After ogling Borough Market, Kate & I headed towards Shad Thames.
In and around London Bridge Station has been undergoing a large-scale re-development and the most famous project has to be the Shard. The London’s newest iconic landmark opened its door to the public on 5 July 2012. Kate & I giggled as we agreed that the Shard reminded us the Isengard in The Lord of the Rings!
The gleaming spire of the Shard was towering over us. And a airplane was traversing the blue, leaving a vapour trail as we looked on.
Once reaching Bermondsey Street, Kate’s eyes twinkled and she asked me if I had ever been to a glassblowing studio. When I shook my head, she led me to Peter Layton’s London Glassblowing Studio & Gallery…
Once inside, my vision was filled with vivid colours in all sizes and forms.
At another end of the double height space, there was a glassblowing studio. And I could see 3 kilns emitting fierce heat. No wonder the inside was so toasty in spite of a chilly December day…
A glassmaker handling molten glass…
He swung the glass like a pendulum before sitting down and rotating it horizontally on the bar. I knew nothing about glassblowing but looking at it firsthand was fascinating.
Don’t they look amazing?
I wished if I could have them all. They were absolutely beautiful. Ultimate eye-candies.
Another glassmaker was preparing pigments on the bench…
Oh, how I wished if I could carry on watching and find out how those pigments would add colours to clear glass. It was like alchemy.
On the floor, there were large glass-made poppies…
The staff explained to us that the poppies were a mock-up of wall sculpture.
They were meant to be displayed on the wall like this…
Please feast your eyes on these pieces of art…
They are breathtakingly beautiful, aren’t they? I have no idea how they are made. Some of the works are well over £5,000. But it must be well worth it.
But then, don’t be too discouraged even if you don’t have five grand readily available. There are more affordable hand-blown Christmas tree decorations on sale…
They are priced between £35 – 220. By the way, the most pricy one contained gold pigment. So be extra mindful when you are handling it! The place is a definite must address to visit if you are around the area. Highly recommended…
Absolutely beautiful. Wish I had a spare £5K or more to indulge myself so I could own a few of these stunning pieces. I really do love the colours especially at this time of the year. Could I pin a couple of your photos to one of my Pinterest boards please? Agnes.
The place was an Aladdin’s Cave for hand-blown glass lovers! It was the first time for me and I was blown away. Thank you for liking my photos. Unfortunately I have deleted them all as my harddisc is getting full. Feel free to screen grab any image you like from the page. X
Thank you very much – I will do just that and will credit fingknitcoolgal and Peter Layton. Agnes.
Your photos look stunning!! xxx
Thank you got taking me there! xxx
Amazing works of art, am in love with the poppies! Unattainable, but a dream nevertheless! Thanks for taking us there xxx
They were like a gigantic gems. The vividness of the colours was amazing. I wished if I won a lottery 😍 xxx
I’ve always been fascinated with glass pieces. The ones in your post look so good. I could just stare at them for hours.
They were sooooo beautiful! Looked like gigantic gems. And the way the artisans were making them, it was fascinating to watch. They offer a one-day glassblowing course and I may be giving a go next year! 😜