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Union Glassworks

Vivienne14

Vivienne14

Kentish Brummie Moderator
Staff member
This - Union Glassworks - is the Fawdry, Stone & Fawdry glassworks in Dartmouth Street. Any ideas as to how long the glassworks was on the site? Viv.

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Vivienne14 said:
This - Union Glassworks - is the Fawdry, Stone & Fawdry glassworks in Dartmouth Street. Any ideas as to how long the glassworks was on the site? Viv.

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Just to give an idea the firm are mentioned at Dartmouth Street from 1826 to 1874. They could well stretch back to before 1822.

For the record, in 1866/1867 there was also the Victoria and the Stephenson's Glassworks in Dartmouth Street.
 
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A couple more photos of The Union Glassworks on the first photo of Dartmouth Street in 1895 the factory is on the right. The second image shows a yard inside the premises in 1892 and the third image is the showroom in 1890. One of the Stone's in the Stone, Fawdry & Stone was the renowned photographer & politician Sir Benjamin Stone 1838-1914.
 

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April 1869 the firm started a school for the purpose of educating the boys in their employ.

In 1872 an envoy from the King of Burmah was sent to Birmingham and made a visit to several firms, including The Union Glassworks. His excellency Mengyee Maha Sathoo Kenwoon Mengyee saw the making of a wine glass and a large vitriol bottle, and several Prince Rupert's Drops were cast.

A tumbler was roughly engraved with a peacock, the national emblem, and presented to him, but he said he would prefer a finished one!
 
The Union glassworks in Dartmouth St (presumably on the same site) was run by Bacchus, Green & Green in Wrightson's 1818 Directory, but is not mentioned in the 1815 edition
 
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Spanner in the Glassworks!

The 1841 Pigot's gives Geo Bacchus and sons, Glass Manufacturer, Union Glass Works Dartmouth St.

Also in White's Directory of 1855.
 
More spanners....1881 Kelly say Stone, Fawdry and Stone, flint glass mfctr, Dartmouth Street.
 
National Archives seem to list records for Bacchus from about 1817 to 1882. I would think that Stone, Fawdry and Stone then took over the site at about that date. They ceased to trade in 1896.
 
Sorry. misstyped in post 6. should have read Wrightson's 1818 directory , not 1881 directory. Have now corrected it
 
The key to this may lie with the infamous Sir John Benjamin Stone. His old man Benjamin Stone must have had some reasonable share in a glass works near Lupin Street around 1851. When the chief owner retired Benjie saw his chance became the main man, and his son John went with in the offices. By 1861 John is shown as a glassmaker (master).

John would go on to far better money making concerns but his father, who died in 1882, was listed in the 1881 census as living in Sutton Street as a glass manufacturer employing 90 men, 5 women and 3 boys.
 
Pedrocut said:
The key to this may lie with the infamous Sir John Benjamin Stone. His old man Benjamin Stone must have had some reasonable share in a glass works near Lupin Street around 1851. When the chief owner retired Benjie saw his chance became the main man, and his son John went with in the offices. By 1861 John is shown as a glassmaker (master).

John would go on to far better money making concerns but his father, who died in 1882, was listed in the 1881 census as living in Sutton Street as a glass manufacturer employing 90 men, 5 women and 3 boys.
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Benjie's will was proved by two of his sons, one being John, who in 1882 is referred to as glass manufacturer in Dartmouth Street. He £14,375.
 
"Father and son were partners in the business of Stone, Fawdry and Stone, which had recently taken over the Bacchus business. The third person involved was Frederick Fawdry, who was married to Stone senior’s oldest daughter, Catherine.

Fawdry’s father, James Goodwin Fawdry, was well known in Birmingham as a baker, having premises in Aston Street, Great Hampton Street and Navigation Street. In 1855 it seems that he retired and the partnership he had with his sons was dissolved."

Carl Chinn writing in Birmingham Mail January 2015.
 
Apparently their were eighteen glassworks in Birmingham - not to be confused with those in Smethwick and other Black Country towns - from the late 18th. century until late 19th. century. Bill Dargue suggests that the first glassworks in Birmingham 1757 was in the Snow Hill (formerly Sandy Lane until around 1749) area.
 
