Forest Glass - Location of Glass Houses

Location of Glass Houses

The vast amounts of wood needed to produce glass in this way dictated that glass houses be located in forest areas and that the woodland be carefully managed by coppicing and pollarding to maximise the wood resource and to optimise the size of wood pieces used. Even so, periodically the glass-house would have to relocate as the woodland was depleted. The glass industry had to compete for wood supplies with other industries such as mining, and domestic demand. In 16th century England, an embargo was placed on the use of wood for fuel for glass-making. Glass houses were often located in forests owned by the church. One of the main uses of forest glass was for ecclesiastical stained glass windows.