Jon Bowie
deaconbstl@JonBowie I've always wondered why these are all over the UK. It seems like there will be one of these on a door or window. Do you happen to know the history?
@deaconbstl I was told it’s from an old method of making window glass called “crown glass”, it was manufactured by being blown into a large hollow globe shape and then flattened into a disk.The best window glass was taken from the outside where it was at its flattest and thinnest, what was left was the central part which contained the “pontil mark”. As this was cheaper but still had value at letting in light it was used in pubs and shops to save money while still letting in light
@deaconbstl now, having said all that I’m also told modern glass companies make reproductions of the panes for aesthetic reasons
Peter Brown@JonBowie @deaconbstl it is interesting to look at house construction, which in the second half of the 19 century started to benefit from plate glass which you could actually see through without distortion. So they started making huge windows and on the more expensive tenements installed large bay windows.
It also began to be important to orientate a house or even a street towards a view; up until then windows had let in light, but really did not provide a view.