| Abstract: |
John Baker's Thameside glasshouse in Vauxhall is the first of London's seventeenth-century glasshouses to be excavated. The publication describes the finds from the site, demonstrates how Vauxhall competed with London's other glasshouses and discusses London's late-seventeenth-century glass industry. The glasshouse opened some time between 1663 and 1681, and had closed by 1704; it was demolished by 1706. Excavations in 1989 found evidence for the manufacturing process in the form of a furnace, a fritting oven, frit, crucibles, tools, working waste and finished vessels. Although Baker's glasshouse was operating during the period when lead crystal was first being made in England, it produced vessels for a proven market: wine bottles, green-glass vessels and fine wares. The publication demonstrates how Baker's competed with London's other glasshouses to keep its place in the market. The nature of London's late-seventeenth-century glass industry is discussed, setting Baker's glasshouse in its historical context. The remains of a well-preserved mid-seventeenth-century bargehouse, constructed for the Clothworkers', Fishmongers' and Mercers' Companies, were also recorded at the site. Includes French and German summaries, and specialist reports on |
