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Author Topic: Royal Brierley  (Read 23945 times)

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Offline flying free

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Re: Royal Brierley
« Reply #30 on: October 11, 2013, 12:18:12 AM »
I'll have a look through my studio glass books tomorrow (limited supply of) and see if there is any mention of connections with RB anywhere.
I'll let you know.

btw - are the Stevens and Williams archives privately owned by someone does anyone know?

m

Offline flying free

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Re: Royal Brierley
« Reply #31 on: October 11, 2013, 03:14:47 PM »
so far no mentions that would provide a link. I have another to look at (will actually have to read it though as no index lol) but there is a lot in there about people at Stourbridge. Will come back when I've had a check.
Have you come across the perfume bottle page 426 Charles Hajdamach 20th Century British Glass - Catherine Hough 1978 at Royal Brierley Crystal.  It's gorgeous!  but nothing like the iridescent bits and pieces.
m

Offline keith

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Re: Royal Brierley
« Reply #32 on: October 12, 2013, 12:28:19 PM »
Thanks for looking m, been all through 20th CBG,saw the perfume bottle,still waiting to hear from a few others that were there at the time,I've even contacted Dartington to see if they kept any records when they took over RB'y,still waiting, ::) ;D ;D

Offline flying free

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Re: Royal Brierley
« Reply #33 on: October 12, 2013, 01:54:46 PM »
Have you contacted Keith Cummings at University of Wolverhampton?
He might be able to help you.

Just going back to what Mark Hill said earlier in the thread and Frank's earlier comment about dates.
 -
It seems there are two 'Studios' associated with Royal Brierley
The one associated with these iridescent pieces is Royal Brierley Studio range which Michael Harris was involved in and apparently has a start date of 1986
http://www.millersantiquesguide.com/articles/royalbrierleystudio/

Some pictures here that are show the similarities between the IOW glass version and Royal Brierley Studio range version
http://iowstudioglass.wikidot.com/lace

The other is the Studio at Royal Brierley which I believe was started up in the late 70's ?
I think Catherine Hough's perfume will belong to this one (perhaps I shouldn't have mentioned it?)
There was an International conference and workshop held at the RCA in 1976 entitled 'Working with Hot Glass'.  Perhaps Royal Brierley decided after that to try and set up the Studio at Royal Brierley? 

I can't find anything in my book that talks about Royal Brierley though. 
Jane Beebe is mentioned but no mention of that as far as I can see.

There is mention of 'the late Colin Gill, a factory trained glass maker from the Midlands who taught at the Brierley Hill Glass Centre' and it says he provided 'valuable instruction at Cowdy Glass Workshop in Newent'.
It might be worth trying to contact someone from Cowdy Glass to see what is remembered of the Studio at Royal Brierley.

Darrell Greenhalgh from what the book says, was at Brierley Hill Glass Centre in the mid 80's from what I can deduce.  He may be another contact who might have information on Royal Brierley Studio range perhaps since it was launched at a similar time?

Nothing mentioned in my other book  that could even help as a lead - sorry.

m

Offline keith

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Re: Royal Brierley
« Reply #34 on: October 12, 2013, 05:02:29 PM »
Thanks  m,seen the links to the Mark hill stuff,still waiting for a reply from J.Beebe will certainly try Keith Cummings and Darrell Greenhalgh,might even try Timothy Harris, ;D ;D ;D,thanks again for looking, ;D

Offline keith

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Re: Royal Brierley
« Reply #35 on: October 14, 2013, 06:03:47 PM »
Heard from Dartington,they said " A substantial amount of archive material was sold off by the receiver to obtain cash"  so where it is now?they also suggested contacting Andy Mc Connel and Mark Hill,next on my list I think!

Offline keith

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Re: Royal Brierley
« Reply #36 on: October 22, 2013, 01:57:38 PM »
Way back in these posts someone mentioned a 'funny little vase' with flowers,guess what I just picked up ?

Offline flying free

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Re: Royal Brierley
« Reply #37 on: October 05, 2014, 11:27:26 PM »
No idea when this piece was written but was written by Catherine Hough for Plymouth College of Art and entitled
'Catherine Hough
A Personal View of the Development of Studio Glass in the UK'
Within that piece there is a paragraph (third one down on first page) that mentions Catherine being Artist in Residence for two years at Royal Brierley Crystal:

'Royal Brierley Crystal
As a furnace in the early 70’s was basically a box of bricks with a burner in the side glass
quality varied enormously. (See Ray Flavell’s 1974 book ‘Studio Glassmaking’.) For the
cutting, enamelling and electro-plating that I was experimenting with on my blown forms
this was not entirely helpful, so Keith arranged for me to use a spare bench at Royal
Brierley when they did an over- time shift from 6 till 9 on Saturday mornings. This lead
to a fascinating two year stint at the factory as an artist in residence after finishing
college and ...'

http://makingfutures.plymouthart.ac.uk/journalvol2/pdf/Hough_Catherine.pdf

m

Offline keith

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Re: Royal Brierley
« Reply #38 on: October 05, 2014, 11:53:58 PM »
Hello m, hadn't seen that, I'm still working at this and still waiting for a number of replies including one from someone who worked there for the final ten years and actually 'turned off the lights' when they closed down. The article I did for the local paper generated absolutely nothing so I might post them a few letters asking if any readers worked there or know of anyone that did, been at this nearly a year now, must try harder!  ;D ;D

Offline keith

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Re: Royal Brierley
« Reply #39 on: December 16, 2015, 04:08:48 PM »
Just to add to these posts, it seems that the 'Studio' range started as Mark Hill said sometime during 1986 or just after and finished in 1999/2000. I recently had an email from the man who ran Royal Brierley after Epsom Enterprises and prior to the Dartington buy out, he said although they had some old stock of 'Studio' ware none was made while he was there, so that's the sum of around 2 years research, not really a book in it yet  ::) ;D ;D

 

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