
Operating from 1824-1976 this was once the world’s leading glass manufacturer and a pioneer of British glass-making technology. In that time, the factory produced glass for the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben’s clock face and the Crystal Palace. It also developed specialist glass for telescopes and lanterns and created lenses for 2,500 lighthouses around the world. Now the site is semi-derelict and the 8 listed buildings and scheduled ancient monument are falling into disrepair. Chance Heritage Trust commissioned us to prepare a Phase
1 Concept Design and Feasibility Report for an area of land previously home to Chance Brothers Glassworks. Our vision for Chance Island is to create an urban village of housing, work space and leisure uses in the existing and proposed buildings linked by extensive planting and new connections to the two canals forming the north and south site boundaries.
