The History Of Glass Windows At A Glance

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 first instance of glass being used for windows in buildings, especially in Britain, was during the period of the Romans. In the 1st century A. D. It is known that the Romans used glass for a variety of reasons including mosaic tiles, decorating pottery and as windows. It seems that the glass window became more popular with the advent of churches and other places to worship. Most of the earliest examples of Roman window glass are coloured, suggesting that they were stained-glass windows from churches, for example.

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.

During the 14th century, the French managed to perfect the art of blown plate glass (this is where it is hand blown then grinded and polished to look smooth). They also perfected Crown glass which was hand-blown glass that was flattened completely. The French were reluctant to divulge their manufacturing secrets before the 17th century, resulting in Crown glass and blown plate glass not being manufactured anywhere else until this time. Until the 19th century the world saw the rise in popularity of these two types of glass for making windows.

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.

by: Zara Mazur Colwell

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