The factory of James Powell & Sons was Britain’s longest running glass house, their inspired designs always reflecting the fashion of the times. Records actually date back to 1720, for a small glassworks off Fleet Street, London, but the factory really came into its own when James Powell a London wine merchant and entrepreneur, purchased the factory in 1834, the idea being to give his three sons a viable occupation.

In 1919 James Powell & Sons changed its name to Powell & Sons (Whitefriars) Ltd and plans were made for a new factory, This was to be a large state of the art building with every modern facility and technique available. In 1923 the furnaces were lit in Wealdstone near Harrow West London, using a flame taken from one of the furnaces in Fleet St. Business was good but the vast expenditure of building the factory and plans to build a “Garden suburb” style housing village for the workers, had put great financial strain on the business. Reluctantly they decided to scrap the housing development and concentrate on glass manufacture. Production in the new factory was about half domestic and half scientific glass utilizing the work and experiments James Powell had pioneered on heat resistant glass, glass tubing and new colours in the previous few decades.

The period between the wars was a very productive and creative time for the factory and the financial situation improved. New glassware became more colourful and in many cases heavier. Optic moulding and the dramatic use of wheel engraving in geometric designs reflected the fashionable “Art Deco” style.
This halcyon period came to an abrupt end with the onset of World War II. Glass production was strictly limited to essential glass only, dictated by the government as part of the war effort. After the war the company struggled to return to its pre-war prosperity, rationing which continued until the early fifties and fires at the factory all contributed to a gloomy outlook. Some of the factory’s key skilled craftsmen had enlisted into to the armed forces, and many of these had not returned.

The Festival of Britain came in 1951 and as always Whitefriars embraced the new styles of the time. The Scandinavian style which was sweeping Europe, the clean lines and sophisticated designs found approval with major retailers. During the mid 1960s the designer Geoffrey Baxter (1922-1995) who had joined the factory in 1954 began experimenting with a completely new approach to glass design. He was greatly influenced by John Orwar Lake of Sweden, and Timo Sarpaneva of Finland.

All manner of materials were used to create the pattern for moulds, which had to be made in 3 parts due to the complexity of the designs. The same moulds were usually used for the entirety of the production run, so by looking at the definition of the texture on the piece, it is possible to estimate how early the example is, due to the fact that moulds wear with age. This new glass was to become known as the Textured range, and was released in 1967 initially in three colours, cinnamon, indigo, and willow. More colours such as tangerine (a new colour developed by Whitefriars) and blue were added a year later. In 1963 the factory changed its name to “Whitefriars Glass Ltd” but the factory faced hard times during the next decade. Whitefriars continued to make textured domestic glass, notably the new Glacier range of 1972, limited edition paperweights and traditional cut glass, for the rest of the seventies, The sad but inevitable end came in 1980 when the factory closed, Interest rates, high fuel costs plus the fact Britain was in the tight grip of a recession had all played their part in the demise of the factory. The furnaces were extinguished, staff laid off and factory was quickly demolished to make room for new developments. The trademark “Whitefriars” was purchased by the Scottish glass maker Caithness, which was used as part of their paperweight range.
Geoffrey Baxter died in 1995 but before he died the momentum had already begun for his glass to gain its cult status. His glass had become collectable and he was well aware of the historical importance of his designs. Whitefriars glass has over the last fifteen years had a revival, especially the textured ranges by Geoffrey Baxter which have increased in price tenfold.

Whitefriars Videos

Wine Glass Making