Pilkington UK is marking its 200-year anniversary this year, celebrating two centuries of pioneering manufacturing that has helped to change the way buildings are designed and used.

It was 1826; the year the internal combustion engine was patented, the first photograph was taken, and Beethoven was at his creative peak.

In Merseyside, North West England, four local families joined forces to open ‘St Helens Crown Glass Company’, and it is still going strong 200 years later.

The business was renamed Pilkington Brothers in 1849 when William and Richard Pilkington acquired the company. This became Pilkington Ltd in 1894, and the name now remains a byword for quality and innovation in glassmaking.

In its lifetime, Pilkington UK has consistently pioneered the development of new processes and technologies that have enabled the manufacture of the highest-quality glass at an industrial scale.

The company went international in 1892, first opening agencies to sell its products in Europe, North America, Australia and beyond, and ultimately opening factories in countries including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, America and South Africa.

By the 20th century, Pilkington UK had become a leading force in the global glass industry, and a pivotal moment came in 1959 when Sir Alastair Pilkington invented the float process, where molten glass is floated in a bath of molten tin.

This transformational innovation meant that, for the first time, large, perfectly flat and clear sheets of glass could be reliably manufactured continually and to a uniform thickness.

It was an invention that would change glassmaking and modern architecture forever and to this day, float glass is the most widely produced form of glass in the world.

Over the years, Pilkington UK glass has also been used in iconic cars from the Model T Ford to classic British brands like Land Rover, Rolls Royce, and Aston Martin. It’s also been used in the world’s best-known buildings, from the Empire State Building in New York, Pyramide du Louvre in Paris, to the UK’s tallest building The Shard, London.

While also operating factories around the world Pilkington UK has always been committed to St Helens, employing more than 11,500 people in the town at its peak.
In 2006, Pilkington UK became a wholly-owned subsidiary of NSG Group and today it employs around 3,000 people at sites across the UK.

It has developed a portfolio of products with qualities that the original founders could never have imagined, including Pilkington Activ, the world’s first self-cleaning glass, Pilkington Suncool, which reflects solar radiation to help keep buildings cool, and Pilkington K Glass, which acts as an insulator to help keep buildings warm.

The company also plans to unveil investments this year at its St Helens base, with new coating technologies unlocking a new generation of architectural glass products.

Neil Syder, managing director of Pilkington UK, said:

“To play my small part in the 200-year story of such an historic and iconic British brand is truly a privilege.

“From our home in St Helens, Pilkington UK has made an impact around the world and I’m proud of all of our colleagues, past and present, who have contributed to its amazing story.

“And Pilkington UK continues to play a pioneering role in the global glassmaking industry.

“In 2025, we completed a multi-million-pound investment in a new sustainable production line at our Greengate Works site, in a move to decarbonise our operations and work towards achieving a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2050. This year we continue to invest in our St Helens coating facilities.

“As part of NSG Group, Pilkington UK continues to be a byword for quality and innovation in glassmaking, which has embodied this business since 1826.”