Pyrex Love Stories

Joan worked at Pyrex from 1972 packing up Pyrex in boxes ready to be sold. This dish was given to her when she worked at the factory to commemorate 1300 years since glass was first made in Sunderland for the Wearmouth 1300 Festival. Joan remembers the heat of the factory floor, which sometimes caused workers to faint, so the supervisor would carry around smelling salts.

This round butter dush was made in 1973 as a promotional item for ‘Blue Band’ margarine. The margarine was the perfect shape to fit into this round dish. Joans kitchen still has a lot of Pyrex pieces that are used regularly. She used her casserole dishes to make Shepherds pie – with a secret ingredient, baked beans!

The Clover bowls were a wedding present from Jim’s aunt which were brought on the train from Epsom. Jim and Ann got married in 1960. The large clover bowl was used for big family parties, and was often filled with trifle. It has a sticking plaster on the bottom that says Ann so that it can be returned after events.

This set of clover bowls have two handles, but one is designed as a pouring spout. This shape is sometimes called ‘Cinderella’ and seemed to come about in the late 1950s, inspired by the popularity of the film. The story of Cinderella features a prized glass object, so it makes sense that Pyrex marketers would use the same name for their new design!

This snowflake dish has been passed on from Ann and Jim to their daughter, Elizabeth. It is regularly used for Sunday dinners. It’s great for serving and putting in the oven, but not good in the microwave – because it doesn’t fit!

This snowflake design, part of the ‘Gaiety’ range, was Janette’s mums and was used for Sunday dinners, mainly for apple sauce or mint sauce. For Sundays dinners there would be mum and dad, her brother and Janette. Her parents were each 1 of 9 siblings so they were a small family in comparison. Janette remembers how hard her mum used to work on Sundays – and she was a full-time teacher. The family had a cooked breakfast on Sundays and Sunday dinner and there was always a pudding, like crumble or lemon meringue. Her mum was always baking.

This was a commemorative piece made for the Pyrex factory workers to celebrate Sunderland AFC winning the FA Cup. Carole’s dad worked at Pyrex, where sports was a big part of the Pyrex community. Carole remembers, “Pyrex Sports Day happened once a year in the summer. All Pyrex families were invited. We got the Jolly bus to South Hylton. My dad and Uncle Alan were in charge of the prizes. Me and my sister won all of the races! We won a leatherbound writing case with envelopes and paper.”

This is a great example of the Art Glass produced by Joblings in the 1930s, imitating the more expensive French Lalique designs of the time. “I remember walking down Portobello Road in Sunderland across the Rope Walk, seeing glass blowers throwing molton chunks of glass around outside to try and cool it down. Sunderland used to be full of glass, everywhere you looked. Once I shouted over to a man, ‘how do you get the glass green?’, and he said they chuck potatoes into the mix!” – Jeff Smith

Pyrex took on contracts for other firms, as well as producing its own designs. Peter Bodum, the mid-century Danish coffee maker, designed this vacuum coffee maker, ‘Santos’, and Sunderland’s factory was asked to produce the round glass pieces for the vacuum coffee maker. “My dad had worked as a glassblower with Pyrex but then got a job in London and was working down there. Pyrex took a contract on with the Danish company Santos but none of the blowers were able to make the round glass coffee pots – there were too many mistakes and inconsistencies. So Pyrex got in touch with dad and offered him this work because of his skills. Dad fulfilled the order and was gifted one of the coffee makers as a thank you – it’s been in the family since well before 1985, it could have been made in the 1960s, or even 50s! My dad was a tea drinker, so it was never used. According to the instructions you put the glass straight onto the heat and I’ve always been worried it might break, so I’ve never used it either.”

Karen’s dad – George Buckley Young – was a fitter and turner at Pyrex for over 30 years from the 1960s-90s. He was famously off work sick for just a single day in his entire career. He got a great discount in the Pyrex factory shop so Karen remembers having a lot of Pyrex pieces in her home growing up. When she got married, she went to the Pyrex shop with her dad and got kitted out with new Pyrex! Karen remembers her gran having lots of Pyrex in her kitchen and has inherited her and her mums love of baking.

The oval design of this Pyrex ‘Practical Pie Funnel’ was registered in 1968, and was made by the scientific glass blowers in the factory. Margaret, who owns this piece, worked at Pyrex as a team leader in packing and used to show groups of visitors around the factory as a Pyrex Official. Pyrex was always used for trifle on Boxing Day, and another one was used for roasts. This ‘Practical’ pie funnel was passed down her family line.

