When Peter Layton founded London Glassblowing in 1976, he was selling glass art from the back of his car. Nearly 50 years later, his Bermondsey Street studio stands as one of Europe’s longest-running glass galleries, having nurtured some of the world’s leading glass artists and transformed both an art form and a neighbourhood. Here’s the story of how London Glassblowing has influenced British Glass Art.
A Revolutionary Beginning
Layton’s journey in glass began unexpectedly in 1965, whilst teaching ceramics at the University of Iowa, when he participated in an early workshop of the emerging American Studio Glass movement.
Peter Layton reveals what really attracted him to working with hot glass.
“I was seduced by the immediacy of the material, and the spontaneity and risk-taking required by the process.
“Here was a medium where quick wit and spontaneity were vital, where every aspect of the process was an adventure.”
Upon returning to Britain in 1968, Layton faced considerable resistance. Glass had been confined to industrial production for centuries, viewed as a poor cousin to painting, sculpture and pottery. The craft galleries focused on ceramics and feared that this new medium required specialist lighting their clients didn’t possess.
“There was little or no market for studio glass,” he notes.
Peter funded his studio by part-time teaching ceramics in various art colleges. Opening a glass studio in the UK in the 70s was a risky endeavour.
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Peter Layton (left) & Tim Rawlinson (right) working in the studio. Photo taken by Alick Cotterill.
Building a Creative Hub
From its inception in an old towage works on the Thames at Rotherhithe, London Glassblowing operated differently from traditional glassmaking. Where historically glass secrets were passed from father to son behind closed doors, Layton created an open, collaborative space, for the exchange of ideas and development of skills.
Gena Johns, Gallery Director, emphasises how the gallery still lives by these values today.
“Visitors are welcomed and members of the public can enter the gallery, view the glass art on display and watch our resident artists at work, creating stunning artworks from the molten material.”
Over the decades, the studio has nurtured many talents including renowned practitioners, Tim Rawlinson, Louis Thompson, Layne Rowe, Bruce Marks and Elliot Walker of Netflix’s ‘Blown Away’ fame.
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Gallery Image. Photo taken by Sylvain Deleu.
Transforming the Bermondsey Area
The studio’s 2009 relocation to Bermondsey Street coincided with the area’s cultural renaissance.
“I’ve seen Bermondsey Street change radically. It was a bit of a no go area in the early days,” Johns recalls.
Today, the street is filled with chef-owned restaurants like Casse-Croute, Pizarro, and Angela Hartnett’s Cafe Murano alongside White Cube gallery and Fashion and Textile Museum.
Gena reveals the instant reaction visitors have when seeing the gallery.
“Visitors often experience a moment of pure wonder when they step into our gallery. The vibrancy and creativity of the pieces on display create an immediate reaction.
“When they see our working studio at the back of the gallery, with the furnace glowing in the background – that sense of discovery deepens into genuine fascination.
“There’s something magical about witnessing both the finished artworks and the living process that creates them.”
As one of the main sponsors of the Bermondsey Street Festival, with Johns herself having saved the festival by taking over its organisation last year, London Glassblowing has become integral to the community’s identity.
