People are only realising what the circular shaped glass in pub windows is for – it’s blowing their minds
A HISTORIAN has revealed the history behind the circular shaped glass in pub windows – and it’s fascinating.
Alice Loxton, 27, has over a million followers on social media and she has them captivated with her fun and factual videos revealing little known snippets of history.
In a recent clip posted to Twitter she has revealed why some old shops and pubs have the circular glass shape in some of the window panes.
The historian explains that the circular panes are called “bullseyes” and they relate back to medieval times.
Alice says: “In medieval times the way that window glass was made was similar to blowing glass.
“A blob of molten glass was picked up on a pontil and span rapidly to form a disc.”
She goes on to describe how the “flatter, thinner bits of glass were used for windows” and that the bit in the middle with the circular mark would be “re-melted”.
But not always, she adds: “Sometimes the bit in the middle was not re-melted and it was sold off cheap for low status buildings, often pubs.
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“And you might often see them in front doors, because whilst they can allow sunlight in, they don’t give a clear view into the house, so it does give you some privacy.”
She describes how in the 18th and 19th century these circular shapes became so associated with the “medieval past” that lots of “fake bullseyes” were made in order to make the buildings appear much older than they really were.
Alice shows an example of a “bullseye” window pane in her video, located in Goodwin’s Court in Covent Garden, London.
And she recommends that people should “definitely check it out” if they are passing by.
Her informative clip has racked up over 100k views and people are fascinated to discover the history behind the glass.
One user said: “This is really interesting, thank you, I thought they were purely decorative.”
Whilst another said: “I’ve always wondered why windows had that pattern! Thanks for explaining!”
And another impressed follower added: “Your boundless enthusiasm for history is inspiring.”