Mam did a lot of baking making pies, scones and cakes. She uses to use Pyrex flan dishes. Our favourite recipes were mince and steak pies. Dad got his Pyrex commemorative watch for 25 years service at Pyrex. He worked shifts either 6 – 2, 2 – 6 or 6 -10, known as continental shifts. I used to see dad before school after the late shift. We have large Pyrex steak plates with an orange pattern around the edge. I wanted to take part because my dad worked there and it brings back memories.

This dish was a gift from a Pyrex worker, Dave Dixon, to Carole Mallin and her family in the early 2000s, shortly before the closure of the Pyrex factory in Sunderland. By this time, many of the patterns and colours that Pyrex is known for had been replaced with clear, utilitarian glass. This large roaster has a spout for pouring, making it great for gravy,

Carole’s dad worked as a maintenance fitter at Pyrex. He brought this Pyrex pie dish home shortly before the closure of the factory in 2007, passing away one year later in 2008. This dish became a family heirloom, and holds memories for Carole and her family.

Sarah worked at the Pyrex factory from 6 – 10pm to fit around childcare. She packed Pyrex on a production line and liked assembling the cardboard boxes. There was a machine that stapled the boxes, then she stacked them onto crates for the forklift trucks. She didn’t like the dark, quiet walk home and often ran to get home faster. She got a discount in the Pyrex shop but it was only for the workers and their immediate family. A neighbour tried to get her to buy Pyrex for them but wasn’t allowed.

“I don’t remember my parents or grandparents using Pyrex at home, but I have bought a couple of casseroles for myself since moving to Sunderland and learning about our city’s glass-making heritage. My boyfriend loves to cook and we’ve been working on our own version of Panakelty (every family has its own recipe!) in this Sunderland-made Pyrex. It’s perfect for those crunchy bits around the edge – my favourite bit.”

“I discovered through the global JAJ community that Pyrex was made here in New Zealand for a short period during the 60s and 70s. But, for most New Zealanders, Pyrex is about JAJ. We tend to hang on to things here, so 1960s Snowflake and Gooseberry dishes are common finds in ‘op shops’ (New Zealand charity shops) and because Crayfish is a big native delicacy here in NZ you see an awful lot of the ‘Lobster’ pattern here – I suspect the national love for seafood is why it was such a popular pattern here.”

“Here in New Zealand we are big on ‘slices’, so a lot of Kiwiana sweet slices have been prepared in the JAJ oblong spacesavers because the shallow ones are the ideal size and depth. You’ll also find a lot of NZ bacon and egg pies (not like a quiche, it’s bacon, eggs, frozen veg and chutney encased in pastry) baked in JAJ Pyrex.”

“My husband was an amateur runner. He would run one hundred miles every week! And I remember that in the North East competitions there were prizes for the winners – and they were always a travel mug or a set of Pyrex! Needless to say, we had a lot of Pyrex. I remember we had a full set of Chelsea – including the metal stand with the burner underneath. I used them for forty years, even making pies and quiches in the glass lids, before they all went to the Charity shops.”

“I’m remembering now my family using Pyrex in the kitchen at home. My dad had an allotment and used to bring us home food for dinner that he had grown. He used to bring home dark green cabbages that my mum would boil until it was white and translucent. I hated it so much I would wait until mum’s back was turned and scrape the cabbage off my plate into my pocket, or feed it to the dog. Me and my sister used to fight over the cabbage water – I always drank it and my skin was always amazing. I put it down to the vitamins in the cabbage water that had been boiled out of the cabbage!”

“My first husband was from Sunderland and his uncle worked at Pyrex. I can remember his wife bringing home a white coffee percolater that was fashionable at the time, because it was how the Americans made coffee, it had blue decorations on the side. I saw the word ‘Cornings’ and it brought that memory back.”

“This cup has recently been found in my house after being in a cupboard forever. I’m not sure when I got it, but it’s probably from my first marriage. I use it every night now for a cuppa before I go to bed.”

“I think Pyrex gets used most days. The casseroles used to be used regularly, the stuff lasts forever. I could see the factory from the window of my work in Monkwearmouth. I don’t know where I got this but I’ve picked it up from somewhere.”

“I picked this up in a charity shop recently. If I saw another one I would buy it! It looks as though it has never been used. I decided to buy it because I know Pyrex is the history of the city. I’ve got it up on a shelf at home.”

