Books

Tuesday, 11 October 2016

Nazeing Glass

During a visit to the UK I went to the Nazeing Glassworks just north of London and met their Managing Director, Stephen Pollock-Hill.




This is a green Nazeing posy vase belonging to my friend Anne. Isn't it a beauty.

Nazeing has a fascinating history, which you can read about at
http://www.glassencyclopedia.com/Nazeingglass.html

The company remains profitable whilst most of their competitors have closed.

In 2008 Nazeing supplied over 1,100 magnifying lenses to China to light the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games.

Around 1900 the Kempton's (who later founded Nazeing Glass) were recruiting day labourers to their glassworks in Vauxhall.

A thin, weak-looking out-of-work actor took the job.
He found the heat and physical effort too much for him
When he fainted he was thrown outside on a sand pile to recover.
He never returned to the glassworks, not even to collect his pay.
The story is told in his autobiography. His name - Charlie Chaplin