Did you know the GreatArt store used to be one of the UK’s largest stained & decorative glass studios? 41-49 Kingsland Road was once the home of Goddard & Gibbs, founded in 1868, who carried out prestigious glass work for commissions all over the UK and internationally.

GreatArt are very pleased to be hosting work from 7 Goddard & Gibbs artists, and will also be celebrating the history of their building and the many works created within its walls by their skilled artists. They will be showcasing new work from Zoe Angle, Chris Madline, Laura Perry, Caroline Swash ATD FMGP, Louise Watson MA (RCA), Sophie Lister-Hussain and Sharon McMullin, most of whom trained, and all of whom worked, within the studio at 41-49 Kingsland Road, from November 17, 2017 to January 4, 2018.

About Goddard & Gibbs

The business started as a family firm headed by Walter Gibbs in 1868 with Goddard’s Glass Works joining as senior partner around 1900. It was later acquired by ‘James Clark and Eaton’ as an artistic enhancement to their international structural glass business. After the merger, ‘Goddard & Gibbs Studio’ was established at 41-49 Kingsland Road on the edge of the City. Here there was enough space on two floors to accommodate the skilled craftsmen needed to cut, glaze and fix stained glass windows. There were racks for storing coloured glass, an acid bay for etching and kilns for firing the painted glass. Several studios were also provided with wall and table space for the complex business of designing new windows. This process included the drawing up of a full size ‘cartoon’ and cut line from which the craftsmen could work.

After the Second World War, their focus was on replacements for bomb-damaged churches. There was much demand overseas, with new stained glass ordered for churches in Ceylon, Nigeria, Ghana, Nyasaland and South Africa as well as Canada, New Zealand and the United States.

Interest in stained glass began to grow in the Middle East, and commissions continued until the firm was wound up in 2006. By then the studio was no longer at Kingsland Road. Despite this, almost all the craftsmen who had trained and practiced with Goddard & Gibbs Studio continue to keep alive the vibrant creative skills required in the creation of stained, coloured and painted glass for architecture of all kinds.

Some of Goddard & Gibbs’ notable commissioned work includes the Aramco Mosque in Saudi Arabia, the Grand Mosque in Brunei, the LDS Conference Centre Skylight, the Michelin House, the Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland Paris and Westminster Abbey.