Dartington Crystal

A brief history of Dartington Crystal

Dartington Crystal is based in Torrington, north Devon and is a long-established manufacturer of high quality crystal glassware.

• They use traditional Swedish glass blowing techniques
• Founded in 1967 as Dartington Glass by the Dartington Hall Trust to provide employment in North Devon
• Swedish glass maker Eskil Vilhemson was brought in with a team of Scandinavian glass blowers
• Designer Frank Thrower MBE provided over 700 designs between 1967 and his death in 1987
• In 1969 more glass blowers arrived from Italy and Denmark
• In 1982 Wedgwood bought a 50% share in Dartington
• In 2006 Dartington Crystal was subject to a management buyout
• In 2006 they also bought Caithness Glass and Royal Brierley
• In 2015, they are one of the few remaining makers of crystal glass in England and Frank Thrower designs remain in production

Identification of Dartington Crystal

Some pieces were marked, but as their output has been so well documented, it's usually a case of identifying by sight.

Where can you find out more?

Dartington Crystal