Collecting Whitefriars Glass

Collecting Whitefriars Glass is fast becoming one of the most popular areas of glass collecting...

Owned by James Powell & Sons from 1834, the Whitefriars glassworks (later Whitefriars Glass Limited), produced glass of the highest quality until the business closed in 1980.

In 1834, James Powell, a successful London wine merchant, bought the Whitefriars Glassworks.

His grandson Harry Powell played a major role during the nineteenth century and the early part of the twentieth century, when the company made very high quality art glass on a par with the output of Loetz in Europe and Tiffany in the USA.

Whitefriars exhibited at the major international exhibitions and won many awards.

They made fine quality historismus glass and they were part of the avant garde of the Arts and Crafts movement.

They manufactured beautiful art nouveau glass pieces, and when Venetian glass was all the rage in London, James Powell and Sons were producing some of the finest reproduction Venetian glass in the world.

At the start of the 20th century the Whitefriars factory was between Fleet Street and the River Thames.

In 1923, a new factory was opened in Wealdstone near Harrow, northwest London. The new furnaces were lit using the flame from one of the old works furnaces. The flame had been carefully carried across London in a brazier. The company also had showrooms on Wigmore Street, and this attracted customers from both the domestic and window glass markets.

In spite of there long tradition of producing very fine art glass, the Whitefriars Glassworks is best known for its industrial art glass, which was made from the 1920's onwards and after Harry Powell had retired.

Geoffrey Baxter was one of the many well-known glass designers who worked at Whitefriars. He joined the factory in 1954 after graduating from the Royal College of Art. Baxter had a great influence on Whitefriars table and domestic glass designs.

In the 1960s, baxter began to experiment with a new moulded glass.

In 1963, the company changed its name to Whitefriars Glass Limited.

In 1967, they introduced the Textured range. The pieces were made in moulds using tree bark, nails, wire and other materials to produce alternative textures to the glass.

Whitefriars or Powell glass is normally marked with a paper label, but these have often been lost over the years.

However, most of the later designs and colours are so distinctive that it is easy to identify post-1930 Powell glass.

In 1980, high interest rates, high fuel costs and a recession all played their part in the closure of the Whitefriars factory

However Whitefriars continued to design and produce high quality glass right to the end, but their sales were never enough to cover their costs and the company was placed in receivership, made bankrupt, and closed down.

Fortunately, the company records and numerous pieces of glassware were given to the Museum of London.

Examples of Antique Whitefriars Glass (click image to enlarge)

If you're looking to add to your Whitefriars glass collection, why not have a flick through our Whitefriars Glass for sale section.