Image: Photo taken before demolition of number 4 Glasshouse on the north side of the works. The warehouse accommodation for number 4 Rolled Plate tank was built in 1946 on the site. The building shown was constructed in 1834 and is the truncated cone belonging to number 4 pot furnace which was built for making Crown window glass. It was later used for various types of sheet glass making which ceased in this house in mid 1920. The photo shows the outside of a typical glasshouse as constructed at Chance Brothers in the nineteenth century and different to the “English cone” type.

Image from: Chance Brothers Glassworks, Smethwick Slides. Broadfield House Glass Museum, Kingswinford, Dudley (Slide and Transcript no 37 by Arthur Reeves).

Image: The photo was probably taken in 1945 just before demolition commenced, and is the view from the upper window of the Old Hall. It shows a general view of “the plain” with railway trucks filled with cullet. Chimneys: left to right: number 10, south side boilers, number 5, number 22 and 23 (one chimney). The tall building half right is the Extra White warehouse and the lower building on the right was originally constructed in the 19^th century to house the machines for grinding and polishing “patent plate” glass.

Image from: Chance Brothers Glassworks, Smethwick Slides. Broadfield House Glass Museum, Kingswinford, Dudley (Slide and Transcript no 36 by Arthur Reeves).

Image: Photo taken during 1945/1946 demolition and from the other side of the coal feeding hopper shown on photo 34 and facing in the opposite direction. Photo shows the temporary raw gas flue from the number 10 gas producer to number 5 and 22 furnaces.

Image from: Chance Brothers Glassworks, Smethwick Slides. Broadfield House Glass Museum, Kingswinford, Dudley (Slide and Transcript no 35 by Arthur Reeves).

Image: Photo taken during the 1945-1946 demolition of part of the south side of the works. This is a foreshortening of number 24 (photo 31) with extra demolition shown. Note the coal feeding hopper of a gas producer (8 feet inside diameter) which fed raw gas to number 5 furnace.

Image from: Chance Brothers Glassworks, Smethwick Slides. Broadfield House Glass Museum, Kingswinford, Dudley (Slide and Transcript no 34 by Arthur Reeves).

Image: Photo taken from “the plain” just before 1945-1946 demolition and looking towards the road shown on number 25 (photo 32). The buildings on the right were demolished but on the left continued making “Hysil” glass in the glasshouse known as number 11 house. These were not demolished in 1945-1946.

Image from: Chance Brothers Glassworks, Smethwick Slides. Broadfield House Glass Museum, Kingswinford, Dudley (Slide and Transcript no 33 by Arthur Reeves).

Image: Photo taken during the 1945-1946 demolition of part of the south side of the works. In the far centre of the picture can be seen “the plain” from which position number 23 (photo 30) was taken looking in the direction at the spot from which this picture is taken. The buildings on the left are number 10 Rolled Plate Warehouses, and those on the right are the Globe Department. The road runs from “the plain” towards the camera and beyond to number 1 Rolled Plate Department, which was not demolished. Also see number 26 (photo 33) for the other end of this road which is “the plain”.

Image from: Chance Brothers Glassworks, Smethwick Slides. Broadfield House Glass Museum, Kingswinford, Dudley (Slide and Transcript no 32 by Arthur Reeves).

Image: Photo taken during the 1945-1946 demolition. It shows the back side of number 6 glasshouse, ie the opposite side to number 23 (photo no 30). Note the disused railway lines and the slope in the middle of the picture which led to the ashing areas of the raw gas producers.

Image from: Chance Brothers Glassworks, Smethwick Slides. Broadfield House Glass Museum, Kingswinford, Dudley (Slide and Transcript no 31 by Arthur Reeves).

Image: Photo taken from the works “plain” during the 1945-1946 demolition. The old number 6 glasshouse occupies most of the picture. These buildings contained pot arches, a pot melting furnace, a flattening lehr and usually made extra white “spectacle” glass. In about 1918 the roof was destroyed by fire and the buildings were never used again for glassmaking. On the right can be seen the extra white warehouse comprising three storeys.

Image from: Chance Brothers Glassworks, Smethwick Slides. Broadfield House Glass Museum, Kingswinford, Dudley (Slide and Transcript no 30 by Arthur Reeves).

Image: Photo taken during the 1945-1946 demolition of number 10 glasshouse. It shows two of the pillars supporting the cone. The runner rails for carrying the ladle of molten glass to the rolling machines are shown. The pillars supporting the cone had to be stabilised by buckstaves owing to bulging.

Image from: Chance Brothers Glassworks, Smethwick Slides. Broadfield House Glass Museum, Kingswinford, Dudley (Slide and Transcript no 29 by Arthur Reeves).

Image: Photo taken during demolition of number 10 glasshouse in 1945-1946 on the south side of the works. Also see photos 17 and 18. It shows the glassmaking areas around the base of the cone, which was constructed in 1852-1854. Note the construction of walls and openings. Compare with numbers 13 and 14 of the exhibition, photos numbers 17 and 18.

Image from: Chance Brothers Glassworks, Smethwick Slides. Broadfield House Glass Museum, Kingswinford, Dudley (Slide and Transcript no 28 by Arthur Reeves).

Image: Photo taken during 1945-1946 of the demolition of number 12 glasshouse cone. It provides a view of the partially demolished cone from the inside. The cone was originally built in 1852-1854.

Image from: Chance Brothers Glassworks, Smethwick Slides. Broadfield House Glass Museum, Kingswinford, Dudley (Slide and Transcript no 27 by Arthur Reeves).

