Pirelli Glass was well-known for creating light-hearted lampwork glass animals of all styles and sizes.
The designs have been lauded for being imaginative, humorous and extremely collectable.
Pirelli additionally made the Guinness glass animals, with pints of Guinness on their backs. Probably the most well-known one was the glass Ostrich that had swallowed its pint of Guinness. It may be seen within the unique Guinness commercial.
At first, they have been making the glass animals themselves. The primary glassworkers have been William Michael Dunlop, Edward H C Maugham and Edward Robbins in 1948, with William listed as a glassmaker, jig and sample maker.
Based mostly in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire the corporate was based in 1945 by Robert George Dunlop, who glided by the identify George.
The plan was to make glass giftware and lampwork animals, however they later switched to being resellers solely
Dunlop had educated as a scientific glassmaker and began Pirelli along with his spouse, son and John Henry Hollingdale.
Pirelli Glass was a subsidiary of Glass Industries Ltd and Hertford China, of which Hollingdale and Dunlop have been additionally administrators. One other director was Charles Caplin.
In response to firm paperwork, there was an entire internet of interweaving corporations. It seems that these have been used to lift cash by enterprise financial institution loans and mortgages. The complexity of the overlapping corporations enabled Dunlop and Hollingdale to govern the figures which was a standard apply amongst English corporations.
Oakmere Glass Restricted was an entirely owned subsidiary of Pirelli Glass and was the only agent of Babycham Glasses. The glasses have been embellished at Nazeing Glass in Essex and Vasart Glass in Scotland.
Firm actions have been listed as“the manufacture and distribution of glassware, pottery and fancy items” however the firm’s paperwork was filled with holes and omissions so it’s laborious to inform precisely what was happening.
In 1949, Dunlop made contact with Ysart Glass as he wished to be a reseller of their lovely glass paperweights. He additionally wished to fee the corporate to make glass giftware items for Pirelli Glass to promote.
It was George who helped Vincent Ysart arrange Vasart Glass Restricted along with his father Salvador and brother Augustin. The three of them had left Moncrieff to arrange Ysart Brothers Glass, which traded as Vasart Glass. Salvador’s son Paul remained at Moncrieff.
By the mid-fifties, with Salvador and Augustin having handed, Vincent started to lose coronary heart in Vasart Glass, which was struggling to make ends meet.
George would journey as much as Scotland in his Lanchester Limousine to gather Vasart paperweights and vases. Typically, issues have been so dangerous for Vincent that the “well-heeled” George must write a cheque for the glassworkers’ wages to maintain the agency afloat.
You’ll be able to learn extra in regards to the early historical past of Yart Glass right here
In 1956, George stepped in as associate and the normal Vasart Glass acid-etched signatures have been changed with paper labels. A silver and black paper label was placed on some Vasart items that mentioned ‘Pirelli Glass Hand Made in Scotland.’
George and J H Hollingdale arrange an organization in Scotland with George’s son Brian, Graham R Wurzel and Charles Caplin referred to as Pirelli Glass (Scotland) Restricted nevertheless it was by no means used and was struck off the corporate register in 1979.
In a single specific half-page advert within the Pottery Gazette and Glass Commerce Evaluation, Vincent might be seen engaged on a vase and Pirelli Glass is talked about in the identical advert, in addition to a London showroom at Dorann Home, 37 Sloane Road, London SW. Subsequently, it’s clear that there was a number of monetary crossover between the 2 corporations.
Dunlop was additionally related with Strathearn Glass and maybe was managing director in 1977
One of many designers at Monart Glass, Isobel Moncrieff (who married John) was nee Dunlop, however undecided if there’s a connection there. If anybody is aware of extra info, please e-mail me particulars so I can replace the article.
When Pirelli Glass wound up in 1983 and went into liquidation in 1985. The delay within the liquidation course of was due to objections raised by a number of the collectors. The enterprise was listed as glass and china wholesalers and retailers, by the liquidators. It had been going for 40 years.
Sources:
https://glassencyclopedia.com/pirelliglass.html
https://www.ysartglass.com
https://glasszoo.information/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Marianne_Isobel_Moncrieff
Additional Studying
Pirelli Glass: E-book 2 by Angela M Bowey and Bob Martin – BUY IT HERE
London Lampworkers: Pirelli, Bimini and Komaromy Glass: E-book 1 by Angela M Bowey, Bob Martin,, Christine Burley and Raymond Berger. – BUY IT HERE
