Information on the History of Waterford Glass
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Collated by nobleantiquegifts.com Information on the history of Waterford Glass Sources: Waterford Glass.com and the Irish Times Year Event 1783 George and William Penrose launched ‘Waterford Glass Works’ just outside Waterford City, Ireland on 3 October 1783, after securing financial aid of £10,000 from the British Parliament Neither of the Penrose Brothers were experts in glass but they gathered 50 – 70 of the best crafts people When first produced, the finish on the glass was frosted, rather than polished as we know it today 1785 John Hill “a great glass manufacturer of Stourbridge” came to work at the factory. He was a skilled compounder and knew the secret of mixing the glass materials to get the best results. John Hill decided to polish the glass 1788 John had a disagreement with the Penrose Brothers after he was falsely accused of something and he decided to leave the factory Before he left, he passed on the compounding formula to an existing employee called Jonathan Gatchell The falling out did not affect the success of the factory and in the Dublin Chronicle 21 August 1788 it reported “a very curious service of glass has been sent over from Waterford to Milford for their Majesties’ use, and by their orders forwarded to Cheltenham, where it has been much admired and does much credit to the manufacture of this country” 1796 - In 1796, William Penrose died and by 1797 the business was up for sale 1809 In 1799, James Ramsey, Ambrose Barcroft and Jonathan Gatchell took over. It was Jonathan Gatchell’s skill as a compounder that created his partnership opportunity. The business 1810 - A number of factors co-incided to bring great change to the factory: 1835 In 1810, James Ramsey died and the partnership of 1799 was dissolved Jonathan Gatchell then became the sole proprietor for the next 13 years During his tenure, he had some tough business challenges to overcome, in particular 1811 export tax duties imposed on flint glass made in Ireland Gatchell was one of the great influencers of Waterford Glass up until his death in 1823 From 1823-1835, while Gatchell’s children were growing up, a series of partnerships kept the business afloat New innovation including a steam engine to drive the cutting wheels helped bring efficiency and cost savings However, in 1825 more excise taxes were imposed on glass manufacturers, which had a devastating effect on the business* In 1835, Jonathan Gatchell’s son George took over the business and made an existing experienced employee George Saunders a partner In 1835 and 1836, they won Silver Medals at the RDS Exhibitions in Dublin 1850 George Saunders stepped back from the business and George Gatchell went on alone The business struggled under the tax duties and high wage bill George Gatchell still tried to exhibit and won Silver at the Great Exhibition of London in 1851 * In 1825 Ireland had 11 glass factories, in 1833 it had seven, and in 1852 it had only two: one in Belfast and one in Dublin. In 1851 the Waterford glass factory had closed. In the previous decade overall employment in the making of pottery and glass in Ireland had fallen by 45 per cent. (Fintan O’Toole, Irish Times) 1 Collated by nobleantiquegifts.com Year Event 1851 The high costs of running the business made it untenable and production ceased The skilled workers went to a glassworks in Belfast until that too closed in 1896 1896 Production of flint glass in its entirety ceased in Ireland in 1896. The Pughs of Dublin were the last to produce it And thus ended one of the great eras of Waterford Glass 1947 The modern day Waterford Glass factory was founded by Charles Bacik from Czechoslovakia He was born in Nová Říše near Prague in 1910, 100 years after James Ramsey died He was an expert in glass manufacturing and owned 4 factories He had met an Irish gift shop owner, Bernard J Fitzpatrick, while still in Czechoslovakia After WWII and as his factories were being taken over by the Communist regime he contacted Fitzpatrick to ask about coming to Ireland with a view to setting up a factory He got £15,000 together and approached Waterford Corporation and local City Council to buy a site in Ballytruckle (1.5 miles Away from the original site) The first sod was turned for the new factory on 3 April, 1947 Bacik went to Europe and brought over skilled crafts people, including Miroslav Havel, a blower from one of his overseas factories. Havel became the chief designer and creator of the