Nailsea Glassworks was a glass manufacturing factory in Nailsea in the English county of Somerset. The remaining structures have been designated as a scheduled monument. [1]
The factory making bottle glass and some window glass opened in 1788 and closed in 1873. Little remains of the site, however it was excavated and preserved under sand before a Tesco was built opposite.
The glassworks was established by John Robert Lucas, in 1788 because of the plentiful supply of coal for the furnaces, from Elms colliery and other local mines of the Nailsea Basin and outlier of the Bristol Coalfield. The choice of site may also have been influenced by plans for the Grand Western Canal which was planned to include a branch to Nailsea. Lucas had previously had interests in a brewery and glassworks in Bristol and another at Stanton Wick. The company initially traded as "Nailsea Crown Glass and Glass Bottle Manufacturers". [2] Lucas originally built two "cones": one for window glass and the other to make bottle glass. [3]
Some of the raw materials were sourced locally, including local sand (although this was later shipped in from further away) and lime from Walton in Gordano and Wraxall. Saltcake came from Netham Chemical Works in Bristol while kelp and other seaweeds were brought from Ireland and Wales. These were used in general manufacture and in some experimental work on the production of cylinder glass. [4]
John Hartley of Hartley Wood and Co moved to Nailsea in 1812 and began working with Robert Lucas Chance who was the eldest son of William Chance, one of the partners. [5] In the 1820s a new cone was built which survived until 1905, and in the 1840s the"Lily cone" was added for the production of sheet glass. [1]
By 1835 the works became the fourth-largest of its kind in the United Kingdom, [1] mostly producing low-grade bottle glass by Glassblowing. [6] [7] The products were sent all over the UK and some exported to the West Indies and the United States. [8] Lucas's initial partners were William Coathupe and Henry Pater, although this company was dissolved in 1844 becoming Coathupe and Co. but then declined. [1] In 1855 over 100 men and boys were employed. They were affected by a strike in the neighbouring collieries which stopped production. [9]
In 1870 it was brought by Chance Brothers but problems with coal supply lead to the final closure. [1] In 1871 the works employed 319 people. [10] The works closed down in 1873, but "Nailsea" glass, an example of the "latticino" decorative style, (mostly made by glass workers at the end of their shift in Nailsea and at other glass works) is still sought after by collectors around the world. [3] [1] [6]
Part of the site of the glass works has been covered by a Tesco supermarket car park, leaving it relatively accessible for future archaeological digs. Archeological exploration was undertaken before the construction of the supermarket. [11] Other parts of the site have been cleared and are being filled with a sand like substance to ensure that the remains of the old glass works are preserved. [12] [13] [14] One surviving building, which housed French kilns and gas-fired furnaces, has been converted into a garage premises. [1]
The site was designated as a scheduled monument in 2004. [1] Further preservation work was funded by Nailsea Town Council included planting and landscaping, following the removal of contaminated soil. [15] [16] [12] A green space was eventually built on the site and opened on 30 April 2015 by local business owner John Brown. [17]
Nailsea is a town in Somerset, England, 8 miles (13 km) southwest of Bristol, and 11 miles (18 km) northeast of Weston-super-Mare. The nearest village is Backwell, which lies south of Nailsea on the opposite side of the Bristol to Exeter railway line. Nailsea had a population of 15,630 in the 2011 Census.
Backwell is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset and in 2011 had a population of 4,589. The village lies about 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Bristol, south of the A370 to Weston-super-Mare. The parish includes the hamlets of Backwell Common, Backwell Green and Backwell Farleigh, and the districts of Backwell West Town and Downside.
Flax Bourton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. The parish, with a population of 715, is situated within the unitary authority of North Somerset, on the edge of Nailsea Moor on the A370 road 5 miles (8.0 km) south west of Bristol city centre.
Wraxall is a village in North Somerset, England, about 6 miles (10 km) west of Bristol. Until 1811 the parish of the same name also included Nailsea and Flax Bourton. The village is now within the parish of Wraxall and Failand.
Brockley is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. The parish is within the unitary authority of North Somerset, about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Nailsea, and includes the village of Chelvey. According to the 2011 census it had a population of 277.
Nailsea and Backwell railway station, on the Bristol to Exeter line, is in the village of Backwell, close to the town of Nailsea in North Somerset, England. It is 8 miles (13 km) west of Bristol Temple Meads railway station, and 126 miles (203 km) from London Paddington. The station, opened in 1841 by the Bristol and Exeter Railway, has two platforms but little in the way of facilities. It is managed by Great Western Railway, the seventh company to be responsible for the station, and the third franchise since privatisation in 1997. The company provides all train services at the station, mainly hourly services between Bristol Parkway and Weston-super-Mare, and between Cardiff Central and Taunton.
The North Somerset Levels is a coastal plain, an expanse of low-lying flat ground, which occupies an area between Weston-super-Mare and Bristol in North Somerset, England. The River Banwell, River Kenn, River Yeo and Land Yeo are the three principal rivers draining the area.
Seaton Sluice is a village in Northumberland. It lies on the coast at the mouth of the Seaton Burn, midway between Whitley Bay and Blyth. It has a population of about 3,000 people.
Chance Brothers and Company was a glassworks originally based in Spon Lane, Smethwick, West Midlands, in England. It was a leading glass manufacturer and a pioneer of British glassmaking technology.
Somerset Premier is an English rugby union league which sits at the eighth level of league rugby union in England involving teams based in the county of Somerset as well as some teams based in Bristol. Originally a single division called Gloucestershire/Somerset, in 2000 the division split into two county leagues called Gloucester Premier and Somerset Premier.
Verreville Glassworks was established on the north bank of the River Clyde in the village of Finnieston in 1777. Glass making was discontinued in 1842. The buildings of the works, including the 120 feet high glasshouse cone, were converted into a pottery works which remained in production until 1918.
Nailsea Court in Nailsea, Somerset, England, is an English manor house dating from the 15th century. Pevsner describes the house as "historically highly instructive and interesting" and it is a Grade I listed building.
Robert Lucas Chance, known as Lucas Chance, was an English glass merchant and manufacturer in Birmingham. He founded the company which became Chance Brothers.
Over Langford Manor, also known as The Old Courthouse is a Grade II listed building, in Upper Langford, North Somerset, England.
There are several nature reserves in the surroundings of Nailsea, North Somerset, England, which is located at 51°25′55″N2°45′49″W.
Hartley Wood and Co Ltd were a company of glass manufacturers established in Sunderland, England.
Elms Colliery is a disused coal mine in Nailsea within the English County of Somerset. It has been scheduled as an ancient monument and placed on the Heritage at Risk Register due to the risk of vandalism and further decay.
The Chandos Glass Cone in Bridgwater, in the English county of Somerset, was built in 1725 as a kiln for a glassworks. The remains have been scheduled as an ancient monument.
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