Completion of new building provides safe haven for black market relic

Tue, Apr 14, 2015 10:40 CET

The next chapter in a story of immigration, the black market and unique artisanal skills that spans over four centuries will open this week, with the completion of a new building protecting Ryedale Folk Museum’s Elizabethan glass furnace – the only one of its type in Britain.

The new building, made from an oak frame with a newly thatched roof, will sit over a rare Elizabethan glass furnace that was transported stone by stone from Rosedale to its current home at the Ryedale Folk Museum in Hutton-le-Hole in the 1960s. The rare 400 year-old archaeological monument needs protection from the elements, but its original shelter was destroyed in a storm in 2011. Now, with funds from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the museum has been able to build a sturdy new home for the glass furnace which is both weatherproof and blends in with the other buildings at the museum, and also train staff and volunteers in traditional conservation techniques to safeguard the furnace for the future.

“This glass furnace tells us a fascinating story of what was happening in Ryedale in the 16thcentury, so it is crucial to us to preserve this tangible piece of history for future generations – a connection with real people who carried out covert glass-making, with outstanding artistry, in a quiet corner of North Yorkshire,” comments Jennifer Smith, director of the Ryedale Folk Museum.

The furnace itself plays an important part in interpreting not only Elizabethan North Yorkshire, but also the region’s role in a wider international story, as immigrant communities from all over Europe settled and brought their new skills and technology to Britain.

In its day, the furnace would have been extraordinary: designed with the latest, cutting-edge technology it produced luxury glassware that only the wealthy could afford, all requiring ingenuity and skill that was rare in Tudor England. All evidence suggests that it was built in the late 16thcentury by French immigrants fleeing religious persecution responsible for thousands of deaths on the continent. The refugees helped bring English manufacturing back onto the world stage, giving the country a competitive edge, but this came at a price: from the 1560s, glass-making was controlled with punishing trade sanctions and monopolies.

“It seems that a few enterprising men spotted an opportunity to escape London and pioneer glass-making in the North,” adds Jennifer. “The North York Moors had the lonely isolation ideal for illicit trade, and were also geologically rich with the ingredients necessary for glass-making. The glass they produced in the late 16thcentury would have been exquisitely decorative, with a distinctive green tint caused by the high iron content in the sand. Glass fragments were found during archaeological excavations, and some are still attached to the side of the furnace. We may even know the bootleg manufacturer’s names from local church records: Johannes Coutle, Georgius Rathrome, and Rogerus Romfrey.”

The illicit nature of this trade means that very little trace of its existence can be found in contemporary historical records – the manufacturers would have deliberately kept a low profile – but the role these refugees played in building Britain’s reputation and position on international markets should not be underestimated. These skilled craftspeople are often overlooked in our history books, but helped transform Elizabethan England, bringing technology and creativity that helped spark an industrial revolution, and leaving a cultural legacy that inspires artisans today, including contemporary glass artists, Gillies Jones.

“Most legitimate businesses would have reused parts of their furnaces or had them removed when they stopped glass-making ceased to be their primary concern, but the isolated location of this furnace makes it without equal – it was abandoned rather than closed down and left for us to find centuries later,” explains Jennifer. “The fact that this is probably the only Elizabethan glass furnace still in existence makes this a matchless relic, and possibly the only hard evidence of this illegal trade that brought money and prestige to the region.”

The new building will open to the public on Saturday 11 April at the Ryedale Folk Museum. The museum, which is spread over a six acre site, is open daily until 30 September from 10.00am to 5.30pm (last entry at 4.30pm) and October to December 10.00am to 4.00pm. Admission prices are £7.00 for adults, £6.50 for concessions and £6.00 for children, with a family ticket (two adults and two children) for £22.50. Ticket holders can return to the museum for unlimited visits for a full year form the date of purchase.

For more information, please visit www.ryedalefolkmuseum.co.uk or call 01751 417367

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Ryedale Folk Museum’s Elizabethan glass furnace will be featured in BBCTV’s Secret Britain programme on 15th April.

Ryedale Folk Museum is a small, independent museum located in the village of Hutton-le-Hole, in the North York Moors National Park. The museum was created over 40 years ago by local people with a passion for celebrating and protecting their cultural and industrial heritage, and also works with local communities to preserve traditional craft skills that are at risk of being lost to modern progress.

The area’s rich heritage, from the Iron Age to the 1960s, is brought to life in over 20 historic buildings reconstructed across the 6-acre site, with regular costumed demonstrations, craft workshops and a lively calendar of nostalgia events, including Tractor Days and Classic Car Rallies. The Museum also hosts regular exhibitions in its Art Gallery promoting the talents of local artists or those inspired by the beauty of the Ryedale landscape. This year’s exhibitions include works by nationally-renowned artists such as painter Francesca Simon, in her first solo exhibition outside of London, and guest curation by Edinburgh’s Gallery 10.

For further media information or photographs, please contact:

Nicola Bexon or Jay Commins

Pyper York Limited

Tel: 01904 500698

Email: nicola@pyperyork.co.uk or jay@pyperyork.co.uk