We have recently been offered a rare opportunity to pick pieces of glass from a private collection which, we were pleased to find, included items of Chance made glass.
Chance Brothers and Company were a leading glass manufacturer from the West Midlands and a pioneer of British glassmaking technology,
The new items to join our collection include a glass blower's torch, a cast iron mould for the production of handkerchief vases, a glass syringe complete in box, a World War Two Waverley pattern glass vase, a blue glass "Winged" ashtray designed by Robert Godden and glass ornament styled as a swan.
The Swan ornament, pictured here, is one example of an 'end of day' glass, which ordinarily would have been produced by the men at the end of their working shift. It was traditional for the surplus glass to be used by the workers to show off their skills.
This opportunity would not have been possible without the support and funding from the Friends of Black Country Museum.
Find out more about our Collections
