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Chance Brothers: Research into this famous company

L

Last Chance

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I have now finished the first of two books on Chance Brothers and it is currently published. This volume is called Chance Expressions and details the history of domestic glassware produced by the company and includes a concise catalogue of all the glass it produced.

The second volume, Chance Reflections, will cover the history of the company and the technologies it was involved with: lighthouses, optics, rolled-glass engineering. I also hope to include memories of former workers, so would value any information that can be provided. Most particularly, photographs would be really welcome - not necessarily of the works, but ones demonstrating the social side as well. Also any ephemera or magazines like Pilkington's Cullet News or the Chance in-house magazine, Chance Comments are of particular interest.

I am already in touch with Broadfield House and Smethwick Heritage Centre, and the people there have been most helpful. The latter's stock of Chance Comments is quite extensive, but there are a few gaps! Hopefully the Chance archives, currently at Pilkingtons at St Helens, will be "coming home" to Sandwell library very soon, so this will keep me very busy!

I am also in touch with Ray Drury (last Chief Engineer) and Tony Cartwright (general manager of the Fiesta department), Howard Cosnett (transport) and Geoff Bennett (Pensioners Club). Do these names ring a bell? Do you know anyone who used to work at Chance? Any information, no matter how irrelevant you may feel it is, could be of great interest to me.

I am also quite happy to talk to any collectors of Chance glass, and anyone is free to wander around my web site: www.chanceglass.net as it gives a small insight to what my aims are – feel free to contact me through the site e-mail address.
 
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Many thanks Pom!

However, there might even be another book after Chance Reflections! I have amassed a good deal of information on Birmingham glassmakers, which have become overshadowed somewhat by the Stourbridge firms and feel it will be exploring further.

Although my interests focus around glass and glassmaking, as a publisher I am also interested in producing other books on local heritage. I reckon that everyone has a story to tell... ;)
 
Is this a B'Ham History fundraiser idea?

Last Chance said:
Many thanks Pom!

However, there might even be another book after Chance Reflections! I have amassed a good deal of information on Birmingham glassmakers, which have become overshadowed somewhat by the Stourbridge firms and feel it will be exploring further.

Although my interests focus around glass and glassmaking, as a publisher I am also interested in producing other books on local heritage. I reckon that everyone has a story to tell... ;)
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Hi and welcome to the forum. I have been very interested to read about the huge amount of research work and effort you have put into your project about Glassmakers.

Yes just as you sumise I think everyone does have an interesting story to tell. As you have found there is a lot of knowledge and interaction on this website and it could be harnessed in a positive way to help the Birmingham History Website raise some funds.

With your help, we could look into publishing a book about Birmingham History and the families who came to Birmingham and were part of the industrial revolution, building Birmingham it into the city it is today.

We could all be part of it all with our own interesting family and local history contributions, with perhaps a foreword by the lovely helpful Carl Chinn. Other people have published books about less interesting subjects than this so why not one from the members of the Birmingham history Web?

Would it be too cheeky to ask you as a publisher to start another thread on this forum and give us all some tips about what exactly a publisher would expect from anyone wanting to begin writing a book about family or local history.

The type of things which would be useful to know would be which desktop programme to use ie Word, or the family tree book maker which is not as flexible, what manuscript margins to use, how many chapters or words are acceptable, what about pictures and illustrations, do we need a page number. How much help will the publisher be to beginners?

This is a lot of questions but I would be really interested in your reply.

regards
Louisa
 
No problems, Louisa, and not cheeky at all! ;) I'll write something up this afternoon.

I am very impressed with this forum but have been slightly bemused as to the best place to post, or start, some topics. Getting to grips with it though.

However, can you advise or suggest the best place to post a general topic covering publishing hints & tips?
 
Thanks for the help

Hi Last Chance
Thank you so much for your help.

I have started a new thread called Tips on Publishing a Birmingham Family History on the Help, Advice, Tips and Tricks section.

