Topic: John Gold Etna Glassworks Birmingham

[David E]

On the scraps I have for Birmingham glassworks, I have the following:
The first makers of pressed glass in England were Rice Harris, George Bacchus & Sons, and John Gold, all of Birmingham…
http://www.pressglas-korrespondenz.de/aktuelles/pdf/pk-2008-3w-slack-pressglas-england.pdf

Contributed by Raymond Slack, so good provenance. Interestingly I have no mention of AEtna Glassworks after all my research (Etna yes), but I think this is the name of the building rather than the company name? Alfred Arculus took over from 1860, as M mentioned, so the earlier history is of interest.

[flying free]

The contemporary directory of the time 1837 lists it as AEtna
See the photograph from the directory below

(From Pigot and Co's National Directory 1837)
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=0ecNAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA16&dq=etna+glass&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj3-8fusJPNAhWBOsAKHXmeCxQQ6AEILTAB#v=onepage&q=etna%20glass&f=false


In the photo you can also see 'Gold's (Patent Company) Charlotte st ' listed and also Rice Harris, all in the listings for 1837.
Morgan, Rollason & Co. is a new name to add then?

AEtna Glassworks might have been the name of the actual physical building, however, someone owned that building presumably.  So did the 'County' own it and lease it to various makers? Or did each 'maker company'  purchase the building (AEtna Glassworks) each time they took over?  Or did someone else ( a private owner) own the building and lease it to the various glassmaking Companies?

[David E]

Thanks, M. Here's the 'AE' character if you ever wanted to copy/paste it.    Æ

The building could have been privately owned - I imagine it was - and the name was just used from one generation of glassmaker to the next. It happened with the Vesta Works of Shakespear (1801), then Walsh Walsh (1850), and British Heat Resisting Glass Co. (making Phoenix from 1935). However, as Walsh Walsh was still in business until 1951, I am wondering whether Phoenix leased a part of the WW factory to start up their production of heat-resisting tableware.

[flying free]

Thank you