Lighthouse Production

Image: Chance Brothers Lighthouse Work: Interior Views of Shops. Typical Illustrations of the Lighthouse Work of Chance Brothers and Co. Limited Birmingham (1919).

Image from: Local Studies and History, Birmingham Central Library

The part that Chance Brothers played in the production and development of lighthouse lenses and machinery elevated the company into the status of world leader in glass. The man behind this accomplishment was James Timmins Chance. The complexity of manufacturing, assembling and positioning lenses to produce the light beams required skills needed across a spectrum of subjects, including mathematics, geometry, mechanics and science. James acknowledged: “the resources of physical, mathematical and mechanical science alike are taxed in the production of these beautiful instruments.”