You just click on the reply button at the top of the page as usual.

I am looking forward to your publisher tips and comments on publishing a family or social history.

I suppose it would be even more cheeky to ask for a members discount on any self funded family history publications? Well you have to ask in this day and age dont you.;)

Regards
Louisa
 
I suppose it would be even more cheeky to ask for a members discount on any self funded family history publications?
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If you were looking to self-publish, then this would be an arrangement between yourself and the printer. I can suggest a very good company based in Ladywood: Birbeck and Sons (www.birbeckonline.co.uk) and the owner, David Rollason, can give competitive quotes. Alternatively, use Birbeck's online quote system:

https://birbeck.red-tie.com/

As a publisher, my company is involved with the acquisition, editing, proofreading and compilation of a book, and this involves a substantial input of time.

Anyway, I'll get back to finishing the hints and tips adn post this later...
 
Hello Last Chance,

What about the Black Country Bugle? But you probably already know about their extensive coverage of Chance Brothers over the years. They've published loads of interesting articles, photo's, readers letters, (from many who worked there), memorabilia etc.

At 45p this is a great little weekly paper and a great read, particularly if you happen to have Black Country ancestors. Many of their readers are into genealogy.:)
 
Thanks Florence. I have made the odd trip onto their web site in the past: www.blackcountrybugle.co.uk and this has revealed some interesting facts - thanks for re-reminding me though! There is also the Blackcountryman magazine, a monthly publication, and Smethwick Heritage Centre, which also issues a monthly mag.

The other reason for my appeal is not just to meet and chat with former workers, but also to see if any glass or paperwork is around that I can use. After all, it is over 30 years since the Chance factory stopped producing its main glass product, rolled-plate (although Fiestaware was produced until 1981) and the memories of workers can be a little hazy, and is why printed material can prove invaluable.
 
Hello david thank you for agreeing to look at my glass, as I said in my PM the lady who sold it to me about 10 years ago said it was a posy holder, but it is only 2.5 inches high, so it seems a little bit small for that, anyhow if you can help I would be grateful, also thank you for the link I will take a look later.
 
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Judging by the size it could be a salt. But it looks to be cut lead-crystal and in that case, probably a Stourbridge maker. There are several, but Thomas Webb, Webb Corbett, Stuart, Brierley are companies that spring immediately to mind.

Cut crystal is not really my field – if it was modernist art-cut glass I would have been interested in it though.

I suggest you post it on www.glassmessages.com, which is another forum I use.
 
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Thank you david, I thought it might be a salt but wasn't sure if it was wide enough, and thanks for the link I will try that.
 
I will have to get used to the glass forum, it's different to this one, there dosen't seem to be a page where you can see how many people are online, I'll just keep checking. I'll let you know how I get on, and thanks again.
 
Someone has sugested a tooth pick holder, and I've got used to how to use the site runs now, it's a great site thanks again.
 
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This site has threaded postings (something that took me a while to get used to) and GMB is a simpler flat directory. A very mature board that's been running for several years - all are welcome!

You can see the number of people online on the homepage, near the bottom. Christine's suggestion of a toothpick holder seems quite valid (she edited my last book incidentally).
 
Recently I was fortunate to be invited to Sandwell Library (Archive Services) where a list has been compiled of the Chance Archives — anyone who knows about these archives knows they have been stuck up in St Helens for the past 50 years, more or less inaccessable, after being taken there by the new owners of Chance, Pilkington Bros. (from 1952)

Over the next year, I will be sifting through this material in preparation for my new book, Chance Reflections. The scale of the task is enormous: there are 350 boxes(!), which are not necessarily in order, and the lists are not 100% accurate as some material has been moved about, or even removed completely :(

However, I am still very interested in meeting up with anyone who worked there, or members of a former employee's family. Already this has unearthed some very valuable memories and even some very strange items of glass: you never know what that odd piece of glass is stuffed at the back of the cupboard! ;)

Coupled with the research I have already completed, the new book should be available by 2012...
 
