I suppose the beginning would be a good place to start, but where exactly is that? Perhaps the most commonly thought of Whitefriars Soda Glass ranges are those designed in the early sixties and launched at the 1962 Blackpool Trade Fair. There were three colours, Amethyst, Midnight Blue & Shadow Green and around 16 unique shapes. However, some of these shapes had originally been made in the late fifties in Twilight, Sea Green, Golden Amber, Flint, Sapphire Blue & Ruby, and others were derived from lighting designs, so the exact origin of the "Soda Range" is unclear. Some of the patterns were later modified to form jugs, domestic items appeared as well as the more decorative, new colours were introduced, and some styles were produced in both pure Soda and cased Crystal. As you can see the subject is as wide as it is long, and in total, production of this type of glass was continuous from the late 50's until the 1980 closure of the factory.
Being an avid collector I am always looking for new information, and interesting facts and items in this range, and would welcome your comments, questions, photos and any further insight. There is an email link at the bottom of this page.
The light-weight soda glass used in these pieces is very prone to scratching, yet the delicate nature lends itself to their form as fine decorative pieces.
This trio in Amethyst are from left to right, patterns 9591, 9474 & 9593, all sporting factory labels dating them to no later than 1963.
Over the coming weeks I will try to include more detail about patterns, colours and production.
~(:-).
Being an avid collector I am always looking for new information, and interesting facts and items in this range, and would welcome your comments, questions, photos and any further insight. There is an email link at the bottom of this page.
