In her early years at Hornsey College of Art, Davia Walmsley focused on ceramics. She even paused her studies for a year to work at Alvingham Pottery, determined to master the craft of throwing clay. Yet it was glass that soon captured her imagination. By her final year at Hornsey she had turned almost entirely to glass, a material that would define the rest of her career. After Middlesex University she continued her studies at Brierley Hill, gaining a postgraduate certificate in glass technology. From there she entered the glass industry to gain practical experience. Several studios sought her skills, but she chose to travel north to Blackpool, to work at the Venetian Glass Factory. The chance to learn directly from Italian glassworkers proved decisive.
By 1983, she was ready to strike out on her own. She established Sand Design, working from home and specialising in sandblasted designs for doors, cabinets, and shelves. Three years later, keen to expand her range of techniques, she founded Daedalian Glass Studios on Talbot Road in Blackpool — a name that marked the beginning of a new chapter in British glass art. Some years later they moved the operation to larger premises in the neighbouring town of Poulton.
Daedalian Glass Studios became part of Thompsons Contracts Group in November 2024. Daedalian’s founding family and studios were retained following the acquisition and are now working closely with Thompsons on exclusive interior projects.
Davia Walmsley as she is today.
Davia in the early days, presumably in her Blackpool studio on Talbot Road.
Text source: theirwebsite
Images by © Daedalian Glass Studios
