm

Information about Bolton’s early design registrations is, however,  somewhat patchy
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,46011.msg271150.html#msg271150
but Thomas Joyce illustrates his account with a photo of an Edward Bolton curved pressed glass flower trough RD 252159, registered 29 April 1871 – Parcel 9.

Now Simon Jones has kindly given me permission to show his photos of a matching rectangular version of the Edward Bolton flower trough bearing the same registry date lozenge. The trough measures are 29.2 x 4.5 x 4.8 cm.  This is the first time that I have come across an example of the rectangular trough (and I only know of the curved trough though Thomas’s photos).

Presumably the curved and rectangular troughs were meant to be used in various combination to create table centre displays – similar to those sets produced by other manufacturers such as Sowerby, Molineaux, Webb & Co., Edward Moore etc.

Does anyone have any photos to show of the RD 252159 flower troughs in other shapes (and possibly sizes), please?

Fred.

[SNJ]

Hi Fred,

If you need any further photos of this trough, please let me know.

Simon

[agincourt17]

The link to Thomas Joyce's overview of the Orford lane Glassworks and its proprietors (including Edward Bolton) at
http://www.inchicore-pressedglass-museum.org/Edward%20Bolton1.htm
no longer seems to work, but I have recently come across an example of the curved version of Edward Bolton's pressed glass flower trough RD 252159, registered 29 April 1871 – Parcel 9, and am adding some photos here for permanent reference. (Permission for the re-use of these images on the GMB granted by piggypyne).

Interestingly, the vertical ribs on the sides of the rectangular trough are alternately clear and frosted, whereas those on this curved trough are all clear.

Fred.

[Paul S.]

Attached is a copy of the original Edward Boulton factory drawing for Reg. 252159  -  this indicates that almost certainly, somewhere out there, someone has a cruciform shape in this design.          Reminds me of the P.O. ad from some years back  ......   'Someone, somewhere, wants a letter from you.'
No idea of size, unfortunately.

[agincourt17]

Thank you, Paul, for showing the design representation from Kew.

Fred.

[Anne]

The Inchicore website has gone but there is an archived version of the page here, Fred:
https://web.archive.org/web/20150223083748/http://www.inchicore-pressedglass-museum.org:80/Edward%20Bolton1.htm

[agincourt17]

Thank you, Anne.

Fred.

[ju1i3]

I would love to see flower troughs in use historically. Are there any photos, drawings? I don't know what flowers they used in them and how. I think it's quite challenging making use of them.

[Paul S.]

violets, pansies, primroses and any other flowering plant with very short stemmed blooms  .................   but that's not to say you couldn't be imaginative and simply reduce the stem length of any flower where the bloom wasn't overly large.          Not sure if there's anything in S. & F. showing flowers in situ, although there are lots of flower containers of various sorts in the book.