The glassworks was established by John Robert Lucas, in 1788 because of the plentiful supply of coal for the furnaces, from
Elms colliery and other local mines of the Nailsea Basin and outlier of the
Bristol Coalfield. The choice of site may also have been influenced by plans for the
Grand Western Canal which was planned to include a branch to Nailsea. Lucas had previously had interests in a brewery and glassworks in
Bristol and another at
Stanton Wick. The company initially traded as "Nailsea Crown Glass and Glass Bottle Manufacturers". Lucas originally built two "cones": one for window glass and the other to make bottle glass. John Hartley of
Hartley Wood and Co moved to Nailsea in 1812 and began working with
Robert Lucas Chance who was the eldest son of William Chance, one of the partners. In the 1820s a new cone was built which survived until 1905, and in the 1840s the"Lily cone" was added for the production of sheet glass. The products were sent all over the UK and some exported to the
West Indies and the United States. Lucas's initial partners were William Coathupe and Henry Pater, although this company was dissolved in 1844 becoming Coathupe and Co. but then declined. In 1870 it was brought by
Chance Brothers but problems with coal supply led to the final closure. The works closed down in 1873, but "Nailsea" glass, an example of the "latticino" decorative style, (mostly made by glass workers at the end of their shift in Nailsea and at other glass works) is still sought after by collectors around the world. ==Site today==