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Bramham 'Venetian' Glass Light Works - Introduction

1. The Stables off The Square , now demolished, used as the factory

2. & 3. Pictures of the factory workers

4. - 13. Some of the light fittings made

14. Mrs. Greenhead examining finished lights.

15. Alex Alexander and to his left his wife Molly, taken in the late 1940's. The other lady in the photograph is unknown but possibly Mrs Greenhead.

16. Picture of the village square with the glass factory to the side of the Bay Horse pub.

17. - 19. The current site of the old stables, suffering from a botched attempt to build a home there. An embarrassment to the village.

Behind the Bay Horse Hotel in the square were stables, now demolished, in the late 40's and early 50's they housed a glassworks called `Venetian Lights' owned by Mr Alexander. Pink and amber glass shades made in Barnsley had copper welding and electrical works fitted there. The stables were pulled down in the mid 1950's.

Very little more was known about Mr. Alexander and his glass works until in March of 2016, Mr Stuart Alexander, son of the factory owner, found this website and kindly provided further information and pictures.

" His name was Herbert Samuel but was known as Alex (not surprisingly).  He was one of 11 children.
His father was William Francis Alexander who was a skipper with Hellyer’s Fishing Co, sailing on trawlers out of hull.  He was one of the skippers on the Viola before it was sold to a Scandinavian Company.  The vessel finished up on a beach in South Georgia and was being targeted by Argentian scrap dealers leading to RM involvement and ultimately to the Falklands war.

My father had several trips as a teenager on a trawler but decided that life wasn’t for him.  He also worked for Ellam’s Duplicaters and was the Sales Manager for them in Canada.  This was in the 1930’s.

My father’s background was as an aircraft fitter.  He served an apprenticeship in sheet metalwork within the aircraft industry.  I haven’t researched it yet but from what I remember he mentioned that he worked at the Blackburn factory before and during the war.  I know he was refused enlistment due to the fact that he was in a reserved occupation.  Believe that factory was in Brough, which is where my Mother came from so it sounds likely.  I am not sure why he set up in Bramham, we lived in Wetherby, but whether he moved there before or after he started the Company I don’t know.  I would guess that he moved to Wetherby first and then looked for the nearest suitable premises to start his business.

As regards the glass blowing, the lantern frame had to be made first and chemically treated – electro-plated.   The glass was then blown in so that it protruded slightly through the scrolls and rings in the lantern frame.  The glass had to be a uniform thickness throughout, otherwise it was prone to cracking when handled or installed.  The quality of the glass was vital to the finished product.  On return from the glassworks, the lantern (including the glass) was immersed in acid which caused a chemical reaction with the electro plating, turning the metal a matt black and inhibiting rust.

I believe my father moved his factory to Exmouth around 1957 because of my health.  Prior to his moving there, the authorities in Devon assured him that the glass could be ‘blown’ into the lantern frames as it was done in Yorkshire.   Unfortunately after he moved he discovered that this process could not be done properly in Devon due to a lack of suitable glass-blowing skills.   The range of lighting fittings that were made in Bramham ceased shortly after the move to Devon as a result of this.  He subsequently produced a completely new range of lanterns using hammered pattern glass sheets.  He sold the company and retired in the late 1970’s  when he was in his mid 70’s and passed away on the Isle of Wight in 1990.

We have a lighting fitting and a vase in our loft which have never been used.  They were prototypes for a new range designed around the time of the move to Devon, but they never went into production.  I guess they must be unique.  I am not aware of any of his lamps still in use but I suppose it is still possible.  Most of the lights went to retailers in Yorkshire and the Midlands and I certainly haven’t seen any in use in southern England.  I have done web searches for the company and lanterns, but apart from your site have had no success.   

It is quite likely that my father did know Robert Blackburn.  I was given some toys (train set and building set) which I was told came from a big house whose children had grown out of them.  From the extent and quality of the toys they must have cost a lot of money when new. "

Note :- Robert Blackburn lived in Bowcliffe Hall in Bramham and owned the Blackburn aircraft works at Brough, so it's very likely that he knew Alex Alexander and maybe had some influence in the siting of the glass factory in Bramham.