Bath Aqua Theatre of Glass

Bath Aqua Theatre of Glass is an artisan glassmaking company in Bath, Somerset. It began in 1996 on Walcot Street, where it became known as the Theatre of Glass. The studio moved in 2025 to Ashley Wood Farm in Kingsdown, a converted farm site. The company makes Aqua glass, a blue-green tint inspired by Roman glass from Bath’s thermal springs. Its stained glass studio has been at Ashley Wood Farm since 2015. The farm’s cow sheds now house both glassblowing and stained glass workshops. The business was founded by Annette Dolan, a master stained glass artist who is dyslexic and has written a book to encourage others. Her late husband Adrian, known as ‘Mr. Walcot’, led the brand’s public identity for over twenty years. He organised the Walcot Winter Lantern Procession and glassblowing demonstrations that taught thousands about Bath glass. Annette and Adrian worked together for decades, turning the Walcot Street studio into a tourist destination. Themis Mikellides, another stained glass artist, joined as managing director and developed a style blending photography and nature into modern glass designs. Visitors to Ashley Wood Farm see glassblowers at work in converted farm buildings. The studio produces signature Aqua glassware and memorial pieces like ‘Ashes into Glass’. A rare William Burges stained glass window, once displayed in the Walcot studio, is now preserved at the Victoria Art Gallery. The company also contributed to the King Bladud’s Pigs project with hand-blown glass pieces that raised funds for local greenways. The farm’s rural setting contrasts with Bath’s city centre, offering a quiet place to watch skilled craftsmanship.