Clayton and Bell commenced business in 1855 and soon became one of England's most successful producers of stained glass windows. Strictly speaking, stained glass is glass that has been painted with silver stain and then fired. ...

Although they came on the scene comparatively late, compared with John Hardman and Co., William Wailes and James Powell and Sons, it was Clayton and Bell who received the Victorian Era's first commission for an entire set (or cycle) of stained glass windows. These were for the newly-built Great Hall of Sydney University, modelled by the Colonial Architect, Edmund Blacket, on the Great Hall of Westminster. Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her Ascension to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian Era of Great Britain marked the height of the British industrial revolution and the apex of the British Empire. ... The University of Sydney, established in 1850, is the oldest university in Australia, and it is located in Sydney, the capital city of the state of New South Wales. ... Edmund Thomas Blacket (1817-1883) was an Australian architect, born in Surrey, England. ... Clock Tower and New Palace Yard from the west The Palace of Westminster, on the banks of the River Thames in Westminster, London, is the home of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, which form the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

See also

• Stained glass
• Stained glass - British glass, 1811-1918
• Victorian Era
• Gothic Revival