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welcome to the 20th
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Originally founded along with the respected collector and glass expert Dr. Graham Cooley, this fair offers the ideal opportunity to find both antique glass and contemporary studio work; glass from all eras and to suit all tastes. If your preference is for Georgian drinking glasses you will find many knowledgeable specialists, if you are interested in the Art Deco and Art Nouveau periods you will be amply catered for by several quality exhibitors and if you lean toward modernist collectables and art glass you will be spoilt for choice.
At the Cambridge Glass Fair we continually endeavour to improve the visitors’ experience. We were the first one-day fair to introduce regular exhibitions presenting both loan collections and previously overlooked areas of glass to our visitors.
Our promotional postcards were another real innovation and have become collectors’ items in their own right.
We have offered visitors the opportunity to meet some well-known personalities including Eric Knowles, Sam Herman, Andy McConnell and Mark Hill and we have hosted several book launches and selling exhibitions. The Stained Glass Museum from Ely cathedral are also regular exhibitors.
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The venue itself has much to offer with a very pleasing ambience and with various pieces of artwork displayed around the halls and grounds. It also offers free parking for up to 1000 vehicles. There is an excellent bistro and bar within the halls and the Vineleaf café is located nearby. At lunchtime there is live music in the restaurant area which adds to the occasion.
We have updated our exhibition archive pages and all of the previous foyer exhibitions have now been reinstated. We hope that you will enjoy looking at them and at the 'exhibitor interview' pages where some of our regular exhibitors give an insight into their interest in the world of glass dealing and collecting.
The foyer exhibition for February was entitled 'British engraved drinking glasses from 1770 to 1850' , and curated by leading dealers and regular exhibitors Robert Marris and Timothy Mills.
Included in the exhibition was more than 100 glasses including stemmed drinking vessels, rummers, tumblers and tankards. Overall, the range of engravings illustrated and supported the research carried out by Timothy Mills and Robert Marris and published in the Glass Association Journal (2010).
In the Contemporary Hall, visitors were able to see and buy studio glass from around twenty contemporary makers and engravers who are also always happy to discuss commissions. Stained glass artist Ann Benwell once again demonstrated the art of making Tiffany-style glass and visitors were able to try their hand at this and maybe take home something they had made themselves.
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A regular exhibitor at the fair since its inception is pressed glass dealer Philip Housden. He is the latest contributor to our exhibitor interviews and this can be viewed here.
To the left can be seen an example of the type of high quality British pressed glass he was offering for sale.
Regular visitors may recall that Philip curated the February 2009 foyer exhibition which was a marvellous display showing the range of colours of Victorian pressed glass. Here is a link to the relevant exhibition archive page.
Primavera, the Cambridge contemporary art and design gallery, were represented once again at the fair. They always bring along an interesting display of contemporary studio glass giving a tempting insight into what can be found at the gallery, too.
For this fair they focussed on the work of the renowned glass artist Peter Layton. Peter Layton is one of the world’s most widely respected glassblowers and he has done more to promote glassmaking as an art form than anyone else in Europe.
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He has influenced, encouraged and nurtured several of this country’s leading glassmakers and has inspired many more internationally. At the age of 74, Peter remains extremely active and is regarded as the ‘grand old man of glass’.
Peter runs the London Glassblowing Studio in Bermondsey like a collective at which glassblowers are free to use the kilns to create their own work and develop their skills as well as work on pieces that help to pay the vast energy bills. Peter has always put creativity before the need to be commercial which is why the Gallery is an Aladdin's cave of unique and surprisingly affordable works of glass art. Much of the richly coloured glass art is his own work which can also be found in museums, galleries and exhibitions across the UK, Europe and America.
'Glass is extraordinarily seductive,’ explains Peter. ‘Every piece is an adventure and you never know exactly what you have created until you open the kiln and see how a piece has turned out. I love that moment of surprise.’
Representatives from Whitefriars.com, the website dedicated to Whitefriars glass and its many enthusiastic collectors, always have a stand in the Great Hall and this time they staged a special display of Wuidart designs plus pieces from the 1931 catalogue.
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The glass in the exhibition was drawn from the collections of some of the forum members and they were also at the fair and delighted to meet other collectors and to answer questions etc.
Details of all of the previous Whitefriars.com exhibitions can be found by clicking on 'Whitefriars.com' on the menu bar.
You can usually also follow collectables expert and author Mark Hill on Twitter as he goes around our fairs, finds pieces of interest and chats to the exhibitors.
Andy McConnell, the Antiques Roadshow glass expert, also attends the fair. Both he and Mark are always delighted to meet visitors and to talk about anything to do with glass.
The Glass Association were at their usual stand in the foyer and pleased to talk about their work and to welcome new members where appropriate.
The Guild of Glass Engravers and the Contemporary Glass Society also attended the fair and again were very pleased to meet enthusiasts and new members.
For paperweight enthusiasts, in addition to the several specialist dealers attending the event, the Paperweight Collectors Circle as usual held an ‘Identification Clinic’ where you are invited to bring along any weights or related items you have questions about or just wish to discuss. This is an excellent opportunity to find out about weights you have tucked away at home that you may have bought, inherited or perhaps received as gifts.
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We are pleased to announce that the winner of the 2011 Visitor Survey £50 prize draw was Mr. F. Tonge. The 2012 survey was available at the February fair and will be drawn in May. The winner will then be announced here.
We will continue to innovate and to develop the fair, and to that end we have lots of good things in store. Come along and join us on September 23rd or maybe make a weekend of it.For those of you travelling by public transport we have listed some local taxi firms and are happy to put visitors in touch with each other if they wish to share the fare. If you would like further information please click here.
If glass is your passion, we at the Cambridge Glass Fair will ensure that you can indulge it to the full and have a wonderful time.
If you are unable to visit the Cambridge Glass Fair you may like to know that we also organise the National Glass Fair, the next one of which will take place on Sunday May 6th 2012.
A window on whitefriars
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The Glass Association is holding a special event in Cambridge on Saturday 7th July focusing on Whitefriars glass and featuring presentations by various well known speakers. Charles Hajdamach will set the scene and talk about the Harry Powell years, 1880-1920, followed by an interview with ex-Whitefriars glassblowers Ray Annenberg and Johnny King which will be conducted by Mark Hill.
After lunch, Brian Slingsby, who was technical director at Whitefriars, will speak about his time at the factory, followed by talks from Chris Morley and Willie Clegg. The day will culminate in a Question and Answer session.
Also open to non-members of the Glass Association, full details and a booking form can be found by clicking here.
Mailing List Form
If you would like to be kept updated with news about our Future Fairs and glass-related events please fill out the 'Mailing List Form' below.
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