Waterford Crystal – a history

Waterford Crystal – a history

If you are on tours of Ireland try and see some of this crystal. You may even be lucky enough to be able to buy some.

World-famous crystal. The Waterford Glasshouse was founded by George and William Penrose in 1783.

Over several generations , this family perfected the art of mixing minerals and glass to produce brilliant yet durable crystal ware.

In 1851, the Penroses’ crystal won several prizes at the Great Exhibition in London , but heavy export taxes forced their factory to close.

The production of Waterford Crystal was revived by 1947 and it was relaunched on the world market in 1951.

In the early 1960s a larger glass works was built and by 1980 Waterford Crystal was the world’s largest producer of handcrafted crystal.