Early 20th Century Stourbridge glass vase c1930s. Footed vase with vertical lobes above the foot extending part way up the body. Clear sea-green coloured glass. Ground pontil mark to base and etched B719. The design of the vase is similar in colour and style to that produce by Whitefriars during the 1930s and is thought to be from Stevens & Williams who produced a number of designs similar to Whitefriars during the 30s and 40s. The vase is 20 cm in height.
 
Although tracing its roots back to the 8th century BC, more recent glass production in Stourbridge goes back to the early 17th century when Huguenot glassworkers from France settled in the area. The ready availability of coal together with the local fireclay for lining furnaces proved particularly suitable, with small cottage industries setting up and growing alongside the new canal network. Despite being referred to as Stourbridge Glass most earlier producers were actually located in surrounding areas including Wordsley, Amblecote and Oldswinford. These small businesses grew quickly, drawing in workers from surrounding rural areas. The glass industry in Stourbridge boomed during the 19th century with manufacturers in the area to include Thomas Webb, Stuart & Sons, Stevens & Williams, Boulton & Mills, Richardson, and J. & J. Northwood as well as nearby producers such as John Walsh Walsh and Smart Brothers. The expertise of the Stourbridge glassmaking industry continued to grow, and its engineers and industrialists spread with the expanding British empire to set up operations around the world. The area become the birthplace of modern glass techniques with technological advancement reaching its zenith between 1850 and 1900 when it was considered to have some of the finest glass craftsmen in the western world.