Hardman (John) & Co
John Hardman & Co was one of Britain’s greatest stained glass studios, and examples of its work are to be found throughout the UK and overseas.
The Hardman family arrived in Birmingham in the mid-1700s, where John Hardman Sr. (1767–1844) began producing gilded base metal products and buttons. His son, John Hardman Jr. (1811–67), met A.W.N. Pugin (1812-52) and expanded the business into ecclesiastical metalwork, founding John Hardman & Co. in 1838.
Subsequently, in 1845, the firm expanded into the production of stained glass. Pugin served as its chief designer until his passing, after which his nephew, John Hardman Powell (1827-95), succeeded him.
John Hardman Powell a deeply religious Roman Catholic, was trained as an apprentice by Pugin. A rare privilege given Pugin’s reluctance to employ clerks or take on pupils. The Hardman firm continued to flourish under his leadership, due in part to the individual attention given to commissions and the originality of each design, a contrast to other firms that would often reuse designs numerous times.
An influential figure at this time was Joseph Aloysius Pippet (1840-1903), who having joined as an apprentice, worked for the firm for 50 years, carrying out many decorative schemes, and also designing metalwork, stained glass and textile items.
This was a period of great success for the firm with stained glass being supplied to over 1,800 buildings in Britain and overseas between 1866 and the turn of the century.
Following John Hardman Powell’s death in 1895, his son, Dunstan Powell (1861-1932) took over as chief designer.
The firm continued into the twentieth century and c.1939 was renamed John Hardman Studios at which time Donald Battershill Taunton (1886-1965) and Patrick Feeny (1910-1995) were designers. Feeny experimented with new material and techniques, including dalle de verre, while also continuing with the traditional work of glass painting and restoration.
When Feeny retired in 1974 the studio passed to two regular customers of the firm, Edgar and Margaret Philips, and in due course, their son, Neil Philips. From 1986 to 2004 the Studio Manager and Chief Designer was David Williams. The studio finally closed in 2008.
Sources:
Hardman of Birmingham, Goldsmith and Glasspainter by Michael Fisher (Landmark Publishing, 2008)
The Stained Glass of John Hardman and Company under the leadership of John Hardman Powell from 1867 to 1895 by Mathé Shepheard, which can be downloaded as a 3 volume PDF
Stained Glass Marks & Monograms, complied by Joyce Little, and edited by Angela Goedicke & Margaret Washbourn (NADFAS, 2002)
