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HI folks the server that hosts the site completely died including the Hdd's and backups.
Luckily i create an offsite backup once a week! this has now been restored so we have lost a few days posts.
im still fixing things at the moment so bear with me and im still working on all images 90% are fine the others im working on now
we are now using a backup solution
Think you might be right Lyn. Do you know where abouts they were in Birmingham ? Viv.
Di.Poppitt
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
I spent 14 lovely years as a dealer in old things, well one old thing dealing in other old things!!! Just before I hung up my gloves I bought a set of 3 Chance Glass handkerchief vases, they were pretty and very quickly sold.
hello di hope you are well...for all i know my grandad may have bought home a few pieces of chances glass from his days working there..if anything was kept after our nan passed away my cousin would have them in the loft..i must get in touch with her
lyn
lyn
Went to the talk at the Gunmakers Arms on Tuesday night by Mark Davies, chairman of the Chance Heritage Trust. It was an interesting talk, and the the beer was good.
Mark gave a brief history of the firm , and its subsequent takeover by Pilkingtons. I had not realised that the takeover had been slowly planned and forced on Chance over a number of years, after problems with payment by the government for work done on optical glass for the war effort had not been forthcoming. (of course nowadays, if the money had been owed to an american firm who wanted to take over part of the NHS, then money would have been easily forthcoming). There are apparently a large volume of papers in the Sandwell archives , which have only partly been catalogued, but are known to contain a mass of data on the firm, including things like accident reports, order books and much else. This material is there apparently thanks to Nippon Sheet Glass. Pilkingtons had been reluctant to allow the archives access to the material, but when Nippon in turn took over Pilkingtons (sauce for the goose) they told them to hand it all over to the archives. Although I knew a lot of the range of glass they developed, had not realised that they invented fibreglass, but then abandonned it as no market then could be found for it. The firm also made foghorns, one of which is in th Sandwell store, and might well be incorporated into the project (I suggested it could be operated to announce the opening of the rejuvenated site - though probably everyone within half a mile would hav eto wear earplugs). We were shown a blueprint plan of one commission made to the firm (& recently purchased on e-bay) by a "interplanetary psychic", who did things like investigating hauntings etc, for a lens that could send a light message to Mars ! Needless to say it got no further than the bluepint stage, though, judging by their other successes, I guess it might have done the job well. The exact scheme for the site that will emerge is not yet fixed. It will be a mixture of heritage, teaching and apprenticeships, space for startup companies, and leisure activities. New things are being discovered all the time, a large plan of the position of all the facilities (gas, water electicity etc) was found in some rubbish recently, and an old worker informed them that the bridge over the canal, which connected the remaining site to the site on the opposite bank, contained a tunnel . Heritage England had paid Birmingham university good money to survey all the tunnels, but they had apparently missed out that one !
Whatever is done will have to be started soon. One of the buildings on the canal side is in a very precarious condition , and one has already collapsed. The skip firm that has been occupying part of the site had applied fro a "temporary" extension of 11 years , but the application was met with an enormous number of objections , from all over the world, and was rejected, so will move out in november (though will probably leave their buildings, illegally erected on a listed historical monument). this will enable archeological investigations on that part of the site, whcih include a filled in canal arm . Heritage England were a bit iffy about the suggestion that there might be a canal basin with leisure activities, until they were shown a map showing athe canal arm on that part of the site.
Next week the site is open to viasitors, but all places are now booked up., and it is not clear if their will be further opportunities before rejuvenation , as insurance for these occasions only is being provided by Historic england, and further visits would necessitate individual wavers in case of accident.
Mark gave a brief history of the firm , and its subsequent takeover by Pilkingtons. I had not realised that the takeover had been slowly planned and forced on Chance over a number of years, after problems with payment by the government for work done on optical glass for the war effort had not been forthcoming. (of course nowadays, if the money had been owed to an american firm who wanted to take over part of the NHS, then money would have been easily forthcoming). There are apparently a large volume of papers in the Sandwell archives , which have only partly been catalogued, but are known to contain a mass of data on the firm, including things like accident reports, order books and much else. This material is there apparently thanks to Nippon Sheet Glass. Pilkingtons had been reluctant to allow the archives access to the material, but when Nippon in turn took over Pilkingtons (sauce for the goose) they told them to hand it all over to the archives. Although I knew a lot of the range of glass they developed, had not realised that they invented fibreglass, but then abandonned it as no market then could be found for it. The firm also made foghorns, one of which is in th Sandwell store, and might well be incorporated into the project (I suggested it could be operated to announce the opening of the rejuvenated site - though probably everyone within half a mile would hav eto wear earplugs). We were shown a blueprint plan of one commission made to the firm (& recently purchased on e-bay) by a "interplanetary psychic", who did things like investigating hauntings etc, for a lens that could send a light message to Mars ! Needless to say it got no further than the bluepint stage, though, judging by their other successes, I guess it might have done the job well. The exact scheme for the site that will emerge is not yet fixed. It will be a mixture of heritage, teaching and apprenticeships, space for startup companies, and leisure activities. New things are being discovered all the time, a large plan of the position of all the facilities (gas, water electicity etc) was found in some rubbish recently, and an old worker informed them that the bridge over the canal, which connected the remaining site to the site on the opposite bank, contained a tunnel . Heritage England had paid Birmingham university good money to survey all the tunnels, but they had apparently missed out that one !
