Architectural glass is glass made to form part of a building, including window glazing, stained and leaded panels, fanlights, door panels, skylights, screens and glazed partitions. In the antiques and salvage trade, the term covers both historic window glass itself and decorative panels removed from houses, churches, shops and public houses.
Before the nineteenth century, window glass was made by hand, either as crown glass, spun into a disc with a central bullseye, or as cylinder glass, blown, cut and flattened. Both have a gentle ripple and occasional bubbles that give old windows their distinctive shimmer. Cast plate glass, ground and polished, was produced in Britain from the late eighteenth century for mirrors and shop windows. The repeal of the glass excise in 1845 and of the window tax in 1851 encouraged larger windows and more decorative glass. Victorian and Edwardian houses and public houses used etched, embossed, coloured, bevelled and brilliant-cut panels, while Gothic Revival and Arts and Crafts designers revived stained glass. Buyers should check for cracks, failed leading and replacement pieces, and should establish that salvaged panels were removed legitimately. Old glass adds texture and character to restoration projects and new interiors.
