Founded in 1861 as Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Company, the firm was established by the socialist artist, designer, and writer William Morris as a retailer and workshop for decorative arts and furnishings. From the outset, the company was conceived as a collaborative enterprise, bringing together artists and designers who shared a commitment to the revival of traditional craftsmanship and a rejection of industrialised mass production.
William Morris (1834–1896) stands as one of the central figures in the revival of British stained glass during the second half of the nineteenth century. Through the firms Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. and later Morris & Co., his designs — and those of his close collaborators, especially Edward Burne-Jones, Ford Madox Brown, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti — transformed the visual language of Victorian church decoration.
Above the Lavatorium at Gloucester Cathedral, these Hardman windows from 1868 depict a number musical angels.
Hardman & Co representation of the Nativity
Six lancet windows, by Hardman and company, in the nave of St Joseph, Avon Dassett, Warwickshire.
These 5 stained glass windows are part of a series of 10 windows on the life of Joan d'Arc. They are part of a commission by Jacque Galland and Esprit Gibelin for Orleans Cathedral in France.
This two-light window depicting Christ’s Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1–16) is by Burlison & Grylls (c1897), and is located in St. Nicholas. South Kilworth, Leicestershire.
This Hardman &Co. window of 1887 illustrates the story of the Pharisee giving alms to the poor, and the Publican displaying humility.
In 1834 the London Wine merchant James Powell (1774-1840) bought the small Whitefriars glassworks just off Fleet Street as a business for his sons. Originally unfamiliar with glass production the company experiemented with different techniques and were soon supply patent glass to other leading stained glass companies and designer as well as making stained glass windows of their own.
