GWYDR History
Georgia, USA – The Savannah River. Overhanging oak tree branches laden with moss. Ambling paths lined with scented magnolias and azaleas. A far cry from Cardiff, Wales, but this is where the concept of a Welsh based stained glass business first began for Leanne Bunce, founder owner of GWYDR.
GWYDR: pronounced ‘gwidder’; welsh for glass.
In 1997 Leanne was taking time out between University degrees to travel. Georgia was just a road trip pit stop, en route between the icy winter blizzards of Maine in the north of America, and the Sunshine State of Florida in the south, but it was here that a friend gave her a few introductory lessons in soldering and stained glass. She invested in some basic tools, and by the time her travels reached Key West, Florida, she was already developing her own soldering techniques, using campsite electricity to make stained glass mirror frames, candle surrounds and picture frames. She was taken with the wide mix of glass colours available, and fascinated with the interaction of light with glass, causing fragmentation, reflection and illumination.
It was also in Key West that she was shown a collection of sea glass: broken bottles washed ashore reputedly from a sunken Spanish galleon. This dark glass, tumbled by the sea, frosted and smoothed into small pebbles, mystically allowed only a hint of light to pass through it. The history of this glass was steeped in romance, and the material itself was full of potential. Under the influence of a heady mix of tropical sun, sea, bright colours, newly discovered talents and tales of sunken galleons, Leanne’s love affair with glass really took hold, and a passion developed that crossed the Atlantic ocean with her, home to Wales.
Back in Cardiff, the type of stained glass work Leanne was mastering (using the copper foiling technique) was surprisingly unfamiliar to a large portion of the public who saw her work. It was sometimes mistaken for enamel, polished stone or painted glass. Leanne had taken an old art form, and creatively presented it as something new and exciting. Customers particularly shared her delight at the spectrum of colour and pattern choices available.
Whilst developing her stained glass techniques, Leanne adapted her soldering skills to enable her to work with sea glass to produce a collection of sculptural lighting and window hangings made from sea glass and solder. Each sculpture is atmospheric, made using glass from a particular beach or area, allowing each piece its own individual and organic shape according to the glass harvested.
Leanne’s personal interest in glass evolved into a consuming dedication, not only to improve her skills and work stained glass in innovative ways, but to build a thriving business that would revitalise people’s interest in this beautiful ancient medium, and to re-introduce it to the world as something vibrant and relevant.
A New Era
Leanne has honed her skills in a self-taught apprenticeship, developing unorthodox techniques and a distinct style. Her stained glass work began with larger pieces made with traditional solders. Over time, experimentation with different solders and sterling silver brought her to a concentration in jewellery. This is an area relatively untouched by stained glass artists and her years of dedicated practice make GWYDR jewellery stand out above and beyond others in quality and craftsmanship. 
Leanne’s signature designs are often bold, bright, asymmetrical, and unexpected. However, her tastes are diverse, and an appreciation of gentle colours also inspires her to create quiet designs of simplicity and elegance. Pendant shapes are always hand cut individually from sheets of glass. Glass patterns and colours are fluid and different in every sheet. Every hand twisted silver design is inspired in the moment of creation by either the glass patterning or the cut of the individual pendant shape. This process ensures no two pendants are identical.
A Different Perspective
By 2007 GWYDR had more work than one person could handle, so to fulfil Leanne’s vision for the future, GWYDR needed to expand.
Rebecca Marriott studied Biochemistry at Cardiff University. Like many graduates before her, she realised the subject she was studying wasn’t the direction she wanted her career to follow. During university breaks, Rebecca began helping out at GWYDR exhibitions. It wasn’t long before she began her own apprenticeship in stained glass, working under Leanne. In October 2007 Leanne ceased trading as a Sole Trader, and GWYDR became the Partnership it is today, consisting of Leanne Bunce and Rebecca Marriott.
As a scientist, Rebecca brings a different perspective to GWYDR. Her practical solution based approach to problem solving enhances GWYDR in its evolution of new ideas. Whilst apprenticing she undertakes much of the preparation work involved in the production of jewellery and stained glass art. Her analytical mind, love of research and natural attention to detail make her not only an excellent partner in the glass workshop, but also makes her an invaluable member of the GWYDR Partnership in all other areas.
Leanne and Rebecca form an untraditional team of jewellers, from different generations and backgrounds. Together they bring a combination of skills and personality to GWYDR that compliment and inspire each other to produce stunning works of art.
Location
Originally, GWYDR was based in Splott, Cardiff. Leanne and Rebecca worked from home, and also used Leanne’s father’s garage as a workshop. Splott is primarily a residential area, typified by streets of tight knit terraced houses. Originally built in the late 19th century on the land of Upper and Lower Splott Farms, the name is derived from an old English word meaning speck, blot, or patch of land. In many ways it was a perfect location, a short walk to the city centre and close to the bars and restaurants of Cardiff Bay, and the regular year round craft fairs and exhibitions taking place there.
In 2010, due to the expansion of GWYDR, the business relocated to premises in Whitchurch, Cardiff, and now consists of a workshop, offices and storage. Records of Whitchurch date back to 1126, when the land was granted to Llandaff Cathedral and a chapel was built. Now it’s a bustling village with shops, restaurants and bars, easily accessible from Cardiff City centre, the M4 and the A470.
Despite travels and wanderlust, Leanne’s roots are firmly in Wales. Proud of her Welsh heritage, she’s dedicated to solidifying and maintaining the Welsh identity of GWYDR, promoting Wales and Cardiff abroad.
GWYDR is proud of its beginnings in Splott, and is equally proud of its continuing base in Cardiff. You only have to stroll around Cardiff City centre, dominated by Cardiff Castle, to get a sense of history here. Yet this is a thriving, multicultural city that reflects the ethos and attitude of GWYDR and celebrates difference. As a cosmopolitan city of creativity and vision, Cardiff is a perfect base for GWYDR to develop stained glass jewellery.
If you should ever visit Cardiff Bay, go for a stroll along the boardwalk at Mermaid Quay. There you’ll see the bronze statue of a young couple and their dog. The sculpture is called ‘People Like Us’ sculpted by John Clinch in 1993. It celebrates the ordinary people who lived and worked in the area. The left arm of the young woman is outstretched, pointing across the water as if to the future and all its possibilities. And this is how Leanne and Rebecca see GWYDR – firmly rooted in Cardiff, yet filled with aspirations and possibilities, reaching out across the waters to the future.
