Hardman & Co.
Corporate brand
UnclaimedHardman & Co. was a Birmingham manufacturer of stained glass, ecclesiastical metalwork, and church furnishings closely associated with the Gothic Revival and the Pugin family.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Hardman & Co. was an English decorative-arts and ecclesiastical-furnishings firm founded in Birmingham in 1838 by John Hardman junior. The business grew out of the Hardman family's metalworking trade and became one of the most important British producers of stained glass and church fittings during the nineteenth-century Gothic Revival. Its work combined metalwork, stained glass, architectural decoration, and related ecclesiastical objects, with the firm supplying churches, cathedrals, civic buildings, and other major commissions in Britain and overseas. The company's origins lay in the family enterprise of John Hardman senior, a Birmingham-area button maker and medallist. In 1838, John Hardman junior left that business to establish an independent operation focused on ecclesiastical metalwork. His relationship with the architect and designer Augustus Welby Pugin proved decisive. Hardman supplied metalwork for St Chad's Cathedral in Birmingham, a landmark Catholic building consecrated in 1841, and the firm subsequently became a major manufacturing partner for Pugin's church interiors and furnishings. At Pugin's urging, Hardman entered stained-glass manufacture in the mid-1840s. John Hardman Powell, the founder's nephew and later Pugin's son-in-law, joined the enterprise and became its principal stained-glass designer. Powell developed a distinctive interpretation of medieval and Gothic forms, using flowing outlines, strong color, figurative compositions, and carefully controlled ornamental detail. Although the work drew on medieval precedents, it was not simply archaeological imitation; Powell and the firm's other designers adapted Gothic principles into original nineteenth-century compositions. Hardman participated in the Great Exhibition of 1851, where it displayed a major chandelier designed for Alton Towers. The firm's relationship with the Pugin family continued across several generations and extended to the production of windows, metalwork, fittings, and decorative schemes for Roman Catholic and Anglican buildings. Hardman also produced much of the stained glass designed by Pugin for the new Palace of Westminster, while another firm supplied the windows for the House of Lords. The company later maintained a relationship with the building through repairs and replacement of glass damaged during the Second World War. The firm developed an international reputation through commissions in Australia, including extensive glazing for St Andrew's Cathedral and St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney. Its windows were also installed in churches and religious institutions across England, Ireland, Scotland, the United States, and South Africa. The range of surviving commissions demonstrates the company's role not merely as a local workshop but as an international supplier of Gothic Revival architectural decoration. In 1883, the metalwork design department separated from the stained-glass department and operated under the name Hardman, Powell and Co. after the leadership of John Hardman Powell. Following Powell's death in 1895, John Bernard Hardman, a grandson of John Hardman senior, led the business and represented it at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris. The firm continued operating into the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, though changing architectural fashions and the contraction of the traditional ecclesiastical market affected its position. A major fire at the Newhall Hill studio in 1970 damaged or destroyed a substantial part of the company's archive, including material associated with its Medieval Room. Some early and damaged cartoons were later placed in controlled storage at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. In 2006, Hardman acquired stained-glass manufacturer Goddard & Gibbs. The combined business nevertheless closed in 2008. After the closure of the Lightwoods Park premises, members of the Hardman family and designer Edgar J. B. Phillips continued aspects of the studio's traditional design and manufacturing work for a period, but the historic business itself is regarded as defunct.
History
John Hardman senior operated a successful metalworking business in Handsworth, near Birmingham, specializing in buttons, medals, and related manufactured goods. His son, John Hardman junior, established an independent enterprise in 1838. The new company initially concentrated on ecclesiastical metalwork, benefiting from the nineteenth-century revival of Catholic church building and medievalist design. The decisive creative partnership was with Augustus Welby Pugin. Pugin was involved in the design of St Chad's Cathedral in Birmingham, built for the Catholic revival in England, and Hardman supplied metalwork for the project. The firm's contribution included substantial gifts and fittings connected with the cathedral and the Hardman family chapel. This relationship made Hardman an important manufacturing channel for Pugin's architectural ideas. Around the mid-1840s, Pugin encouraged John Hardman to enter stained-glass production. John Hardman Powell, the founder's nephew, joined the enterprise and became its leading designer by approximately 1849. Powell married Pugin's daughter Anne in 1850 and described himself as Pugin's only pupil. He translated Pugin's medievalist principles into stained-glass compositions characterized by refined line, luminous color, flowing drapery, and intricate ornament. His work helped establish the firm's identity and raised its status within the British stained-glass trade. Hardman exhibited at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851, showing a large chandelier designed for Alton Towers. The firm collaborated with E. W. Pugin on projects including the funeral arrangements for John Talbot, sixteenth Earl of Shrewsbury, in 1852. Cooperation with the Pugin family continued after E. W. Pugin's death through the later practice of Pugin & Pugin, extending across several generations and contributing to the decoration of Catholic churches in Britain and Ireland. One of the firm's most prominent architectural relationships was with the Palace of Westminster. Pugin designed much of the interior decoration, and Hardman manufactured most of the stained glass for the building, although Ballantine and Allen produced the House of Lords windows. Hardman subsequently repaired and replaced glass affected by wartime damage. The commission demonstrated the company's ability to execute large-scale architectural work in addition to individually designed church windows. International commissions expanded the firm's reach. In the 1860s, architect Edmund Blacket commissioned 27 windows for St Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney, including large east and west windows installed for the cathedral's 1868 consecration. In the 1880s, architect William Wardell selected Hardman for major windows at St Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral in Sydney. The cathedral's extensive glazing included three rose windows and a monumental east window based on the tracery of Lincoln Cathedral. Other commissions followed across Australia, the British Isles, the United States, and South Africa. The company's organization changed in 1883 when the metalwork design department separated from the stained-glass department and traded as Hardman, Powell and Co. Powell remained central to the firm's design direction until his death in 1895. Leadership then passed to John Bernard Hardman, grandson of the founder, who headed the company until 1903 and took it to the Exposition Universelle in Paris. During the twentieth century, Hardman retained premises in Birmingham, including locations in the Jewellery Quarter, Newhall Hill, and Lightwoods House. A fire at the Newhall Hill studio in 1970 destroyed or damaged a large portion of the firm's historical archive. The surviving material included early cartoons and other design records, some of which were transferred to temperature-controlled storage at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. The firm continued making stained glass into the twenty-first century under later directors including Donald Taunton and Patrick A. Feeny. It acquired Goddard & Gibbs in 2006, but closed in 2008. Following the closure of the Lightwoods Park operation, Justin Hardman, a descendant of John Hardman, and chief designer Edgar J. B. Phillips continued elements of the traditional studio practice for a time. The historic Hardman business, however, did not continue as an operating company.