Whatever is done will have to be started soon. One of the buildings on the canal side is in a very precarious condition , and one has already collapsed. The skip firm that has been occupying part of the site had applied fro a "temporary" extension of 11 years , but the application was met with an enormous number of objections , from all over the world, and was rejected, so will move out in november (though will probably leave their buildings, illegally erected on a listed historical monument). this will enable archeological investigations on that part of the site, whcih include a filled in canal arm . Heritage England were a bit iffy about the suggestion that there might be a canal basin with leisure activities, until they were shown a map showing athe canal arm on that part of the site.
Next week the site is open to viasitors, but all places are now booked up., and it is not clear if their will be further opportunities before rejuvenation , as insurance for these occasions only is being provided by Historic england, and further visits would necessitate individual wavers in case of accident.
Visited Chance factory (what is left of it ) yeaterday. you will see from my photos what a mess iot is at the moment, buy hopefully will be restored to soemthing useful and a monumment to our heritage. We met outside the old chance school, which was by where the original main gate was. The building attached near the camera was originally the headmaster's house, and later became the gatekeeper's house. On it is a war memorial.Following that are photos approaching the factory and then some inside and from the windows. The windows were very dirty, which affected the quality of the inage, though i have tried to tart them up a bit. I took a lot more than are on here, but give a selection.
and again. The site had a very friendly dog there. He belongs to the caretaker , who has an apartment on the ground floor. I say friendly, but that is not true for skip lorries that pass from the firm which is at present on the site (illegally) and is to be forced out (hopefully) in November by an enforcement order. The dog does not like these and barks furiously at them. After the frip round the building, we went on a walk on the canals round the site . You will notice that some of the windows in the outbuildings are bricked in. This was to give extra support to the walls , as it was feared that the weight of glass sheet stored in them would be to much for them to support.
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
I was researching the Elmdon Airport Chance Light Beacon and came across an account by F.W.Cooper who was before 1944, Assistant Works Manager finishing as Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Lighthouse Department.
F. W. Cooper’s description of the firm of Chance Brothers and of himself
F. W. Cooper’s description of the firm of Chance Brothers and of himself
DavidGrain
master brummie
I went on a guided tour of the old Chances Glass factory on Thursday. This was part of this weekends heritage open days. Just derelict buildings but very interesting.
What a daunting project Mike. Hope it all works out for them.
And a very nice clock and tower - first pic post #42.
There's irony in there that a glass factory has some windows blocked up (albeit to prop up the building). Viv
And a very nice clock and tower - first pic post #42.
There's irony in there that a glass factory has some windows blocked up (albeit to prop up the building). Viv
DavidGrain
master brummie
Back in the 1960s I was working for Henry Hope & Sons, metal window manufacturers, in Smethwick. I think we were doing the frames and Chances did the glass for a lighthouse. In a spare part of one of our buildings we constructed the fully assembled top of a lighthouse. I think it was to test it all out before shipping somewhere the other side of the world.
It would be wonderful if the reincarnation of the chance site also included the actual process
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-40887830?SThisFB
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-40887830?SThisFB
Not quite the same place as when I used to visit on business. However, as posted previously, Chance Glass Ltd are still going strong in Malvern, and I supplied them with high temperature-resistant materials for handling hot glass. There is still a market for precision Pyrex tubes and optically-pure components such as medical slides.
One of Chance's major markets was for TV tubes, and a couple of managers set up their own company making the rear connectors for tubes, also in Oldbury. I can't remember the name of this company, even though I supplied them (!), but they no longer exist as cathode-ray tube TV's are a thing of the past. I always liked working in and with the glass industry, and my first 'proper' job was as a technologist at Triplex Safety Glass Co, Kings Norton.
G
One of Chance's major markets was for TV tubes, and a couple of managers set up their own company making the rear connectors for tubes, also in Oldbury. I can't remember the name of this company, even though I supplied them (!), but they no longer exist as cathode-ray tube TV's are a thing of the past. I always liked working in and with the glass industry, and my first 'proper' job was as a technologist at Triplex Safety Glass Co, Kings Norton.
G
Lady Penelope
master brummie
We've just had a few days in Lincolnshire and whilst there visited the aircraft museum at East Kirkby. At the back of one of the hangars was one of Chance's contributions to the war effort.
Attachments
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Lady Penelope
master brummie
Sorry, I took these on my phone and can't get them the right way up. They're fine on my laptop but not when posted on the forum. Frustrating!
Lady Penelope
master brummie
You're welcome Lyn. There's a huge 'antique' village just outside where we were staying. They had several Chance handkerchief vases but quite dear I thought - still looking for another bargain.
