AN EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW OF LONDON, 1650

Here at the Richard Brendon studio, we are counting down the days until London Craft Week and the debut of our latest collection, London, 1650. So impatient are we for the launch of London, 1650, we have decided to offer you an exclusive preview of the collection!

For his latest collection, Richard has been deeply inspired by the art of glassmaking in 17th Century London, after discovering several unusual yet strikingly beautiful antique bottles. Their dark green colour and organic form, marked solely by an impressed seal, piqued Richard’s curiosity. Knowing a thing or two already about glassmaking, he was intrigued to discover more about these unique glass offerings.

After some research, Richard learnt that these striking bottles were first made in London c.1650 and came to revolutionise the bottle industry. With the advent of new glassmaking techniques in this era, bottles were now stronger and ideal for transporting wine, beer and other liquids, notably London gins. The bottles weren’t cheap to produce, nothing good rarely is, but they were durable and reusable. This led to the owners using unique seals to mark their bottles as their own and allowed them to be refilled at the wine merchant, brewery or distillery, without other wine lovers taking off with them. Sustainable living... the 1650 way! 

One of Richard’s favourite nuggets about these unique bottles was learning about the revolutionary impact they had on sparkling wine. The durability of these English bottles allowed for the bubbly fermentation process of Champagne to be made possible, for which we are all very grateful. 

Taking this newfound knowledge and inspiration, Richard designed London, 1650; a limited and spectacular collection of bottles and tumblers, skilfully mouth-blown in London by master glassblower, Simon Moore. The pieces boast a sophisticated deep green colour in organic and unique silhouettes reminiscent of these original bottles found in the capital. Each piece is impressed with an RB seal designed exclusively for this collection; no misplacing these at the local distillery! 

The bottles and tumblers have been hand-crafted by the incredibly skilled London-based master glassblower Simon Moore, who trained at London’s last glass factory, Whitefriars. Simon has employed the same techniques that would have been used in the 17th century to bring our collection to life. Bringing a contemporary twist to a classic London story, London, 1650 is the perfect addition to every contemporary tablescape.

The collection will debut in October for London Craft Week 2021, where we are delighted to be celebrating the rich history of glassmaking in London. 

Join us at Hedonism on the 9th of October to sample the collection with bespoke cocktails from Oskar Kinberg from Hide. Tickets are available to purchase at https://hedonism.co.uk/wine-spirits-tastings 

Sign up to our newsletter at the website footer in order to be the first to shop the London, 1650 Collection, and for more information, please contact info@richardbrendon.com