Artisan glass making is alive and thriving in Waterford

The tradition of artisan glass making is alive and thriving in County Waterford, and making waves internationally, writes Carol O’Callaghan.

The tradition of artisan glass making is alive and thriving in County Waterford, and making waves internationally, writes Carol O’Callaghan.

The tradition of artisan glass making is alive and thriving in Co Waterford and making waves internationally, writes Carol O’Callaghan of the newly launched J Hill’s Standard crystal brand

Hands up, who’s ever heard of glassmaker John Hill? Well, neither had I, but I’ve lately discovered he’s the man responsible for bringing the recipe for lead crystal toIreland in the 18th century.

So, if you are lucky enough to have inherited a piece of antique Penrose Glass, or were the recipient of a wedding present of wine glasses or a dust-gathering golf trophy of Waterford Crystal, this is the man you have to thank.

His name has been lost in time, but it was his arrival in Waterford, working for the merchant Penrose family, which ultimately led to the city being associated with one of the most famous brands of lead crystal in the world.

It’s a fact picked up by Anike Tyrrell who, while running the Enterprise Board in Waterford, saw a glass business was needed locally in the aftermath of Waterford Crystal redundancies in 2009.

“There were skills locally that could have been lost, so I wanted to set up a business — but I couldn’t find anyone to do it, so Idecided to do it myself,” she says.

Naming the company J Hill’s Standard, she established a workshop in Cappoquin in 2014 dedicated to making domestic glassware to — you guessed it — the original standard of Mr Hill’s work.

John Hill’s family left their origins in Bohemia, lead crystal recipe safely secreted upon them, and settled in England before John ventured further west to arrive in Waterford.

The Elements range of whiskey glasses and tumblers by Scholten & Baijings start at €160 each, and feature a variety of contemporary cuts and patterns which can be mixed together for an electic table top look.

Now, J Hill’s Standard is not exactly a name to trip lightly off the tongue, so when you enquire as to what it is the company does, not only do you begin to see the potential to acquire some exquisite glassware, (which in terms of design and making puts it on a par with the best in the world), but a handy dinner party conversation.

Anike is joined in her venture by husband Christopher Kelly, a man she describes as, “a bit of a MacGyver”, who seems to be a complement to her business head, offering practical help by, among other things, being responsible for building the workshop’s hand-polishing tent.

J Hill’s Standard is now stocked in some of the most exclusive retailers around the world, including Atelier Coubert in New York, the Marvel Room at Brown Thomas in Dublin, and La Rinacente in Milan, the city where Anike launched the brand internationally, taking with her 67 prototype glasses.

It was a shrewd move, as the show she chose was the Salone del Mobile Milano, which annually attracts 2,000 exhibitors and 300,000 visitors, including buyers from 165 countries. Moving away from traditional designs, Anike is actively pursuing collaborations with innovative designers in Ireland and internationally, which brings a fresh aesthetic to the finished products.

“We wanted to avoid the traditional cut-glass look and make something original,” explains Anike. “We didn’t want a Waterford knock-off.”

For the moment, the glass they use is blown abroad, but all the cutting is done locally. “We’d like to get the glass blown here, but so far we don’t have anyone to do it. We’re still a small artisan business but the aim is that eventually everything will be done here.”

Decanters from circa €500, include broad-based Cuttings and slender Element models.

Currently, they’re working with Irish architectural talent Tom de Paor, and artist Nigel Peake, who is noted for his textile drawings for French fashion house Hermès.

Italian and Scandinavian designers have also been sought out, often from the diverse backgrounds of furniture design, decorative arts, and interior design.

The result is a new crystal landscape of constantly developing products, rooted in a contemporary aesthetic of graphic markings, cuts and textures of varying depth, which produce layered pattern and which appeals to a public interested in handmade, authentic products.

A willingness to pay for quality materials and the time which goes into the making of an object by skilled craftsmen, has seen the business grow.

Among the studio’s output you’ll find decanters, carafes and water jugs, wine, cocktail, whiskey, and beer glasses, and also champagne flutes across two ranges — Elements and Cuttings. These can be mixed and matched, and have multi-functional designs.

The whiskey tumbler, for example, doubles up as a fashionable, stem-free wine glass. It could also accommodate a tea-light, if you’re short of a candle holder, but at €160 a piece, maybe best to keep it for the original purpose intended.

The Cuttings whiskey glass IV designed by Martino Gamper is on permanent display at the Musée des Arts Decoratifs in Paris (€120).