The lantern to this lighthouse was made by Chance Bros.made in 1895 and shipped out to W.A.and still in use.There are a line of them down the West Australian coast.
Perhaps a thread could be started,on "made in Brum" that have been seen around the world.
 
wow ray how interesting....my grandad worked at chances in smethwick... he died in 1938 long before i was born...and what a great idea for a new thread...hope someone starts one....

lyn:):):)
 
I have got a very pretty sandwich set done by Chance's.

It consists of a long sandwich tray and six individual plates.

It has been with me for nearly 50 yrs.
 
Chance Bros,also made all the glass for the Crystal Palace,probably, the most impressive structure of the 19th.century.It was all assembled in 3 months...wow!:rolleyes:.
 
Maggs they look like chance glass I have a couple of pieces very similar.

The Chance brothers are buried at Key Hill Cemetery.
 
Wendy just checked on the first page of the thread and it does show a picture of that pattern I have saying it was the most popular flower design Chance's did. I wonder what your pieces are!

So they are buried in Key Hill Cemetery, is that the same cemetey as Warstone Lane, or not?
 
maggs said:
View attachment 35670

I was given this Sandwich set nearly fifty years ago, and told it was a Chance's set. Perhap's someone will confirm this for me!
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Sorry, I missed all replies to this thread - I'll have to check that notifications are turned on!

This is the Anemone pattern, which was designed by Michael Harris RCA and produced by Chance from 1965 to 1981, and then by Fiesta Glass Ltd from 1981 to about 1995.
 
I've only just come across this thread.

Norman Bertenshaw, founding Director of Birmingham Museum of Science and Industry, had previously worked at Chance Bros. as head of optical research.

He was my boss at the Museum for several years, but I had no idea he had developed the tilting anti-glare driving mirror, or the tiny reflective glass beads used in reflective coatings, whilst at Chance. He was a very dapper, precise man, who always reminded me of Arthur Lowe!

his obituary: https://www.thefreelibrary.com/OBITUARY%3A+Museum+founder+lived+for+science-a090014113
 
That's interesting, many thanks.

Interesting that he developed the "cheap manufacture" of the 'Ballotini' glass beads - these were used for all manner of things (and still are), including the reflective road markings and road signs mentioned in the obit, but also projector screens. But I wasn't aware he was involved with developing the tilting anti-glare mirror.
 
Hello Last Chance. Thank you for your information on my Chance's sandwich set. I was given this set in 1960.
 
To reiterate: The Anemone pattern was first announced to the trade press in 1965. Do you mean you were given the set in the 1960s?
 
Yes, I was given the set in the 1960's, but the set belonged to my mother in law, who lived near Oldbury. I believe is was given to me before 1965. I know it was a long time ago, but could the Anemone pattern have been produced shortly before the it announced to the trade press in 1965?
 
The main Trade Show for many years was the International Gifts Fair, held in Blackpool from 1955-75. It was normally held in early spring, so companies always announced their goods in the Pottery Gazette and Glass Trade Review and Tableware international journals. Chance actually placed a full-colour advert showing Anemone in February 1965.

The design would have been designed and developed in late 1964 so it is possible that early versions did leak out of the factory late-1964. However, even if this did happen then they would almost certainly have been 'acquired' by Chance employees and definitely not sold. As I say "even if this did happen" (but I doubt it did).

The magazine also carried a review of the exhibition (I think this would be April 1965 issue). For Chance's entry it shows a monochrome photograph and it states, "It [Anemone] has been very well accepted by the trade and deliveries will begin on May 1". This would mean supplies would not have been available to the general public until mid-summer at the earliest.

Hope this helps.
 
Hello Last Chance. Do you know I have a sneaky feeling that maybe the set I have wasn't purchased at all. I know that the family had some link's with Chance's Glass. Thank you for all the information you have sent.
 
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