Image: Photo taken during the demolition in 1945-1946 of number 12 glasshouse. Note the inside of the cone with supporting pillars and the arches carrying the walls and cone. Under this cone was constructed the original coal fired furnace. The last furnace, built under the cone was in about 1928. It was a regenerative raw producer gas fired furnace and made Vita sheet glass.

Image from: Chance Brothers Glassworks, Smethwick Slides. Broadfield House Glass Museum, Kingswinford, Dudley (Slide and Transcript no 26 by Arthur Reeves).

Image: Photo taken during the demolition in 1945-1946 of numbers 3, 8 and 12 glasshouses. This slide to be used in conjunction with slides 7 and 8, and shows the rectangular chimney of the Crown Glass Glory Hole. This image should be compared with numbers 6 and 7 of the exhibition – slides numbers 7 and 8.

Image from: Chance Brothers Glassworks, Smethwick Slides. Broadfield House Glass Museum, Kingswinford, Dudley (Slide and Transcript no 25 by Arthur Reeves).

Image: Photo taken during demolition in 1945-1946 of numbers 3, 8 and 12 glasshouses. It shows the partially demolished cone of number 12 glasshouse which was built in 1852-1854. It does not have the same construction design as the “Wordsley” cone. The original coal fired furnace was immediately beneath the cone. The glassmakers working away from the cone did not contract the bad effects of dust and smuts as under the “Wordsley” cone. This was the last cone built at Chance Brothers.

Image from: Chance Brothers Glassworks, Smethwick Slides. Broadfield House Glass Museum, Kingswinford, Dudley (Slide and Transcript no 24 by Arthur Reeves).

Image: Photo taken during demolition in 1945/1946 of numbers 3, 8 and 12 glasshouses. Note the construction of pillars, arches, walls and roof. The Pressed Department, including the packing and sorting buildings were constructed on this site in 1946.

Image from: Chance Brothers Glassworks, Smethwick Slides. Broadfield House Glass Museum, Kingswinford, Dudley (Slide and Transcript no 23 by Arthur Reeves).

Image: Photo taken during demolition in 1945-1946 of numbers 3, 8 and 12 glasshouses on the south side of the works. It shows the type of construction of a glasshouse during 1852-1854. All dividing walls and roofs are supported by a series of pillars and arches.

Image from: Chance Brothers Glassworks, Smethwick Slides. Broadfield House Glass Museum, Kingswinford, Dudley (Slide and Transcript no 22 by Arthur Reeves).

Image: Photo taken during the 1945-1946 demolition. The furnace under No 10 Cone was originally built for making sheet window glass, but later turned over to making Rolled Plate manufacture. Note particularly the pillars and arches supporting the cone. It was built in 1852-1854.

Image from: Chance Brothers Glassworks, Smethwick Slides. Broadfield House Glass Museum, Kingswinford, Dudley (Slide and Transcript no 18 by Arthur Reeves).

Image: Photo taken during 1945-1946 demolition. Number 10 House cone was originally built 1852-1854. The cone housed a four open-pot furnaces, each pot held three and a quarter tons of glass for making coloured patterned Rolled Plate glasses. Note that the construction of the cone is somewhat different to the “English” cone at the Red House at Wordsley. The difference in design is to get the space for swing holes and to avoid glassmaking under the cone.

Image from: Chance Brothers Glassworks, Smethwick Slides. Broadfield House Glass Museum, Kingswinford, Dudley (Slide and Transcript no 17 by Arthur Reeves).

Image: Photo taken mid 1950’s. It showsmasons working on the bankers, shaping refractories by hand tools. Note the Tangye coke stove for heating the shop.

Image from: Chance Brothers Glassworks, Smethwick Slides. Broadfield House Glass Museum, Kingswinford, Dudley (Slide and Transcript no 16).

Image: Photo taken about 1940. Testing “Radar” or “Cathode Ray” tubes in the Globe Department.

Image from: Chance Brothers Glassworks, Smethwick Slides. Broadfield House Glass Museum, Kingswinford, Dudley (Slide and Transcript no 14 by Arthur Reeves).

Image: The Glass and Lighthouse Works at Smethwick in the early 20th century. Glass cones can be seen at various locations across the site. Chance Brothers & Co., Limited, 100 Years of British Glass Making 1824-1924 (Smethwick and Glasgow, Chance Brothers & Co., 1924).

Following images from: Broadfield House Glass Museum, Kingswinford, Dudley, West Midlands

Summary:

These photographs were taken by Arthur Reeves, a former employee of Chance Brothers Smethwick in the 1940s. They were digitised from 30 slides which Mr Reeves deposited at Broadfield House Glass Museum, Kingswinford, Dudley in the West Midlands during 1984. Mr Reeves provided descriptions to accompany the images which are included in this exhibition with minor alterations. Most of the images show glass houses, furnaces and other factory equipment at the factory dating from the mid 19th century. Demolition in the 1940s provided a record of their internal construction and the industrial processes they housed to make crown glass, plate glass and optical glass.

Chance Brothers was founded in 1824 in Spon Lane, Smethwick. During the 19th century it became one of the most important glassworks in Britain. It manufactured sheet glass, including the panes for the Crystal Palace of 1851, window glass in different colours and optical glass including the lenses for lighthouses. Chances pioneered new ways of making glass and many of the images provide evidence of innovative practices. One 20th century example shows the welding of a cathode ray tube used for radar detection (number 9). Fire was a constant hazard and Chances created a fire brigade at the works in 1848 (number 4).