Tucked away in the small town of Bovey Tracey, is The House of Marbles. Over the summer, following a vow to try at least one new thing, I stumbled across the glassblowing experience that is offered there. In my time scrolling on social media I have often found myself in awe of glassblowers, and the need to give it a go for myself was overwhelming. Myself and a friend paid £65 each to have a lesson in the craft of glassblowing. In order to get there, we took a train from St David’s to Newton Abbott and had a short walk to a bus stop, after which we were thankfully dropped off at the doorstep of The House of Marbles. The experience can be enjoyed independently, in pairs or a group, and you are able to choose between glass vessels, or decorative birds when booking.
The experience is incomparable to anything I have tried before. While pottery classes have posed a challenge and a chance to get some creative juices flowing, glassblowing was on another level. I cannot deny it was incredibly difficult. The experience is incredibly hands on – help is there of course, but at no point did I feel coddled. The strength and lung capacity required to create a vessel from molten glass was something I – naively – underestimated, but the aches and pains following were worth it. A quick pitstop at the cafe and a wander around the museum dedicated to the art of glassblowing left me revitalised, but nothing compared to the feeling of holding my own labour of love. After only a few days our glass vases were delivered to our home and in our hands. I couldn’t believe something I had literally breathed life into was now this dense weight in my hands.
Whenever I look at the vase, I remember the experience of firing, blowing and molding it. I get existential thinking about it – this vessel that now holds my flowers was forged by my breath, my hands and a miniature inferno.
Overall, the experience was amazing. While I found it difficult, I am still incredibly proud of my vase and have a different level of respect for glassblowers, both past, present and yet to come. To say I was a complete beginner, I did not feel disadvantaged, as the experience is designed to meet you at your level. Our instructor, Lucy, was a wonderful teacher, and very open about her own trials and tribulations with the craft. While it may seem steep in price, I would argue the experience was well worth it and recommend it highly, whenever given the chance.
