Topic: *NEW* Visit (3 Feb): Smethwick Heritage Centre, Chance Glass

[Anne]

Anne, I saw one just like that a few weeks back at a boot fair round here. No idea who made it though. Never thought that it may be Chance.

[Bernard C]

Anne x 2 — Definitely pressed glass by Chance; listed as such in Hollowood, Bernard, The Things We See — No. 4, Pottery & Glass, Penguin, 1947.    I had never made the connection between lighthouses and this range.   Clever.

I am sure I have seen another source with this pattern named, but I can't remember which publication.

Dodsworth No. 235 is a Utility Dish by Chance "moulded with horizontal rectangular panels".   This was shown (launched?) at the 1935 British Art in Industry Exhibition, and was designed by Reginald* Goodden.   I am fairly sure it's the same pattern, but I can't be absolutely certain.

Bernard C.  

* Corrected in a later publication, see a subsequent reply.

[Anne]

Thanks Bernard, most informative.  

Whilst pondering Chance I happened (nearly said chanced then!) across another mention of Chance Brothers in Smethwick. I'm currently reading Martin Brayne's book, The Greatest Storm, about the devastation caused in 1703 by the storm that hit the south of the UK.

In the very last few pages he mentions that the great West Window of St Mary's Church, Fairford in Gloucestershire, was restored by Chance Bros. sometime after 1860. He says "Restoration work was carried out by Chance Brothers of Smethwick who used entirely new glass".

Further reading online indicates that the upper part of the window was subjected to this repair by Chance, and that they did not change the design, just used new glass to replace the old in the same style.  I had not made the connection between Chance and stained glass until reading this.

Incidentally, I was also a little surprised to find there is a church in Cumbria which has Whitefriars stained glass windows. I am going to go take a look as soon as I can do.

[Bernard C]

Anne & Anne — I've found it.   Jackson C20 Factory Glass gives it as Spiderweb, designed by Robert Goodden, launched 1934.

Bernard C.  

[Sklounion]

Hi all,
The Chances archive, specifically with regard to their stained glass, I think I have flagged up before, as being in the possession of our old friends Pilkington's at St Helen's...............

With regard to the production of lenses, for signalling, railways, (1845) admiralty use, indeed, political discussion as to whether Chances should open an optical glass factory in Czarist Russia in 1916, in the middle of WWI, hey go no further than the National Archives, the first place to look, that last that many do......

regards,

Marcus

[Anne E.B.]

Many thanks Anne for your interesting comments  (I'll have to get hold of that book!) - and Bernard for identifying it as Chance, as I suspected.  Fascinating stuff.  A great buy for £1.29 !!!  I wonder if Reginald Goodden had anything to do with the designs for prism glass for lighthouses? (I'll have to get hold of the Jackson book also!)  Interesting how functionalism influences art/aesthetics and of course vice versa.  Difficult to separate at times.

Regards - Anne E.B.

Edited to include thanks to Marcus also.

[Bernard C]

According to Evans, there are as many as nine churches and other properties in Cumbria that could be fitted with Whitefriars stained glass, although the records do not indicate which commissions were actually installed.   None of these designs carry the designer's name.   Date range 1924–62.   See the book for a detailed list.

Further information on Chance at the Cambridge Glass Fair website.

Bernard C.  

[Anne]

Thanks Bernard, I shall have to check this book out, it's one I should have on my shelf and haven't.  The one I was meaning was, I think, Aldingham. I'll have to check tomorrow.

[Anne E.B.]

Bernard, I think I've found a companion for my Chance celery vase, and may be this is like the one that Anne saw and wished later she had bought.   Could this perhaps be the Utility Dish you previously referred to?  (Spiderweb pattern based on lighthouse lenses - designed by Robert Goodden).
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y195/glassie/chance002.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y195/glassie/chance004.jpg

Here it is alongside the vase.  It has a wonderful ring to it.  I think its quite beautiful and to my mind would sit well alongside Scandinavian makes of the day.  Very undervalued I think :?
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y195/glassie/chance005.jpg

Regards - Anne E.B. :wink:

[Bernard C]

Nice find, Anne.   You can see now why they called it Spiderweb.

Now for other examples of the range — there is a milk or cream jug shown in Jackson, which could imply a sugar, and two more sizes of bowl shown in Hollowood.   I could be wrong, but I have vague memories of a covered butter and a lemonade set.   ... and look out for SOS lidded cube sugars with integral sprung tongs — as both Davidson and Walsh made them (yes, Walsh did make pressed glass tableware), there is a chance that Chance also made them in Spiderweb.

Bernard C.