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Chance Brothers

  • Thread starter Thread starter Wendy
  • Start date Start date
Meant to say: I would really like a full page scan if that it possible. I realise the page size is enormous, but I should be able to stitch a multi-part scan together. Many thanks:)
 
Just stumbled across this thread.... I'm fascinated by this place and wouldn't mind a nose round there myself.... is it right that they did the glass for Big Ben and lighthouses and stuff?? When did they finally shut?

I'm going to put a link to your website on my forum as it may be of interest to some of my folks too, is that ok??
 
I don't know if its the same Chance

I transcribed the church records of Christ Church The Quinton and there is a plot of land there that was bought by someone Chance and some of the family are buried there
I have the info if its any help

Jackie
 
Paul,
Sadly it isn't possible to stroll around the old 7-storey building at Spon Lane as it is currently being developed. And the office building where I took those photos has now been demolished!

By all means include a link to my site - always appreciated. Which forum is it that you operate?

Jackie,
I can't be sure about any Chance link to a Quinton Cemetery, but it certainly sounds interesting. I would be most interested in the data, particularly any forenames and dates of the burials.

Funnily enough I had just returned from the Key Hill Cemetery Open Day to find these responses :)
 
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?
 
David E. did you know that there was a Chance book published some time ago, maybe 20 yrs or more? An "in house" job I seem to recall. I gave my copy to someone keen on Smethwick history but may be able to find details if you wish. John.
 
The last book that I am aware of, which was specific to Chance Bros., is Mirror for Chance, but this was published in 1951, so nearly sixty years ago! However, I do already have a copy and it is most informative. Before that, there is the definitive history by J.F. Chance that covered the first century, 1824-1919, with an additional supplement up to 1924. Called A History of the Firm of Chance Brothers & Co. Glass and Alkali Manufacturers this is one book I would love to own: although I do have access to a copy at Smethwick Heritage Centre.

Many thanks anyway – all contributions welcome! :)
 
definitive history by J.F. Chance that covered the first century, 1824-1919, with an additional supplement up to 1924. Called A History of the Firm of Chance Brothers & Co.
That sounds like the one I once had. NB. There is a copy of "Mirror" on ebay at the moment. John.
 
Hopefully I'll get a copy of J F Chance's history, one day. I also noticed the copy on eBay and did let a member of the Chance family know, who also has an interest in such things.
 
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Chance Bros - Smethwick[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Chance Brothers was founded in 1822. There were four large companies in the 19th century that developed a new method of glassmaking. One of these was Chances of Smethwick. Based in Spon Lane in Smethwick they became the main producer of window glass in Britain. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The company also made lenses for lighthouses and optical glasses. Unlike its main rival Pilkington, which is still going strong, Chance Bros closed its doors for the last time in 1981 having seen demand for its products dwindle. This may have been posted before, apologies if it has. Len.
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Thanks for this input, although the date of founding was 1824 (the blue plaque is wrong). The owner of British Crown Glass Co., Thomas Shutt, may have died in 1822, but Robert Lucas Chance did not purchase the works until 1824. This is well documented.

The three main producers of flat glass that I know of were Chance, Pilkington and Hartley, and Chance was probably the main producer until about the 1880s. Certainly by the 20th century, Pilkington were then the largest. But Chance was, without doubt, the most diverse - if it could be made in glass, then Chance would produce it.

There was also a lot more to the closure of Chance, rather than due diminishing sales - much of it was due to the owners: Pilkington since 1952/3.

If you take a look at my web site, this shows just the history of domestic glassware it produced: www.chanceglass.net
 
I collect Chance glass...but find it very difficult to find any ephemera to do with Chance...any help/hints/offers.? Is there such a thing as a Chance Glass swop shop???...to sell /buy or swap pieces?? I would give anything to have the in house Chance book...
from a chance collector who doesn't know of another collector!!
Hanna
 
The first thing you ought to do is visit my web site: www.chanceglass.net and another forum you could join, where there are dozens of Chance collectors, is www.glassmessages.com

I do collect as much ephemera as possible regarding Chance, as I have been researching the company for about five years. My next book will cover the company in depth, to explore the history and technologies it employed. A vast subject considering the company ran from 1824 to 1981 and made anything in glass that could be made in glass!
 
thank you for that...Ihave your first book already...and have glanced at glass messages...but will look at it in more depth....where do you find your ephemera?...Iscout many places but not manyhve even heard of the company!!!
 
Just Looked on the glass messages site...thank you..lots of "chat"and info about chance which is helpful...it's so exciting foinding new snippets....storage of glass is my problem...I like to look at it...not have it in boxes...any suggestions ??
 
A problem that all collectors have, unfortunately, is storage! Never mind, one day there may be a cure...
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With regard to ephemera, I sometimes find it on eBay, but patience is often the only way to obtain the rarer books. Remember you will also have competition from me!
 
How interesting I am sure someone will know. I wonder if he was a sort of security man? What sort of dates were they there?
 
Ethan, if you can provide me with any more details I would be interested to know. I wasn't aware that Chance had a police force, but naturally security would have been an important factor.

Also, if you have any photographs of the works, please let me know.
 
Last Chance said:
Ethan, if you can provide me with any more details I would be interested to know. I wasn't aware that Chance had a police force, but naturally security would have been an important factor.

Also, if you have any photographs of the works, please let me know.
Click to expand...

They sure did have Security,
and here's a photo of some of the 'elite' squad!

dad001.jpg


My father is Albert Law, and he is in the centre.

They manned what I think were the 3 gates,
Spon Lane(Main Entrance)
The Lighthouse Gate, Spon Lane, adjacent to the canal,
and later dwarfed by the motorway,
and the gate in Oldbury Road?.!

The time scale must be mid 60's!
 
Most interesting, but how fortunate that it was taken against that background! This actually dates it to after 1970 (the 'new' geometric logo was designed in 1970), but the patterns on the Chance Fiesta plates indicate it may be late-1970s, perhaps after 1979 if the floral one (middle shelf), under the Panda tray is from the Bouquet range. Was this taken at his retirement, but any 'chance'?

[apologies for the awful, and oft-repeated pun!]
 
Last Chance said:
Most interesting, but how fortunate that it was taken against that background! This actually dates it to after 1970 (the 'new' geometric logo was designed in 1970), but the patterns on the Chance Fiesta plates indicate it may be late-1970s, perhaps after 1979 if the floral one (middle shelf), under the Panda tray is from the Bouquet range. Was this taken at his retirement, but any 'chance'?

[apologies for the awful, and oft-repeated pun!]
Click to expand...

I also thought having that background would be a bonus to you.
Yes, it was at his retirement, and I would be incorrect about the date.
If my father retired at 65, then it would place it about 1970-1973!
 
I cannot be certain about these dates,
as I also seem to think they stayed on after retirement age!!
So as you said it could be later.
 
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