The last remaining factory-scale crystal and glassworks in the country, 50-year-old Dartington Crystal remains at the cutting edge of creative glass, while representing a precious heritage of technique and skill
Over the last 50 years, Dartington Crystal has become a household name, respected and admired for its contemporary yet classic creations. It is also one of north Devon’s most important employers, and that was exactly the goal of its founders back in the mid 1960s. ‘It was originally a social enterprise, started by the Dartington Hall Trust,’ explains Richard Halliday, commercial director at Dartington. ‘They had a record of starting rural, craft-based industries.’ The Trust had already transformed much of south Devon with such initiatives, before turning its efforts to the north of the county, where unemployment was a growing concern.
The Trust called upon one artistic contact to spearhead the project: Frank Thrower. He was a designer working with Portmeirion Pottery, creating glassware for import in Sweden. ‘Frank loved the Scandinavian design style,’ explains Hilary Green, Dartington’s head of design. ‘He wanted to carry on that ethos [in Devon] – simple clean lines, beautiful, functional shapes – because there was nothing like that being made here at the time. The only other British glass then was traditional cut crystal.’
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Denne historien er fra May 2017-utgaven av Homes & Antiques.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Collecting Dioramas MINIATURE WORLDS
From elaborate taxidermy museum displays to humble folk art creations, a diorama can transport us to another time and place
Pride of place LEEDS CREAMWARE
In its heyday the pre-eminent rival to Wedgwood's Queens ware, Leeds creamware is still much revered by collectors for its understated elegance
Bohemian Rhapsody
An exuberant approach to decor, with rooms enveloped in colour and pattern, has brought this historic home merrily into the 21st century...
THE ANTIQUES THAT SHAPED ME Rory Hutton
The accessories designer on his love of silver spoons and Sévres porcelain
European HERITAGE B&Bs
Is there anything more inspiring than staying somewhere that's both beautifully stylish and imbued with history? Rhiannon Batten explores five gems across Europe, from Sweden to Spain...
STAR SALES
A Hitchens painting, a museum-quality teapot and a Parisian chocolate box are all top of the lots
Textile designs by artists
Influential 20th-century fine artists and sculptors, from Picasso to Barbara Hepworth, gained additional status as textile designers until decline set in during the 1970s
Period DRAMA
A painstaking renovation has brought this 1725 former Huguenot silk weaver's house in London's Spitalfields back to life
An artist's RESIDENCE
Rustic details and a restrained palette lend a sense of simplicity to this lovingly restored Friesian bakery
Carefully Curated LIVING
This lovingly restored Gustavian manor has become both home and showroom for its owners, Maria & Jan Åke, who deal in European antiques