At the furnace, a gather of molten glass gives little indication of the shape it will become. Within moments, a mould and a press will give it the AWH’s distinctive stepped profile.
Getting there depends on the glassmaker’s judgement: how much to gather, when to move it and how to work it while it holds its heat.
For our team, pressing was a new skill to master, and a fitting way to realise a design with its roots in a building of extraordinary craftsmanship.
Inspired by the Natural History Museum
A visit to London’s Natural History Museum provided the starting point. The AWH’s elongated, rounded outline recalls the building’s arched windows, while its name pays tribute to their architect, Alfred Waterhouse.
Beyond those windows lies another connection. Waterhouse combined architectural ambition with a practical understanding of materials and manufacture.
His choice of terracotta allowed elaborate decoration to be produced more quickly and economically than carved stone, while offering resistance to the grime of Victorian London.
Bringing his drawings to life called on a network of specialist makers. Sculptor Dujardin developed models from Waterhouse’s designs, which were then sent to Staffordshire manufacturer Gibbs and Canning to be cast.
Some elaborate figures were made only once; simpler foliage patterns were repeated throughout the building. Together, they created a sense of variety and abundance, with fresh details to discover at every turn.
That interplay between handwork and repeatable processes feels familiar to us. A mould establishes the outline, but each piece still depends on the experience and care of the person making it.
Glassmaking in Oxfordshire
Our AWH diffuser is crafted at our Oxfordshire headquarters, also home to our sister company, English Antique Glass.
Previously based in Birmingham, the glassworks moved here in late 2022, bringing expertise in stained glass, Norman slabs, roundels, bullions and other forms of blown glass. The AWH added pressing to that repertoire.
How the AWH’s pressed glass diffuser is made
The technique uses pressure to work molten glass into the contours of a mould, allowing depth and precise surface detail to take shape in a single operation. For the AWH, it produces the substantial diffuser, with its stepped edges and clearly defined ridges.
Work begins at the furnace, where the glassmaker draws out a glowing gather on a gathering rod and guides it into a metal mould.
This has already been heated with a flame to prevent the glass from cooling too quickly. Each movement follows the behaviour of the material, which must remain workable long enough to take the impression beneath the press.
Once formed, the piece is allowed to settle briefly before being carefully released. It is then placed in a temperature-controlled cabinet to cool further. The profile is complete; attention now turns to the surface.
Sandblasting and finishing the glass
Still clear at this stage, the glass is sandblasted to create a frosted finish that diffuses light while preserving the definition of the ridges.
Oiling and finishing follow, before the completed diffuser makes the short journey next door to our assembly team.
A bronze frame cast in sand
The frame has its own story of handwork. At an English foundry, molten bronze is poured into a sand mould and allowed to cool, then finished by hand. Its solid surround provides a quiet counterpoint to the texture of the glass.
Assembling the AWH wall light
In final assembly, the two materials come together with a UK-made, dimmable LED light source.
Illuminated, the AWH reveals the detail first formed beneath the press: light traces its stepped edges and passes through the frosted surface, giving the architectural outline a new expression. Discover the AWH wall light
Watch the film below to follow the process – from furnace to frame.
