Boule de Noël
Today we were heading to Bayel, a small village about a 40 minute drive from us which was once famous for its glass and crystal factory - Cristellerie de Champagne. We were not quite sure what to expect, but I’d booked us onto a Christmas glass ball blowing workshop. We were each going to get the opportunity to blow our very own ‘boule de Noël’.
Sadly the glass factory, which had been producing items for over 350 years, closed its doors in 2016. Prior to this, in 1994, thanks to the volunteers of the Bayel Tourist Office, the Bayel Crystal Museum had been created. So through this small but delightful museum the glass and crystal creations live on. The museum is set over two floors, and details the tools and skills that are required to produce such unique pieces. There is a wonderful old film that is shown at the end of the museum tour which touches on the history and the wealth of industry this small village brought to this area of France.
Some of the finest pieces of glass are displayed within the museum, commissions from l’Orient Express, Cartier, Hermés and Fabergé being some of the most delicate and beautiful.
To help protect this important historic, cultural business it has been labeled a ‘Living Heritage Company’, recognising the glass factory for its talent and glassmaking know-how. Now the small team of professionals ensure their master craftsmenship is shared, and hosting these seasonal workshops is one way to do that.
As we stepped into the workshop area, the heat from the furnaces hit us.
We were first asked to choose our colours. Not as easy as I first thought, I wanted red, but there was about four different reds. I chose a darker red colour and Brian chose red and white, in a slightly brighter red.
Our part in the creation was to blow slow and steady down the long metal tube, I managed to achieve my ball in one long puff.
Brian took a few puffs. If you went to fast then the ball would be too big and the glass too thin, so it was all about a steady controlled exhale of air.
Once we had created the ball, then the glassmaker added a glass ring on the top to make it possible to hang.
They needed to cool slowly so we will go back next week to collect the finished articles.