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John
Hardman & Co., Ltd was founded in 1838 when John Hardman
left his partnership in the family button-making business
to produce metalwork in the medieval style and method, for
the growing number of revived Gothic buildings then being
erected. The company prospered, as Hardman’s friend
and active collaborator, A.W.N. Pugin produced most of his
designs. Eventually, Pugin insisted that the company extend
its activities to making stained glass, as the quality and
service of the contemporary manufacturers was inconsistent.
The result was a brilliantly successful venture which made
furnishings, enamel work, embroidery, precious and functional
metalwork, and stained glass of the very highest quality.
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In
London, Sir Charles Barry’s New Palace of Westminster
was being built to house the ‘Mother of Parliaments’
and most of the metalwork and stained glass was designed
and supervised by Pugin, and after his death, his pupil
and John Hardman’s nephew, John Hardman Powell. These
were all made in the company’s Birmingham workshops
and the records of that period supply a fascinating insight
into the running of, what was probably one of the largest
teams of decorative craftsmen ever assembled. After severe
damage to the Houses of Parliament in the Second World War,
Hardmans supplied many new windows and restored much of
the old glass, and this tradition has continued with the
most recent commission for the manufacture of the stained
glass windows for St. Stephen’s Hall, New Palace of
Westminster.
Throughout
the world most major cathedrals, churches and many civic
buildings contain some of the very distinctive windows designed
and made by Hardmans, and overseas commissions and conservation
projects are still the main contributors to our continued
success.
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Today,
Hardmans is emerging into a new area and is shifting the emphasis
away from a purely stained glass base to one of a centre of
excellence in the decorative arts. This re birth of Hardmans
captures the creative spirit espoused by Pugin and Hardman
who used their talents to create some of the greatest decorative
art of the Neo-Gothic period. The studios in the park are
a living tribute to the founder, housing the ancient crafts
and skills which he helped to rediscover, continuing the creative
partnership with today’s Architects, Designers and Conservationists. |
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Copyright
2004 John Hardman Trading Co., Ltd |
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