“All we use is Pyrex wherever possible. At Christmas we use ‘Gaiety’ with the black snowflakes. This is our Christmas table from a couple of years back. It’s not all of the Gaiety pieces we have, but most of them. There’s just not enough room on the table!”

“My Pyrex collection all stared with my wife buying a small Phoenix ware side plate and she said to me that if I see any other pieces that I should pick them up … so I started picking up any milk glass that I saw … but it was the Pyrex patterns that caught my eye and the more I bought the more I became interested in the different patterns and the shapes of the dishes… that was around 10 years ago.”

“Finding pieces to add to my collection is becoming a little difficult these days… most of my collection has been charity shop and bootfair finds but I also shop on eBay and Etsy and trade with other collectors around the UK. I don’t really try and complete sets of dishes as I just don’t have the space to store them all. I try and get at least one dish in a pattern… usually 509 casseroles if possible.”

“All we use at home is Pyrex where possible. We don’t have any particular special recipes but we do like to use certain dishes for certain recipes… the children (17,20 and 24) love to use a roasting dish for enchiladas and then use a selection of different bowls and dishes for all the sides and the like. We love to mix and match different patterns.”

“The first Pyrex piece I ever found was an American Butterprint bowl at a charity shop in Calgary, Alberta. I don’t know what it was about that bowl but I have been hooked ever since! Now I collect mid-century kitchenware, which reflects my love of cooking and baking. I use my Pyrex daily and I find great joy in discussing Pyrex and collecting with other aficionados online, and hunting for new pieces and bargains and boot sales and flea markets all over the UK. I once drove more than 3 hours away to collect a special set I found online!”

“Pyrex reminds me of my mother – she was an avid baker and while I do not associate any specific pattern or bowl with her, for example, the warmth and patterns of Pyrex reminds me of my childhood, baking with my family. I now make memories with my mother and aunt who have also started collecting Pyrex! While they still live in Canada and I have moved to the UK, we still swap Pyrex and stories online. Every time she visits me, she brings a suitcase of Pyrex and I do the same when I visit her!”

“I do all my baking using Pyrex – I have a number of bowl sets which are my everyday workhorses, and I have prepared everything from regular dinner to friend’s wedding cakes using these bowls! They are what I reach for every day, every time I cook or bake. I definitely enjoy the washing up more when it is beautiful Pyrex that I am washing!”

“I used to work in a kitchen shop in Cardiff and I was able to dress our window for the last major Pyrex anniversary and the release of the Pyrex 100 years collection – I got to mix some of my vintage pieces in with a beautiful window celebrating Pyrex through the ages. I got a visit from the local Pyrex representative, and he gifted me a Pyrex book and some goodies to celebrate the occasion!”

“I used to make the Pyrex baby bottles in half size and full size. I was there for 4 years, from 1981. I was what’s called a Machine Minder. The glass would come out of the furnace, and shears were used to chop bits off the lumps of glass. The machine was called the TCM, the Turret Chain Machine. My best friend worked on it for years. The machine was oval, and moved around every 2 seconds, powered by electricity and compressed air. My bit was in the blownware part of the factory, in Millfied. I don’t remember there being any Health and Safety. If you worked with the glass blowers, they were up high on the gantry, with the moulds below them on the floor. They would gather the glass in the furnace, then carry it to the mould and hold it over the mould. They had to time it exactly so the glass would run down into the mould, and the bloke at the bottom would shut the mould. There was a lad who opened and closed the mould and another lad who would carry it to the Lehr, wearing gloves. The lehr was like a mesh belt that went along 30 foot, with gas burners along to keep the glass pieces hot. Workers would put their pies or potatoes on the Lehr to cook them for their dinner. There was a lad whose job it was to fetch pints from the Percy Arms – he had these enamel pint cans with steel handles – five or six in each hand. The manager would fill up the cans, and give the lad a half each time before filling them.”

“We received 3 coloured Pyrex mixing bowls as a wedding present in the 1970s. They were red, dark green and yellow. My mum owned a set of hunting scene Pyrex plates. We are both ex teachers and used Pyrex for different things in our careers. I was a physics teacher and used conical flasks, beakers and test tubes at George Stephenson High School in Killingworth. My wife was a domestic science teacher at Walbottle Secondary School and the children brought in Pyrex plates and dishes to make their recipes. We also used Pyrex measuring jugs. We once put a Pyrex dish under the grill and it exploded. I found this poster a couple of years ago – I collect interesting items at boot fairs to sell on.”

