Glass in the Blood

It is fundamental to understand, or at least appreciate, where we have come from if we are going to progress.

This article is a very brief snapshot of one of London’s prestigious glass processors and installers that contributed to the city’s reflectiveness. The timeline is incomplete, so apologies in advance, there was just so much material and I tried to be efficient with aspects that told the story.

In the beginning

Where and who were supplying processed glass in London at the turn of the 20th century? Coincidentally, I discovered only recently that my past is inherently linked to façade construction, one which spans generations and is connected, albeit in a small way, to this question. This article is about some of the uncelebrated origins of glazing and the triumphs that one company endured.

On our small island where so much industry has birthed and sadly fallen, for those that have an avid interest in glass and its history and those that are eager to further their knowledge, you may enjoy learning that during the 19th and 20th century James Clark & Eaton Limited (JCE) was one of London’s established glass processing merchants.

1855 saw JCE’s first year of trading and for some, perhaps irrelevant, context but interesting nonetheless, in the same year the First Sioux War: Battle Of Ash Hollow was fought in the United States, Australia was granted self-governing status and David Livingstone discovered Victoria Falls, all whilst broad and crown glass technology was being processed for our streets of London and other parts of Great Britain.

Evolution of transport

The business originally delivered glass via three flat, horse-drawn carts. This is particularly interesting as most will imagine the vertical A-frames we have today. On the contrary, the glass was carried horizontally (in its weakest position). For distances not local, the deliveries were made to the local train stations for transport, but still laid flat. Glass was reported broken upon delivery… often. One of the original premises of note were the arches in Scoresby Street. This is where the railway arches housed the horses too.

After the First World War, JCE acquired some ex-War Department J-types along with some Swiss-built Bernes. The fleet grew to 17 lorries by the end of 1919. The realisation of the fragility of the asset and the demand for glass as a medium in construction was rising, therefore investment was made into the company’s logistics infrastructure.

Making its mark

The business changed address several times but the one which transcends is the London address that changed owing to a rejection of renaming Hill Street to ‘Micawber Street,’ it rightfully adopted Glasshill Street from 1936 paying homage to the craft and activities of the business.

During the War

During the Second World War Glasshill Street suffered very badly structurally from enemy bombardment. The following are pictorials of bomb damage:

More than 80 million square feet of replacement glass was reported to have been required to reglaze Greater London. Pilkington almost dedicated its entire output at one stage to Greater London. What is really terrifying is the patination of the bombing type and accuracy. The technique, as I understand it, is that a High Explosive bomb would land first opening the structures (homes and factories) to expose the soft furnishing innards only to then experience the spray of fiery incendiaries that followed, allowing fires to spread more easily. The Germans alternated the bombs in this way to maximise damage.

JCE carried a secret too; during the Second World War they manufactured all forms of specialist glassware for the Armed Forces. They were said to have made anything from submarine optics, glass panel instrumentations to fighter pilot goggles.

The firm was renowned for all forms of glass manipulation, decoration, handling and installation. The factory floor space and number of units continued to grow through the years. This growth allowed for the development in manufacturing techniques which ultimately fed into the wider industry and became ‘standard.’ In all this industrial and technological growth was Frederick G. Cleave, my great grandfather. I do not know much about the man, sadly, but I have found out a couple of gems which are noteworthy.

Fred started working for the firm as an apprentice in 1922.

Fred left JCE during the war and served in France and Germany as infantry.

After the Second World War, Fred returned to Great Britain, but then was sent back into Germany where he used his glazier skills to help repair the damaged glass frontages throughout cities. It makes me smile to think of him having to repair the damage that he or his comrades may have caused, whilst muttering some form of ‘light’ obscenity. Some form of atonement, for the structures at least.

Whilst helping rebuild Germany, Fred and his companions worked alongside the German glaziers and were able to enhance their skill sets. The Germans had apparently developed a method of glass-to-glass joinery via adhesion which was becoming prevalent in shop glazing corner arrangements. Some may recognise it as ‘S.H.’ or ‘Glass-Cement’. By 1954 German scientists had been working with Glasbau Hahn of Frankfurt and said to have developed the first real method of dispensing with mullion and transom capture. This material was reported as a matter of national interest and was naturally embraced and brought back to Britain where the first shops on Oxford Street enjoyed more transparent frontage.

Fred returned to England and went on to finish his career with the firm, retiring at c.55-60 years old. If you look carefully in the records of JCE, you will find his name.

The star denotes 30-40 years of service, and here is the watch he received for his dedication to working with, and advancing, glass.

So, if you work or live in a London building dating from the 1920’s to the early 1960’s and you still have the existing windows in-situ, then they may have been installed by Fred.

Zeitgeist
A trending bonus to my research is that it appeared that perhaps JCE took heed to Nikola Tesla’s predictions of drones in the format of delivering glass vertically. This picture was published as an advert just 10 years after Tesla’s patent for the first drones in 1908 by JCE:

Resilience
There is something to be said for a firm that can survive the best part of a century through two world conflicts, economic down turns and still be relevant. JCE appeared to create a culture where people wanted to come and work, as the specialist materials and equipment were likely very exciting. Part of this culture saw a tribute paid to the women that essentially ran the business, while the male staff were at war, celebrating their excellence in managerial skills. This was not so common in former times.

I also like the idea of two former enemies working past animosity and advancing through knowledge sharing. A willingness to learn and acceptance of other methods is invaluable and healthier for the construction industry as a whole. Too often do we see closed mindsets that are centric to the region; you can make a career of listening.

Lastly, I am told Fred was remember by most for his warmth and kindness, sense of humour and immovable ethics with regards to hard work. I just missed meeting him as he died shortly before I was born but I am over the moon that I have discovered this all recently and cannot believe the similarity in choice of trade. Another coincidence whilst reading up on the background is that the logistics side of the JCE business extended north to Lancaster as it was still servicing some of the remanence of the East India Trading regions. What is more unbelievable is that the small village of Forton is mentioned within this research! This is where my fiancé was brought up, an almost impossible serendipitous happenstance.

In memory of Frederick George Cleave 1907 – 1985

Sources:

A century in Blackfriars : produced to mark the Centenary of James Clark & Eaton Ltd, 1855-1955 – G. P. Hughes

The Roads & Road Transport History Association – Journal No. 75, 2014