Our History

At just ten years old, John Ditchfield first glimpsed into the world that would define his life. On a school trip, he pressed his face to a shop window and became captivated by a display of frosted cobalt-blue vases and perfume bottles. Determined to buy the set for his mother, he spent every penny of his spending money for the two-week trip. He could not have known then that this fascination would grow into a lifelong career, making him one of Britain’s most commercially successful studio glass artists - with his own work displayed not only in shop windows, but in galleries and exhibitions across the world. However, glass was not his original path.

Born in his parents’ Blackpool hotel, The Moorfield, John was the youngest of three. His family expected him to continue in hospitality, and he began training as a commis chef at The Cliffs Hotel. But when he was just sixteen, his mother, Nora, passed away. As the driving force behind the hotel, her loss cast doubt on John’s future as a chef, and quietly opened the door to another destiny.

Searching for work, John came across an advert for a summer job as a glassblower’s assistant. Remembering those blue glass treasures he had once bought for his mother, he applied. What he thought would be a few months of casual work turned into seven years of intense apprenticeship under Italian master Franco Toffolo at the Venetian Glass Company in Blackpool. Here, John absorbed the intricate techniques of Venetian glassmaking - lessons that would shape the rest of his career.

Restless to refine his skills further, John turned to history for inspiration. He became enthralled by the Art Nouveau masters, particularly Tiffany and Loetz. At the Haworth Museum in Accrington, he studied Tiffany’s glass with fascination, eager to unlock the chemical secrets behind its iridescent effects. Many nights, he worked until sunrise, experimenting in pursuit of that same magic.

In 1979, John travelled across Europe, working alongside leading glass artists. In Holland, he collaborated with A.D. Copier, one of the 20th century’s most influential designers at Leerdam Glassworks. He also spent time with glassblowers in Germany before returning to England in 1981, determined to strike out on his own. With backing from entrepreneur Donald Sidebottom, John opened his first studio in Blackpool, just a short walk from the hotel where he grew up. The first furnace was lit in 1982, and Glasform was born. Eighteen years later, John moved the studio to the countryside village of Singleton, onto a former farm he had dreamed of living on as a child.

Over the next 43 years, Glasform gained an international reputation. John’s pieces - described as collector’s items and “antiques of the future” - were sold in Harrods, Liberty, Selfridges, and galleries worldwide. His work travelled to exhibitions across the United States, Australia, Germany, Holland, Canada, New Zealand, and beyond. Along the way, he collaborated with jewellers, architects, and lighting designers, building bridges between glass and other art forms.

Without any formal academic training, John carved out a career spanning more than half a century through relentless curiosity, experimentation, guidance from great maestros, and the support of a dedicated team. In July 2025, after 57 years at the furnace, John laid down his blowing irons for the last time and retired. With the closing of Glasform came the end of an era — but the legacy of its founder shines on, a lasting testament to the boy who once stood spellbound before a shop window of cobalt-blue glass.