The history of glass windows is actually more interesting and older than you may think it is. The production of glass has been occurring naturally for millions of years but it is the discovery of manufactured glass that leads us on this exciting journey. The first instance of glass being made by mankind can be credited to the Mesopotamians who manufactured their own glass as early as 3500 B. C. The people of Mesopotamia used this man-made glass for simple uses, such as decorating pots or other vessels.
The actual fist use of man-made glass for the purpose of windows seems to have occurred with the Romans in the 1st century A. D. Excavations have revealed glass windows were present at this time and the Romans were known to use glass for decorative purposes, such as mosaic tiles. The rise of the glass window at this time seems to coincide with the introduction of churches and places to worship various deities. Much of the fragments of window glass found from the time of the Romans is coloured, suggesting that they were stained-glass windows from such places of worship.
Around the world, the need for glass windows (and the manufacture of the glass) did not really take hold until the 13th century. The Germans had found a way of making sheets of glass in the 11th century. This process was later perfected by the Venetians during the 13th century.
The French were responsible for creating Crown glass (hand blown glass that was flattened) and blown plate glass (hand blown glass that was grinded and polished) in the 14th century. Not keen on sharing their secrets, it was not until the 17th century that other countries in the world learned these techniques. Crown glass and blown plate glass became the two most popular types for glass windows from the 17th century until the 19th century.
After the demise of Crown glass and blown plate glass in the 19th century, sheet glass took over as the popular choice. This is the type of glass that was used in the majority of British windows, in particular the sash window. Sheet glass was quick to fall in popularity after the First World War and from 1959, float glass that had been invented by Sir Alistair Pilkington took over as first choice.
The history of glass does not stop there though. New forms of glass have been developed since 1959 and there are more types being researched and developed as the years go on. For instance, we have seen the rise of toughened glass and safety glass, which is common in most of the double glazing found in homes today. New developments such as Smart glass (which can change the light with the flick of a switch) are also set to join the history of glass in the near future.
The actual fist use of man-made glass for the purpose of windows seems to have occurred with the Romans in the 1st century A. D. Excavations have revealed glass windows were present at this time and the Romans were known to use glass for decorative purposes, such as mosaic tiles. The rise of the glass window at this time seems to coincide with the introduction of churches and places to worship various deities. Much of the fragments of window glass found from the time of the Romans is coloured, suggesting that they were stained-glass windows from such places of worship.
Around the world, the need for glass windows (and the manufacture of the glass) did not really take hold until the 13th century. The Germans had found a way of making sheets of glass in the 11th century. This process was later perfected by the Venetians during the 13th century.
The French were responsible for creating Crown glass (hand blown glass that was flattened) and blown plate glass (hand blown glass that was grinded and polished) in the 14th century. Not keen on sharing their secrets, it was not until the 17th century that other countries in the world learned these techniques. Crown glass and blown plate glass became the two most popular types for glass windows from the 17th century until the 19th century.
After the demise of Crown glass and blown plate glass in the 19th century, sheet glass took over as the popular choice. This is the type of glass that was used in the majority of British windows, in particular the sash window. Sheet glass was quick to fall in popularity after the First World War and from 1959, float glass that had been invented by Sir Alistair Pilkington took over as first choice.
The history of glass does not stop there though. New forms of glass have been developed since 1959 and there are more types being researched and developed as the years go on. For instance, we have seen the rise of toughened glass and safety glass, which is common in most of the double glazing found in homes today. New developments such as Smart glass (which can change the light with the flick of a switch) are also set to join the history of glass in the near future.
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