Waterford Crystal Glass
from the
Glass Encyclopedia
Waterford Crystal Glass: A short explanationThere was a glasshouse in Waterford, Ireland, advertising flint glass and green glass in the Dublin Journal as early as 1729. It lasted only a few years until the owner, John Hood, died about 1737, and for the next fifty years, through some very troubled times in Ireland, the glass industry struggled. It was not until 1783 that George and Henry Penrose set up another glass house in Waterford and brought a Stourbridge glass master, John Hill, to manage it.
above: Waterford cut
crystal bowl made 1999
by Maurice Whittle
Master Wedge Cutter
for Waterford Glass.
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Waterford Glass
In 1951 a new glassworks was built in the town and named Waterford Glass Ltd. This company rapidly established a reputation for high quality cut crystal, which it exported around the world. The picture at the top of this page is a very large heavy cut crystal trophy in the shape of a bowl, being held up proudly by the cutter who was decorating it. The modern plant welcomed visitors to its large restaurant and glass cutting and glass making displays and it became a very popular venue for tourists. Waterford became part of Waterford-Wedgwood plc in 1986 and this merged company continued to play a major role in the Irish glass industry for a few years. But in January 2009, struggling like so many other companies to compete with imports from Europe, the Wedgwood Group went bankrupt and the Waterford glassworks was closed. Then in June 2010, Waterford Crystal re-opened in a new location in Waterford City and continues to produce high quality crystal and to welcome visitors on guided tours of the factory and its retail store. They are proud of their collection of Waterford Crystal, the largest in the world.
