The Pyrex Story

Extended until April 2020 / Art Gallery / FREE

See examples of Pyrex from across the decades, including new additions to our collection.

Pyrex was manufactured by James A. Jobling & Co. Ltd. at the Wear Glass Works from 1922. It was a revolutionary, heat-resistant borosilicate glass which could be moulded, painted and printed. It was also among the very first household products to be marketed directly to housewives. 

The production of Pyrex domestic and laboratory glassware ended in Sunderland when the factory site was closed in 2007. The last commercial glassware factory in the city, the closure marked the end of an era of commercial glass making in the city.