Codu Glass Co. |
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Glass Merchants & Glazing Contractors |
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Lead Glass (Kent) |
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Whatever your requirements, from a piece of glass to a conservatory, please telephone, e-mail, or even call in & see us. |
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Sid putting the finishing touches to a lead light unit he has just created and below at the Kent Showground on the Lead Glass (Kent) stand. |
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Sid has worked with glass since he was 14 years old. He still plays an active part in the company he founded & is one of only a handful of people in the country who makes leaded light windows. |
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In 1968 I was made redundant with a fortnights’ holiday pay. I quickly found The Union Street premises in Maidstone to rent for £7.10s per week and started from there.
Initially I was doing work for the public and then trade customers, who expected a monthly account. I soon ran out of money and so brought in a partner. That’s when Codu glass really started. The funny name came from the first two letters of our surnames.
Our main business was glazing and supply only to the trade. We then became an agency stockist for Louvre, which helped our turnover increase.
We turned our hands to leaded light units, which were coming back into fashion. After a short while, the company who were supplying us couldn’t keep up with our demands, so I ended up buying the supplier and increasing the staff from 6 to 32.
Some of our contracts were to take out and rebuild every leaded light window in the old Archbishops’ Palace in Maidstone and rebuilding and refitting all the ‘stained glass’ panels to the Maidstone museum, amongst a whole host of other works.
We are now entering into the world of UPVC windows, doors and conservatories etc. and are now serving the public after years of experience of trade only.
We still pride ourselves on being called and trading as a ‘Glass Merchant’. Where as we will still cut that little piece of glass for the old lady’s budgie cage as well as supplying and fitting to Windsor Palace, Mandela House in London as well as Railtrack stations in the south east.
The company, as I can see, will continue trading well into the 21st century, now I have retired. |
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The Lead Glass (Kent) workshops at Whitstable. |