“I worked in the laboratory from 1962 – 1964. There was a team of us working together and we analysed the glass. Two of us collected samples of glass daily. The analysis was important because the amount of the ingredients was crucial. The sampled glass was smashed and then powdered using a pestle and mortar. Acids like sulphuric and hydrochloric acid were added, then the powder was weighed in cabinets using weights. If the percentage of the ingredients was incorrect the process was repeated again to be checked. Action was then taken – the lehrs were stopped and the glass was tipped to be used again, the silica sand was also analysed before it was unloaded from the ship from Spain. A wonderful two years. Margaret, Dorothy and Madge were the girls I worked with.”

“I started my apprenticeship at Jobling’s factory after I left school at 15. I went to West Park college first, before I could start work in the factory which I did on my 16th birthday in 1963. I spent 6 months in the tool-room to learn about tool making, and worked in the other departments for the rest of my 5 year apprenticeship. I particularly remember in September 1966 I was given the opportunity by JAJ to attend Brathay Hall on Lake Windemere, an outward bound course for one month. The following year I was invited to join an expedition to Southeast Iceland with the Brathay Exploration Group as part of my apprenticeship. We travelled there on a ship from Edinburgh called the SS Gullfoss, named after the famous waterfall. The first morning, hardly anyone showed up for breakfast because everyone was so seasick. I remember a giant Icelandic seafarer laughing at all of us – the trip put me off the idea of going in the merchant’s service! After completing my apprenticeship, I worked in the blown-ware department but I wasn’t a lifer. My experience in the tool-room motivated me to return to education and re-train as a toolmaker in 1975.”

“I had a whole dinner service of Pyrex in this ‘Chelsea’ design from when I got married. I still use this plate every day, and I have the gravy boat to match. My mother-in-law opened up all of our wedding presents, so we didn’t know who had gotten us what! I know I re-gifted some of it – I hope I didn’t give any of it back to the person who gave it to me… I’ll never know!”

“I have lots of Pyrex in this pattern. I use the dishes every day, and I have a large one that gets used for serving the Sunday dinner. I didn’t know these could be worth any money today, but apparently this design is popular in Japan. My granddaughter wants to travel to Japan – maybe I could fill her up a suitcase with my Pyrex to sell!”

John began working at the Pyrex factory in the 1960s as a wagon driver. When the post of Chauffeur was advertised, John applied and was one of 3 lucky men who became chauffeurs to the 3 directors. John was assigned to Raymond Cottier who was a former officer in the SAS Marine Command. Raymond insisted on calling John ‘Jack’ and looked after him extremely well. He made sure Jack stayed in the same hotels as him and enjoyed the same quality meals. Jack drove him to Buckingham Palace when Raymond received an honour. Jack had uniforms from Moss Bros and his shirts were sent to the laundry to keep them looking smart. Jack drove Mark 10 Jaguar cars and Humber Super Snipes. It was a very demanding job though, as he was on call at all hours of the day and night. He was welcomed by the Cottier family; Raymond’s wife and young daughter Victoria. He often took Victoria to the cinema or a restaurant to keep her entertained. He always received a personal card from the family at Christmas.

“Seeing pictures of the different patterns brings back many memories. I feel like I am back at the Christmas table, looking at the faces of my family sat around the table which was full of Pyrex! I can picture everyone laughing and joining in. We had the Hunting Scene set – there were plates, casseroles, gravy boats, teacups and saucers. There were 9 of us for Christmas dinner – sometimes even more if someone brought their partner – and our meal was served on Pyrex.”

I started working at Pyrex in 2007, the year that the factory closed – I worked in Maintenance. We were told at the beginning of the year that we were closing, and so the whole time I was there we were working towards it, bit by bit. And then suddenly the final day was upon us. This photograph was taken on the last day of production, but some of us stayed on to dismantle the machines and take the factory apart for another 6-8 weeks after that date. We were all given a copy of the inhouse newsletter ‘The Looking Glass’ and a glass microwave plate to commemorate our time at the factory.

“I remember going to the Pyrex factory regularly with my Mam, Nanna and aunties. My Nanna had loads of Pyrex dishes and I particularly loved the white rose design set [June Rose]. She had the plates, cups & saucers. I still have a massive deep casserole dish that is perfect to cook mince and dumplings in. It belonged to my mam and I still use it to this day. I wonder how many times we’ve collectively made mince and dumplings in it?”