That would have been Mayer Oppenheim's works. He certainly had a works in Snow hill area. In 1755, when he lived in London, he gained a patent to last 14 years for the manufacture of red transparent glass. By 1770 he was in Birmingha, The site of the glassworks is believed to be about where the old terminus platforms for the trasm were at Snow Hill
 
just picked up on this interesting thread...i think i had a rellie who was a glass blower living in dartmouth st.... it could have been around 1851/61...will have to check my notes on this but if he did it could be he worked at this glassworks

lyn
 
bit off on the date but oh wow i was right...my 4x gt grandad john harrington b 1781 glos is on the 1841 census living in darmouth st with his 2 daughters aged 18 and 16 (wife had died) occupation glass blower...i know i cant prove it but i think its a good bet he worked at bacchus glass works although quickly reading this thread there was more than one glassworks in dartmouth st ?? :) well heres hoping but i will add it to his notes now.. on the 51 census he has moved to heneage st and is down as a glass maker also on the 51 and 61 i have 2 young harrington rellies at ashted row aged 15 and 13 down as glass blowers/makers..later on i will have a proper good read of this thread

lyn
 
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thanks for that list mike...its worth saving it...as i can only see geo bacchus at dartmouth st i am leaning more to the fact that my 4x gt grandad worked there simply because at that time he lived in dartmouth st although this is not set in stone and cant be verified and looking at that list glassmaking was a booming trade so he could have worked for anyone......but for now i am happy to hope it was geo bacchus he worked at.as said earlier by 1851 he was at heanage st as glassmaker and there was chas wood glass works there so maybe he worked there as well

lyn
 
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Astoness said:
just picked up on this interesting thread...i think i had a rellie who was a glass blower living in dartmouth st.... it could have been around 1851/61...will have to check my notes on this but if he did it could be he worked at this glassworks

lyn
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Hi Astoness,
Like you, I am picking up on an interesting (two-year-old) thread on glassmaking. As I think you know I researched glassmaking and published "Glassmakers of Stourbridge and Dudley 1612-2002" in 2002. I discovered significant movement of both proprietors and my own workmen ancestors between Stourbridge, Dudley and Birmingham in the Victorian era (some moved to and from Bristol and South Yorkshire as well). When I was researching for my book I had to resist being tempted into Birmingham because the scale of research in Stourbridge and Dudley alone was vast - I couldn't afford the distraction. But Birmingham has a huge glassmaking tradition of its own, "John Walsh Walsh" is recognised as being a manufacturer of the finest quality glassware. Also Baccus (although London-centric), Lloyd & Summerfield and many others had proud traditions. Chance Brothers at Smethwick may be regarded as on the periphery of Birmingham, but their contribution was immense.
As for Mayor Oppenheim, also mentioned in this thread. Yes, he was a glassmaker at Snow hill, but I suspect his output was largely glass buttons, much favoured by the Birmingham "toymakers" i.e. jewelry and trinket manufacturers in the 18th century.
If you would like to start a new thread on "Birmingham glassmakers" I think there remains a lot to be explored and there is not yet a definitive book on the subject, which it deserves.
 
hi jason yes please feel free to start a new thread i think we would find it very interesting...just as an aside my grandfather on moms side worked at chances glass...i had a tour of the building about 4 years ago as far as i know it is still undergoing restoration

lyn
 
Jason Ellis said:
As for Mayor Oppenheim, also mentioned in this thread. Yes, he was a glassmaker at Snow hill, but I suspect his output was largely glass buttons, much favoured by the Birmingham "toymakers" i.e. jewelry and trinket manufacturers in the 18th century.
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Hello Jason,
I purchased your book when it was first released - essential reading for anyone with an interest in Stourbridge glass.
His name was actually Mayer Oppenheim (also noted as Opnaim) who was active from at least 1762, although I have seen an earlier mention of 1757. While we don't know for certain what he produced - toys are a very likely suggestion - his main claim to fame was reinventing a transparent red flint glass and by 1770 advertised as "a beautiful Opaque or transparent Garnet or red glass". Although he went bankrupt in 1777 and languished in a debtors' jail by 1780, he did eventually move to France.
David Encill
www.chanceglass.net
 
In addition to the trade directory excepts provided a couple of years ago I offer the following summary of glassworks in and around Birmingham. I have deliberately omitted the Stourbridge and Dudley glassworks because that's a completly different story and place. However, there was significant movement of proprietors and workmen between both locations. As there was to and from Bristol and South Yorkshire.

Snow Hill Glassworks
1656 Mayer Oppenheim obtains patent for red & ruby flint glass
1762 Mayer Oppenheim advertises glasshouse and dealing house for sale.
1775 Mayer Oppenheim became bankrupt.

Union Glassworks, Dartmouth Street
1818 Established Bacchus, Green & Green
1822 Bacchus and Green
1833 George Bacchus & Co.
1841 George Bacchus & Sons
1851 exhibited at Great Exhibition
1860 Bacchus family sold out to Stone, Fawdry & Stone
1860 Sir Ben Stone joins firm (friend of the Richardsons)
187? Closed

Etna Flint Glass Works, Birmingham
1851 July 24th press moulded and uranium coloured plate registered by George Joseph Green.

