Despite a number of rescue attempts over the years, the old glass blowing firm Hartley Wood has finally closed down, bringing a long history of glassmaking in the Sunderland area to a sad end. Hartley Wood came into being in 1892, from which time the company concentrated on the supply of mouthblown coloured glass for the stained and decorative glass trade. In the 1980s, the company was taken over briefly by Pilkington, who tried to modernise the plant, but with little success, and the firm ended up back in the hands of its management. Since then, European and American glasses have become increasingly popular and Hartley Wood has struggled to produce consistent quality on ancient and dilapidated machinery. The last straw appears to have been the decision to exclude them from the huge Heritage Centre currently being built in Sunderland. (whole item)