- 2008
Business closure
[1]The historic Hardman business closes.
- 2006
Acquisition of Goddard & Gibbs
[1]Hardman acquires the stained-glass manufacturer Goddard & Gibbs.
- 1970
Newhall Hill studio fire
[1]A fire damages or destroys a substantial part of the company's archive, including material from its Medieval Room.
- 1903
End of John Bernard Hardman's tenure
[1]John Bernard Hardman's period as head of the firm ends after he has represented it at the Paris Exposition Universelle.
- 1895
Leadership passes to John Bernard Hardman
[1]After John Hardman Powell's death, John Bernard Hardman assumes leadership of the firm.
- 1883
Metalwork department separates
[1]The metalwork design department separates from the stained-glass department and trades as Hardman, Powell and Co.
- 1868
St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney, glazing installed
[1]A large Hardman commission, including 27 windows, is installed for the consecration of St Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney.
- 1851
Great Exhibition participation
[1]The firm exhibits a major chandelier designed for Alton Towers at the Great Exhibition in London.
- 1844
Entry into stained-glass manufacture
[1]At Pugin's urging, the firm begins developing stained glass alongside its established ecclesiastical metalwork business.
- 1841
Work associated with St Chad's Cathedral
[1]Hardman supplies ecclesiastical metalwork for St Chad's Cathedral in Birmingham, strengthening its relationship with Augustus Welby Pugin.
Products and positioning
A high-end historic British workshop specializing in architect-designed Gothic Revival stained glass and ecclesiastical metalwork, with a reputation for craftsmanship, medievalist design, and major church and cathedral commissions.
Architectural stained glass · 1844
Stained-glass windows
The firm's best-known product was architect- and designer-led stained glass for churches, cathedrals, chapels, civic buildings, and educational institutions. Hardman windows often used Gothic Revival iconography, medieval-style figure drawing, strong colored glass, elaborate tracery, and ornamental borders. Major examples include work for the Palace of Westminster, St Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney, and St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney.
Church furnishings · 1838
Ecclesiastical metalwork
Hardman began as a producer of ecclesiastical metalwork, supplying church interiors with screens, fittings, vessels, decorative objects, and related architectural metal elements. Its work for Pugin-designed buildings helped establish the company within the nineteenth-century Catholic and Gothic Revival building movement.
Decorative metalwork · 1851
Chandeliers and lighting fixtures
The company also produced substantial decorative metalwork, including the chandelier designed for Alton Towers and exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851. Such work demonstrated the firm's ability to manufacture large architectural and interior objects in addition to stained glass.
Ecclesiastical furnishings · 1838
Church interior fittings
Hardman supplied integrated decorative elements for religious buildings, including rood screens, architectural fittings, and related furnishings. These commissions were frequently coordinated with Gothic Revival architectural schemes and helped create unified interiors rather than isolated decorative pieces.
Brand decisions
2006
Acquisition of Goddard & GibbsM&ABackground
Hardman remained active in stained glass during a period when traditional architectural-glass businesses faced a narrower market.
Action taken
The company acquired Goddard & Gibbs, another stained-glass manufacturer.
Aftermath
The acquisition preceded the closure of the Hardman business in 2008.
1883
Separation of the metalwork design departmentStrategyBackground
The company had developed substantial capabilities in both metalwork and stained glass under John Hardman Powell.
Action taken
The metalwork design department was separated from the stained-glass department and operated under the name Hardman, Powell and Co.
Aftermath
The reorganization clarified the firm's distinct metalwork and stained-glass activities while retaining the Hardman-Powell identity.
1844
Diversification into stained glassStrategyBackground
The nineteenth-century revival of medieval and Gothic design created growing demand for stained glass in churches and other architectural projects.
Action taken
At the urging of Augustus Welby Pugin, Hardman expanded beyond metalwork into stained-glass manufacture and design.
Aftermath
Stained glass became the firm's defining activity and the basis of its international reputation.
Sources1 sources
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