About...

Chance Comments magazineChance Brothers was founded in 1824 to manufacture flat glass (crown glass). By about 1860 it was the largest glass manufacturer in Victorian Britain. It was instrumental in revitalising the lighthouse industry and well over 2,000 lighthouses were installed around the world.

However, the glazing of the Crystal Palace in 1851 is considered to be the crowning glory of Chance's achievements.

Chance Brothers was taken over by Pilkington Brothers in 1952, before being closed in 1981.

What is "Chance Comments"?

During 1947, the company decided to produce a bi-monthly, in-house magazine for the benefit of all employees.

In March 1948, the very first Chance Comments was produced; see cover, right. The magazine would continue until 1963, when the magazine was amalgamated into Pilkington Brothers' own magazine, Cullet News.

Employees were encouraged to recall their experiences and the number of contributors came from all sectors of the workforce. Each issue was liberally illustrated with photos, illustrations and cartoons. The editor throughout the period from 1948 to 1963 was Arthur Ogden, the Personnel Manager.

With this joint initiative by Chance Heritage Trust and Smethwick Heritage Centre, all the available issues are now published here. They can now be freely downloaded and/or viewed inside Adobe PDF Reader.

Enjoy!

David Encill