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Peter Layton Glassblowing, a handmade glass-art studio and gallery on Bermondsey Street, is filled with dazzling glass-blown treasures and even a working hot shop, where you can watch the pieces take shape in real time.
Approaching their 50-year anniversary, London Glassblowing has become a leading force in UK glass art since founder Peter Layton, now 88, introduced the craft from America in 1968.
Despite its flat reception in the UK art scene, Peter established London Glassblowing in 1976. They were originally based in an old towage works on the Thames in Rotherhithe, a relic from when Rotherhithe was a bustling commercial dock, and later in Leathermarket Gardens.
The team then settled in their home on Bermondsey Street 16 years ago and have since nurtured some of the world’s leading glass artists, selling their artistic creations and providing a studio space known as a ‘hot shop’ for them to work at the back of the shop.
The team at London Glassblowing aim to bridge the often unimpeachable gap between an artist and a customer through allowing visitors to witness the glass-blowing first-hand at the back of the studio.
Historically, secrets of traditional glassblowing were handed down from father to son behind closed doors. Peter scrapped this approach and created a collaborative space and the first ‘open house’ on the glassblowing scence.
During opening hours, customers can watch the molten glass enter the furnace on a hollow blowpipe, before being shaped and cooled on a steel table.
Once the piece is finished in the hot shop, it is taken to the cold shop for cutting, grinding and polishing, making the pieces ready for the shelves and ultimately someone’s home.
The Bermondsey Street studio has roots across the pond, where founder Peter Layton was teaching ceramics at the University of Iowa in the late 1960s. He participated in a workshop on the emerging American studio glass movement, which was taking the ‘swinging sixties’ by storm.
Despite specialising in ceramics, the discipline immediately captured Peter’s attention, he said: “I was seduced by the immediacy of the material, and the spontaneity and risk-taking required by the process. Here was a medium where quick wit and spontaneity were vital, where every aspect of the process was an adventure.”
However, Peter faced resistance when he returned to Britain to share his new-found love for blowing hot glass. Glassblowing remains a comparatively young art form, especially when set against more traditional disciplines like painting, sculpture or pottery.
Many British galleries in the 1970s feared that glass required specialist lighting their clients didn’t possess in their homes. Opening a glass studio in this period was therefore a risky endeavour and Peter funded his venture by part-time teaching ceramics in various art colleges in London.
But, the studios were a roaring success, and Peter still works with glass in South London 50 years later.
Throughout his career, he has created commissioned works for the National Gallery, Tate Modern and the Royal Academy of Art.
Peter is currently in the process of handing over the running of the shop to his daughter, Sophie, and her husband, Tim, ahead of his 90th birthday in 2027.
Sophie has built a successful artistic career of her own, studying at Camberwell School of Art and earning a degree in Fine Art Printmaking from the University of Brighton in 2009.
She is represented by Eames Fine Art Gallery, one of London Glassblowing’s Bermondsey Street neighbours, and her work often depicts scenes of London Bridge and Bermondsey.
It’s unique for a gallery to have a working studio and hot shop at the back of the shop, where the public can watch the glassblowing. Sophie said: “The life blood of this company is the studio and the community of glass artists who come and use the hot shop.”
She described the studio as having a ‘cyclical nature’, with the artists working in the hot shop and then their items being sold in the gallery once completed.
In 2025, it has become increasingly hard for retail units to operate, yet Sophie and the Gallery Director Gena Johns remain highly optimistic about the thriving Bermondsey Street.
Sophie said: “To be a retail outlet you need to be extraordinary. To be able to watch a craft happening in central London is extremely niche, with customers developing an emotional attachment to a piece.
“There is a long way to go with glass as it is a young material, however, it is also functional. We all have glass in our homes and having people appreciate it as art is exciting.”
“For us to still be here is a testament,” Gena added. “Don’t be scared to come in and see how we work, we are always changing with a new exhibition every month.”
Sophie, Gena and the team are ready to welcome anyone into the gallery, whether they are looking for a new piece of art, or if they are intrigued about how glassblowing works.
Sat at the heart of Bermondsey Street, Sophie said customers often “stumble across us” whilst they are browsing the food and drink spots. London Glassblowing also benefits from the artistic spirit of the White Cube Gallery and the Fashion and textile Museum opposite.
Sophie said 2026 is being referred to as the “golden year”, as London Glassblowing is celebrating their 50-year anniversary next year and will be holding a year-long celebration of exhibitions and events.
Marking a start to the celebrations, Christmas is coming to the gallery between 14 November and 23 December, which will feature collections by Peter Layton, Tim Rawlinson and will showcase the much-loved Heirloom Christmas baubles.
As a tradition, some customers return every year to choose a signed glass-blown bauble for their collection. This year, they will be in golden colours and a special 50th year golden box.
This will culminate in a landmark anniversary exhibition in June 2026 to celebrate the gallery’s legacy and showcase prominent artists who have passed through its doors.
London Glassblowing will also continue its extensive work experience programmes and institutions, where they nurture artists at the beginning of their career.
In 2027, the celebration continues, as Peter Layton turns 90, which will make him one of the oldest glassblowers in the world.
If you are searching for a Christmas gift, smaller items in the shop start from £19, such as perfume bottles and Christmas baubles.
https://londonglassblowing.co.uk
London Glassblowing, 62-66 Bermondsey St, London SE1 3UD
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