Topic: Durham Crystal (1970's possibly) - has anyone heard of them?

[LinzC]

I've unsuccessfully been looking for information on Durham Crystal online.  I wondered if anybody knew anything about them.

There are a couple of items that seem quite common on eBay, an hors d'oeuvre set and a salad set, but then I spotted a rose bowl with what looks like a coaster in it, which reads "Brama Durham Crystal Glass & Silver Plated Tableware".  The packaging on the other stuff looks rather 1970's, possibly early '80's.

As Brama took over Davidsons, and Gateshead is in County Durham, I wondered if there was a connection.

[LinzC]

Talking to myself again! 

Just found a couple of adverts in the Newcastle Evening Chronicle dating from 1980 which state that the "Durham Crystal Glass and Silver Plated Tableware" is made in Gateshead.

[Anne]

Chris Stewart includes an item of Brama's Durham range of crystal on his website here Linz, http://www.cloudglass.com/Gallerypostwar.htm. In his book Davidson Glass a history (pages 73-80) Chris explains the relationship between Davidson's and Abrahams (who were Birmingham based electroplaters) which led to the takeover of Davidson's by the latter in 1966 and the subsequent move of the Abrahams' works from Birmingham to Gateshead in 1968. Throughout the 1970s and the early 1980s Abrahams produced Brama, Luna, Prismatic Diamond, Durham, and Northumbria electroplated giftware and glassware, but the company filed its last accounts in 1984 and the Teams Glass Works finally closed down in 1987. (Basic facts extracted from the book, which is, of course, still in copyright.)  If you want me to check more (that is, if you don't have the book) drop me an email please.

[LinzC]

Lovely, thank you Anne. 

I'd read that Abrahams had bought out Davidsons, but didn't register that bit about Durham glassware on their site. I've been looking out for a copy of their book but haven't been able to locate on yet.

[Anne]

You might be able to get one direct from Chris Stewart via his website Linz, see here http://www.cloudglass.com/orderbook.htm.

[LinzC]

That’s great Anne. Thank you. The local galleries/museums don’t seem to have it on their shops.