Hand-drawn glass: 1860 -1920

A large number of Victorian and Edwardian buildings would have been fitted with hand-drawn (‘GD’) glass. When fitting new thin double-glazing or single glazing units into original frames, ensure that the glass itself matches the period of the property.

We offer genuine hand-drawn glass with both our Thin Double Glazing and our MONO single-glazing systems. It’s important to know that non-authentic reproduction copies of period glass just won’t be suitable: find out the benefits of real period glass.

Thickness: 4mm thick.

What period does hand-drawn glass suit?

In the early 1860s, a method was developed to produce cylinder glass link to page more quickly and easily. Therefore, most Victorian buildings would have a version of this GD glass. Since this technique continued until around 1920, it is also suitable for Edwardian and other pre-WWI properties.

How is hand-drawn glass made?

Molten glass is poured into a large bowl (or crucible), and a hot metal bait is dipped into it. Then the bait is drawn slowly upwards, pulling a large glass cylinder after it. This contains fewer imperfections than achievable with the previous cylinder-glass technique, although the upward draw gives it a wavy character.