Vauxhall glassworks was a

plate glass Plate glass, flat glass or sheet glass is a type of glass, initially produced in plane form, commonly used for windows, glass doors, transparent walls, and windscreens. For modern architectural and automotive applications, the flat glass is ...

factory off what is now the Albert Embankment in the

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...

area of Lambeth, London, just to the north of

Vauxhall Gardens Vauxhall Gardens is a public park in Kennington in the London Borough of Lambeth, England, on the south bank of the River Thames. Originally known as New Spring Gardens, it is believed to have opened before the Restoration of 1660, being ...

. The site is now commemorated in the name of Glasshouse Walk. The Vauxhall site had a history of

glassmaking Glass production involves two main methods – the float glass process that produces sheet glass, and glassblowing that produces bottles and other containers. It has been done in a variety of ways during the history of glass. Glass container ...

dating back to 1612 when Sir Edward Zouche started a glass works there which was later taken over by Sir

Robert Mansell Sir Robert Mansell (1573–1656) was an admiral of the English Royal Navy and a Member of Parliament (MP), mostly for Welsh constituencies. His name was sometimes given as Sir Robert Mansfield and Sir Robert Maunsell. Early life Mansel was a ...

, the Lord High Admiral, who in 1615 obtained a monopoly on the manufacture of glass in England. Soon after the 1660 Restoration of the Monarchy

George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, 20th Baron de Ros, (30 January 1628 – 16 April 1687) was an English statesman and poet. Life Early life George was the son of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, favourite of James I a ...

acquired the works and established a factory there with the help of John Bellingham to make blown plate-glass, recruiting a team of Venetian glassmakers to help establish the process. Although unable to acquire the same monopoly rights as Mansell, whose had lapsed during the Protectorate, he nevertheless, by using his influence at court to secure a ban on the importation of much specialised glass, achieved a near total control over the supply of plate glass in England. The process involved blowing a glass cylinder, slitting it lengthwise, and allowing it to open to a flat sheet in an oven. It was then ground and polished to achieve a thin sheet with a flat surface. In later years the blowing process was superseded by the

casting process Casting is a manufacturing process in which a liquid material is usually poured into a Mold (manufacturing), mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to solidify. The solidified part is also known as a ''castin ...

. Most of his glass plate, up to 1 metre in size, was used for the manufacture of mirrors and coach windows and was eventually of better quality that could be imported. Around 1680 they were joined by George Ravenscroft, inventor of the more durable lead crystal glass, who worked there until his death in 1683. In 1678 Buckingham was accused of traitorous activity, locked up in the Tower of London and deprived of his patents. He handed the glassworks over to John Dawson, who had started there as an apprentice and worked his way up to become the manager. Dawson went into partnership with glassmaker John Bowles to operate the business and the new company, known as Dawson, Bowles & Company, was owned and run by the two families until it closed in the late 1780s.

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=April 2017 Glassmaking companies of England