By Anne Loadman
Professional children’s, and mental health writer, gives us a brief history of glass, and its legacy in Sunderland
Some facts and myths about glass
1. Glass is 100% recyclable and can be reused time and time again, making it very environmentally friendly. It can be remelted, without ever losing its quality. https://www.britglass.org.uk/our-work/recycling
2. Glass is a bit of a free spirit! The atoms in glass, are not arranged in an ordered, crystalline way, like other ceramics. They are more random and ‘amorphous’ – literally meaning without shape! This leads to the question – is glass a liquid or a solid? https://edu.rsc.org/analysis/do-you-really-know-what-glass-is/3008331.article
3. Glass is highly durable, transparent and resistant to many chemicals, which makes it ideal storage for many substances.
4. Glass can both transmit, and bend, light. This makes it useful for lenses and prisms.
5. The largest glass window is currently in a building in Beijing, China, and is 17m high.https://www.mornglass.com/guinness-world-record-world-largest-glass-window.html
6. Until the 1950s, flat glass had to be made by blowing cylinders of glass, which were then cut into shape. Sir Alistair Pilkington then developed the ‘float’ method, which allowed a continuous ‘ribbon’ of glass to be floated on a bath of molten tin. https://www.pilkington.com/en/global/knowledge-base/glass-technology/the-float-process/the-float-process#
7. Glass helps us see on the roads! Glass beads are used in the manufacture of reflective road marking paint.
8. Even sea glass can be valuable. Lots of people in the North East like to comb the local beaches for sea glass. While most is white, blue, or green – red, or orange sea glass is regarded as rare, with red being the most prized. https://realseaglass.com/pages/all-about-red-orange-and-yellow-sea-glass
9. When glass breaks – the cracks move at 300mph!
10. The National Glass Centre, which is based in Sunderland, is in danger of closing, despite gaining a Traveller’s Choice Award, from Tripadvisor, which is only awarded to the top 10% of properties and attractions.
You can help us to save it by signing our petition and sharing our content 😌
Save the National Glass Centre 