Lismore collection, the most popular pattern ever made by Waterford 1949 Within 2 years the factory was insolvent because the processes behind the glass cutting was just too expensive, even though they had been importing cheap glass and cutting it on site 1950s The Irish Glass Bottle Company took over but Bacik stayed on as an employee and Board member Joe McGrath became the Chairman and Joseph Griffin the Managing Director The factory moved to a larger site in 1951 with newer and better furnaces 1955 saw the first profits recorded By 1958, a decision was taken to end ties with the New York Agent and sell direct to the stores instead 1960s Waterford Glass was in very high demand and the factory enjoyed booming success As a result, the company went public in 1966 1970s The boom continued through the 1970s and it was a sign of great prestige to own a large piece of Waterford Glass, such as a large bowl or Vase A new factory in Kilbarry was built in 1973 – one of the largest of its kind in the world at 10 acres / 425,000 feet A new factory in Dungarvan was also started The oil crisis of 1973/1974 impacted costs at the factory and once it was over, a new factory specialising in lighting was planned Charles Bacik retired formally in 1974 but stayed on as a member of the Board He officially retired in 1984 1980s The business took advantage of computerisation to bring in new innovation aimed at improving the accuracy of the mixing Natural gas replaced oil, saving £2million in oil bills Diamond wheel cutting was introduced delivering more cost savings and enabling production of more intricate patterns In 1986, Waterford Glass acquired Wedgewood, the North Staffordshire pottery company in England. Wedgewood had been producing bone china since 1759 and was strong in markets where Waterford Glass needed to develop In the late 1980s, the factories were hit due to a financial crisis, the resulting dramatic fall in the £/$, reduced demand and inflation 1990s Charles Bacik, a key influencer and contributor to the success of the Waterford Glass brand died at Rathmore House, Fiddown, Co. Kilkenny in 1991 The factory was reeling from the recent financial crisis but a cash injection from new investors turned the situation around 2 Collated by nobleantiquegifts.com Year Event 1990s The Marquis range was launched in 1991, including stemware and hollowware pieces, and cont’d was hugely successful Further innovation and technology enhanced the manufacturing processes and Waterford Crystal was able to produce many new products from different factories throughout Europe, all to the same exacting standards Waterford Wedgewood enlisted celebrities to promote their brands One of Waterford Crystal’s greatest promotions to date was the Times Square New Year’s Eve Millennium Ball – an estimated 1.2 billion people tuned in as the six-foot diametric crystal ball was lowered down the pole during the New York year 2000 countdown 2000s During the difficult financial crisis in 2008, the Waterford Wedgwood Group and associated companies were unable to secure additional financial revenue to maintain the operation of their global business On 30 January 2009, it was announced that Waterford Crystal was in receivership KPS Capital, a US based equity firm purchased some overseas assets and businesses of the Waterford Wedgwood Group In January 2010 WWRD Group Holdings Limited (owners of the Waterford Crystal, Wedgwood and Royal Doulton brands) announced that it had signed an agreement with Waterford City Council to open a new Waterford Crystal manufacturing facility and retail outlet in the very heart of Waterford The new Waterford Crystal manufacturing facility melts down more than 750 tonnes of crystal and produces more than 45,000 pieces each year using traditional methods Since its opening in June 2010, over one million people have visited the Retail Store and enjoyed guided factory tours of the manufacturing processes 2015 In July 2015, Fiskars Corporation (Fiskars), a leading global supplier of consumer products for the home, garden and outdoors, acquired the WWRD group of companies including Waterford, Wedgwood, Royal Doulton, Royal Albert and Rogaška. With such iconic brands in its care, Fiskars continues to lead the way in the luxury and premium home and lifestyle products market, specialising in tabletop, giftware and interior décor From small beginnings, and thanks to the vision of numerous talented and hardworking individuals along the way, Waterford Crystal dazzles around the world into the 21st century. 3 .