Q&A with Henry Alban Davies - The Vintage List
Meet Henry. Former antique dealer, Georgian and Victorian glass afficionado and founder of The Vintage List, suppliers of our most favoured etched glasses. Here's how Henry got into the drinking game.
Could you introduce yourself?
Hello, I am Henry, and I am the owner and director of The Vintage List. I live in London with my wife Camilla, our four children, two cats and bunny called Basil.
How did you get started in the world of glassware?
I have always been interested in antique glass. I used to be an antiques dealer, and I had great fun visiting antiques markets and salerooms. You would find all kinds of things. Some patterns and shapes became very familiar, but occasionally you would see something quite unique. Unfortunately, I am a fairly clumsy person, so one of the good things about setting up The Vintage List has been that I can now replace the glasses I break!
You are a collector of antique glass. How does this influence your designs?
All of our designs are inspired by old, mainly English patterns. We have tried to take elements of a pattern, or the whole thing, such as the stars, and recreate them.
Why is the company called The Vintage List?
The company is called Vintage because it is inspired by old glassware, and List because it is a selection of the things we like the most.
Why do you think The Vintage List has such a following with The Hambledon's customers?
I think that our shapes and designs are subtle and interesting, and your customers appreciate that. Although there is a traditional element to what we do, it is also about creating attractive objects that can be enjoyed.
Favourite drink for each glass shape please!
Champagne Saucer:
Obviously it has to be a glass of champagne. Although recently the actor Stanley Tucci used one for a Martini, and apparently it was very good!
Tumbler:
I like to use the tumblers for water or sometimes a small beer.
Liqueur:
A small, cold sherry.
Wine Goblet:
I like this glass for red wine. It is heavy enough to feel substantial in the hand and looks great on the table.
How and where is your glass made?
Our glassware is made in the north of China. It comes from an area that specialises in handmade glass. All of our glassware is hand-blown and hand-engraved from lead-free crystal. The hot glass is blown into moulds to create the shape. The champagne saucers and wine glasses are quite unusual, as the bowl and stem come in two different parts. With most modern handmade glassware, the stem is pulled out of the bowl, but we connect ours together. Finally, after it has been annealed, the pattern is engraved onto the glass using fast turning wheels. The engravers mark the pattern with ink and then cut the design. It is a skilful process.
What exactly is crystal glass?
Crystal glass is a type of glass that contains special minerals, such as Zinc and Barium, that give it that lovely, sparkly quality.
What has been your proudest moment with the company?
Our proudest moment was probably after we did our first trade fair. We had such amazing feedback. It felt like such a risk setting up the business, but at that point we knew we had made the right decision. We started with only a small amount of stock of our champagne saucers, but it has grown and grown.
What makes you smile?
When something new arrives from our factory, and it is everything that we had hoped it would be.
Any exciting plans for the future?
There is a new restaurant opening next month in Covent Garden and we will be supplying most of their glassware. It is the first time we have done anything like this, so it is quite exciting.