Bagot Street Glassworks
Made flat glass
1850 purchased by Chance Brothers
1876 closed by Chance Brothers

Victoria Glassworks, Dartmouth Street
Run by James Stevens senior & his son James junior until about 1880

Park Glass Works, Spring Hill
1788 founded by Isaac Hawker formerly a glasscutter of Spiceal Street, then a glassmaker of 14 Edgbaston Street.
1792 death of Isaac Hawker, business continued by his son John
1803 John Hawker still working the glasshouse
1808 or earlier passed to Biddle and Lloyd (John Biddle and David Lloyd)
1822 last known reference to Biddle & Lloyd
1833 reference to John Biddle alone.
1850 Lloyd & Summerfield made coloured vases shaped like the onion family
1861 Lloyd & Summerfield apply the Siemens’ patent furnace to glass melting

Islington Glass Works, Birmingham Heath.
1799 built by Owen Johnson after his glass toy manufactory in Birmingham was destroyed by fire in 1799 (see Aris Gazette of 4 Sep 1799)
1803 Owen Johnson alone mentioned in trade directory.
1805 established partnership of Shakespear & Johnson abandons the New Town Glasshouse, Walmer lane and joined by John Berry establish themselves here.
1815, December 20th partnership dissolved. Shakespear either founded or moved to the neighbouring Soho Glassworks. Johnson & Berry take Rice Harris into partnership.
1829, May 8th Owen Johnson retires
1832 Aug 9th, John Berry leaves partnership.
1833 firm run as Rice Harris & Co.
1849 employed 400 hands.
1851 exhibited at Great Exhibition
1878/9 closed

Belmont Row Glass Works, Great Brook Street, Ashted, Aston
Established some time after 1804 when Thomas Harris left the partnership of Hughes and Harris to take up glass making. Run by partnership of Harris, Smart and Co. Partners were Thomas Harris, T. L. Hawkes, Thomas Smart and Rice Harris.
1810 Hawkes and Smart leave the firm. Thomas Harris and Rice Harris continued until 1814.
1814, November 8th Rice Harris left and was replaced by John Harris.
1819, September 7th, John Harris retires and the firm becomes Harris, Gammon & Co. (probably Thomas Harris, William Gammon and Thomas Lowe).
T Harris eventually died or retired and the firm became William Gammon & Co.
1832 Thomas Lowe retired, business continued by William Gammon
1833 William Gammon & Co mentioned.

Broad Street Glasshouse
1832 Messrs A. F. Osler and T.C. Osler moves established family firm of glasscutters to Broad Street
1849 exhibited at Birmingham Exhibition

Icknield Glassworks, Freeth Street, Rotton Park
1850 F & C Osler take Edward Page as partner and move to purpose-built glasshouse on the bank of the old Birmingham Canal.
1851 produced glass fountain centrepiece for the great exhibition
1855 F & C Osler were sole owners
1882 F & C Osler made etagere now in Birmingham Museum
1922 closed.

Hands Glassworks, Lodge Road, Hockley
Crystal and coloured glass
1930 closed

Soho & Vesta Glass Works, Lodge Road, Hockley
1816 William Shakespear left the Islington glassworks and took into partnership Thomas Fletcher to build or buy the Soho works.
1822 Thomas Fletcher left the firm.
1833 run as Hannah Shakespear & Co.
1850 John Walsh Walsh purchased factory from Samuel Shakespear
1882 Lewis John Murray joins as manager
1951 closed

Isaac Barnes
1855-75 Cambridge Street, Broad Street, Summer Row

Barr Street, Great Hampton Row, Hockley
Francis Barnes
Coloured glass
1858 Closed

Warstone Lane, Hockley
G.H. Barnes
Closed 1890

Hampton Street Glassworks
1865 established by Thomas Lane

Great Brook Street, Glasshouse, Aston
1829-1887 W. Gammon & Son

Toledo Glassworks, Aston Brook Street, Aston
Parkes & Saunders

Spon Lane Glassworks, Smethwick
1814 British Crown Glass Company formed by Thomas and Philip Palmer, Nathaniel Chater and Samuel Brookes
1822 October 17th Thomas Shutt died.
1824 purchased by Lucas Chance
1832 sheet glass introduced by Lucas Chance.
1840 invented paper-thin glass for microscopy
1847 Chances adopt new method of making rolled plate-glass.
1851 shown on ordnance survey as British Glass Works
1851 built a lighthouse works in the site

Birmingham Plate Glass (Gibbins), Smethwick
1877 closed by Chance Brothers

Halesowen Street Glassworks, Oldbury
Manufactured antique-glass for most of 19th Century.
 
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