Bracken: the most abundant species of fern found in Europe. With medieval and post medieval records showing that glass could be manufactured using fern ash as a source of alkali, I became interested in using this material within my own batch recipes. As part of my thesis, I was working with wildlife groups whom specifically cut down bracken for management control and therefore considered an invasive / waste material. I was specifically working with bracken sourced from woodlands surrounding the river Thames in Oxfordshire; following ancient processes to turn into a suitable ash and a key component for Thames Glass. . . . #thamesglass #bracken #fern #nationaltrust #wildlifetrust #ancientprocess #ancientglass #medievalglass #forestglass #riverthames #workingwithwaste #localmaterials #abundantmaterials #invasiveplants #glassalchemy #glassblowing #glasswork #futurearchiology