Composer Beethoven was at his creative peak when Merseyside glassmaker Pilkington came into existence in 1826 – now the firm is celebrating 200 years of pioneering manufacturing. Tony McDonough reports
Glassmaker Pilkington is celebrating 200 years of “pioneering manufacturing” in St Helens that “changed the way we design and use buildings”.
Composer Beethoven was at his creative peak in 1826 when the St Helens Crown Glass Company was founded by the Pilkington and Greenhall families. In June 2006, Japanese glassmaker Nippon Sheet Glass (NSG Group) completed a £1.8bn takeover of the firm.
St Helens has long been associated with glassmaking. In 1773, the British Caste Plate Glass Company was established at Ravenhead.
In 1849, the business was renamed Pilkington Brothers when William and Richard Pilkington acquired the company. This became simply Pilkington in 1894.
In its lifetime, Pilkington UK has consistently pioneered the development of new processes and technologies that have enabled the manufacture of the highest-quality glass at an industrial scale.
It went international in 1892, first opening agencies to sell its products in Europe, North America, Australia and beyond, and ultimately opening factories in countries including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, America and South Africa.
By the 20th century, Pilkington UK had become a leading force in the global glass industry, and a pivotal moment came in 1959 when Sir Alastair Pilkington invented the float process, where molten glass is floated in a bath of molten tin.
This transformational innovation meant that, for the first time, large, perfectly flat and clear sheets of glass could be reliably manufactured continually and to a uniform thickness.
It was an invention that would change glassmaking and modern architecture forever and to this day, float glass is the most widely produced form of glass in the world.
Over the years, Pilkington UK glass has also been used in iconic cars from the Model T Ford to classic British brands such as Land Rover, Rolls Royce, and Aston Martin.
It has also been used in the world’s best-known buildings, from the Empire State Building in New York, Pyramide du Louvre in Paris, to the UK’s tallest building The Shard, London.
While also operating factories around the world Pilkington UK has always been committed to St Helens, employing more than 11,500 people in the town at its peak. Today it employs around 3,000 people at sites across the UK.
It has developed a portfolio of products with qualities that the original founders could never have imagined, including the world’s first self-cleaning glass.
Neil Syder, managing director of Pilkington UK, said: “To play my small part in the 200-year story of such an historic and iconic British brand is truly a privilege.
“From our home in St Helens, Pilkington UK has made an impact around the world and I’m proud of all of our colleagues, past and present, who have contributed to its amazing story.
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”And Pilkington UK continues to play a pioneering role in the global glassmaking industry. In 2025, we completed a multi-million-pound investment in a new sustainable production line at our Greengate Works site.
“This is part of a move to decarbonise our operations and work towards achieving a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2050. This year we continue to invest in our St Helens coating facilities.
“Pilkington UK continues to be a byword for quality and innovation in glassmaking, which has embodied this business since 1826.”