Notes

There are two types of glass which are linked to life at the Cape, the earlier being that imported from Europe, and the later, that made locally in the Cape in the last quarter of the nineteenth century.

The availability of sand in close proximity as well as the difficulty (due to breakages) of importing glass led to the creation of South Africa's first glass factory in Woodstock in 1879. The South African Glass Company Ltd manufactured glassware colloquially known as 'Woodstock Glass'.

They produced hand-blown items such as decanters, water jugs, vases ,tumblers, wine, champaign and custard glasses which were then etched in various designs, the most iconic and recognisable being the 'fern-leaf' etching.

The lack of mechanisation coupled with the preference of the colonial people for the lure of the imported article, meant that they abandoned production and the factory closed in 1882, making these items collectable in often varied sets as presented here.