Cumbria Crystal - Our Staff
Bev Frankland
Operations Manager
Everyone who has commissioned work will have dealt with Bev at some point. There is not much about the project management & manufacture of hand blown and cut crystal that Bev has not dealt with since first starting as a 16 year old glass washer in 1990. Bev worked her way through the factory process department to becoming Head Quality Controller at Cumbria Crystal and even now she has a managerial role she is still regularly seen double checking quality and adjudicating grading decisions. Her patient and professional manner ensure the smooth daily running of the factory.
Steve McDougall
Master Glassmaker
Steve has been blowing glass at Cumbria Crystal since 1989. Steve is our ‘Wine Servitor’ and is personally responsible for the creation of the stems and feet of every wine glass produced at the factory. This hugely skilled task uses traditional glass making processes brought from Stourbridge when the factory was founded in 1976. Cumbria Crystal is now one of the few places in the world where the particular ‘casting on’ technique that Steve excels at can still be seen. Steve enjoys working as part of a small team creating the highest quality hand-made crystal possible.
Steve Brettle
Master Glassblower
Steve is a hugely experienced glass blower, servitor and expert in working with coloured crystal. Having previously worked in glass factories in the Midlands for most of his working life, he moved to Cumbria Crystal in 2014.
Andrew Round
Glassblower
Jitka Wilcox
Master Glasscutter
Jitka has 27 years’ experience of diamond wheel glass cutting and has worked at Cumbria Crystal since 2004. Jitka spent 3.5 years studying full time at a glass technology College studying glass cutting in the Czech Republic before graduating and working for a further 16 years in a Czech crystal factory. Jitka is able to translate the most demanding, complex and intricate designs into beautiful products. Cumbria Crystal is famous for the incredible cutting craftsmanship and it is worth noting that the precision and perfection of our glass belies the fact that every piece is completely hand-made. Jitka enjoys the challenge of the Grasmere cut but when the opportunity arises loves to cut more freestyle designs such as flowers and leaves.
Robert Thompson
Master Glasscutter
Vicky Seale
Quality Controller
Vicky has worked at Cumbria Crystal since 2013 as is our primary Quality Controller and Production Supervisor. Maintaining exceptional standards is key to Cumbria Crystal’s reputation so grading assessments take place throughout the production process to ensure consistently high standards of are maintained. It requires concentration, good eyesight and attention to detail! Since every piece of glass is entirely hand-made, this is quite an art as absolute uniformity can undermine the desirable artisan qualities associated with hand-made products. Every piece of crystal that leaves the factory will have been inspected at least four times to ensure only the highest quality products are ever dispatched.
Jonathan Rigg
Production Operator
Jonathan grew up in Ulverston and joined Cumbria Crystal in 2015. Jonathan is involved with most processes required to prepare the blown glass for cutting. This will involve ‘cracking off’ the excess glass once it passes through from the glasshouse, using the edge melting machine to soften the edges of the glass so that the product is safe to drink from or touch, cold working and grinding the glass and maintaining quality control in the factory. He is also responsible for any repairs to the glass as it passes through the process, meaning that every day is different and comes with a new challenge to solve.
Jamie Seale
Repairs and finishing specialist
Jamie joined Cumbria Crystal in 2020 and has quickly demonstrated a natural rapport with glass. He works in the ‘process’ area where crystal is prepared for the glass cutters after the blowing process is complete. Jamie specialises in cold working, repairs and finishing.
Ben Seale
Processing and Cold Working Specialist
Ben joined Cumbria Crystal in 2021 and demonstrates true skill when it comes to working with glass, especially within the cold working stage of crystal production.
Kieron Bower
Glass Marker
Kieron was born in Cumbria and joined the company in 2021. Since then, Kieron has been responsible for hand-marking all our designs and their proportions onto each-and-every item of glass produced in the factory.
Kieron uses a permanent blue pen to indicate the design the glass cutters must follow to create their intricate designs with the diamond cutting wheels. Without preparation they could not achieve the precision they produce.
Whilst every product is the result of teamwork few people handle every piece of crystal in the factory. Kieron is rightly proud that his work sits on Royal dining tables, is in all British Embassies worldwide; has been seen in Downton Abbey and features in the Bentley Bentagya Mulliner.
Thomas
Retail Assistant
Tom works at Cumbria Crystal as part of our Retail Team since July 2022. His role is to greet customers who visit our Outlet Store and to assist them through their visit and purchasing journey. He has previously worked for Thorntons, Next, Liberata and the Emirates Stadium alongside being a television extra.
