Most likely the first place that will spring to mind when thinking of glass making is St Helens.
The industry was the driving force behind the Merseyside town for over 150 years, and no name is more synonymous with this than Pilkington's.
The industry is often traced back to 1826, when St Helens Crown Glass Company was formed by John William Bell and capital was raised from three wealthy families who lived in the area.
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However, despite popular belief, Pilkington's did not bring glass-making to St Helens first, Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Francois Graux de la Bruyere was believed to have brought glass making to St Helens and was the first manager of the Ravenhead glassworks.
According to author Nikolaus Pevsner, the technique of casting plate glass had been developed in France in the 1680s, with the centre being St Gobain.
In his book, 'South Lancashire: The Industrial and Commercial South,' he states that in 1773, the British Caste Plate Glass Company was founded at Ravenhead, now part of St Helens, with Jean-Baptiste Francois Graux de la Bruyere being the manager.
A number of residents may be unaware that St Helens' glass making heritage predates St. Helens Crown Glass Company and Pilkingtons, which overtime has become synonymous with the town.
In one part of the borough, fascinating facts have since been uncovered by The Chantry St Helens volunteers, who dig up the ancient monuments by hand, with some remains being found two feet below the surface.
And one of the most fascinating people found on site was arguably the founding father of glassmaking in St Helens.
Ned Forsyth previously told the ECHO: "The grave of Jean-Baptiste Francois Graux de la Bruyere, he came from Picardy in France, or Belgium depending on what year it is.
"He was the man who brought glassmaking to St Helens. Without him, St Helens would not have been the world capital for glass and yet there is nothing in St Helens about him.
"He came up with the idea of actually blowing a bottle, cutting the top off, cutting the bottom off, cutting it down the middle, putting it back in the lehr. Can you imagine the first time he did it and showed people? They’d never seen a piece of glass that big."
In the grounds, his gravestone inscription reads: "Here lie the remains of Jno Bap't Fran'c Graux De la Bruyere.
"He was the first That Brought to Perfection A Work of Very Considerable Magnitude And Importance to the Commercial Interests of the British Nation The Cast Plate Glass Manufactory.
"In Memory of the Distinguished Abilities of so Deserving a Man These lines are inscribed.
"He was born in St. Gaubain in Picardie in France. He died at Ravenhead Decem'r 5th 1787 In the 48th Year of his Age."
