What you will see here is the day's production: the vases, bottles and bowls that will stand on the shelves behind you within a week. A demonstration takes you on the whole journey behind the blowing of a single piece of glass, from the first gather to the finished form.
THE FIRE THAT NEVER GOES OUT
The furnace is not switched on in the morning and off at night. It fires continuously, day and night, holding molten glass at over 1,000°C so that it is ready whenever a glassmaker is.
What will you see?
Molten glass at that temperature has roughly the consistency of honey. A piece is gathered on the end of a blowing iron and brought to its finished form while it remains workable, because once the glass begins to cool the moment for working it has passed.
Depending on the day, you may see:
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Gathering, as glass is taken from the furnace on the end of an iron, glowing orange-white
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Colour introduced in powders, chips, canes and straps, worked into the glass while it moves
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Highest quality 22ct gold and sterling silver leaf applied to the hot glass and fused during the making, the technique for which the studio was awarded Best of British Design in 1979
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Blowing and shaping with wet newspaper, wooden blocks, jacks and shears, using tools that would be familiar to a Venetian glassmaker
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Incalmo, the joining of two or more separately blown bubbles of glass into a single piece
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Teamwork, as some designs, Stratum among them, require two glassmakers working in tandem to the same rhythm
Each finished piece then goes into the annealing oven, where it cools slowly overnight. This is the quietest part of the process and the one that determines whether a piece survives at all.
How long does it take?
A demonstration usually runs around an hour, though that depends entirely on what is being made. A small piece comes together quickly. A large or intricate one, or anything needing two glassmakers working to the same rhythm, takes considerably longer.
You are welcome to watch for five minutes or for the whole hour, and to ask whatever you like while the team works.
Before You Travel
Although the furnace is always lit, the team is not always at it. Glassmaking is hot, physical work done to a schedule, and there are days when the team is fulfilling a commission elsewhere. If watching the making is the reason for your journey, please telephone ahead on 01983 522339.
Visiting With Children and Dogs
Children are very welcome and are usually transfixed. The viewing area keeps everyone at a safe distance from the hot work, and we ask only that younger visitors stay with an adult. Dogs are welcome throughout, on a lead and close beside you.
AMAZING!
A wonderful studio where you can sit and watch the glass blowers in action. We watched a beautiful bowl being made from start to finish and felt very involved in the process as each stage was explained to us.
The studio has some lovely pieces for sale, all individually made with precision and skill, ranging from small ducks and birds to large vases and bowls in various patterns and shapes. Something for everyone.
The studio is set within Arreton barns and is free to visit.