Skip to main content
A black and white photo shows a group of eight people in a large kitchen. They are all smiling and looking at the camera. Most of the people are wearing white aprons and small caps on their heads. One person in the front is holding a small white card. On the left side of the room, there is a large window with many small panes of glass. On the right side, there is a big cooker and other kitchen tools.
A black and white photo shows a group of eight people in a large kitchen. They are all smiling and looking at the camera. Most of the people are wearing white aprons and small caps on their heads. One person in the front is holding a small white card. On the left side of the room, there is a large window with many small panes of glass. On the right side, there is a big cooker and other kitchen tools.

Women's Work at Pyrex

Photographs courtesy of Historic England Archive

The hidden photographic histories of women’s work in 20th Century Sunderland are being uncovered with new research from Sophie Piper in partnership with the North East Photography Network, Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens and Historic England.

During 2026, Photographer and Researcher Sophie Piper collaborated with women who worked at the Pyrex Factory in Sunderland to expand and enrich the story of women’s work in Sunderland. Through a series of workshops, Sophie has been uncovering hidden photographic and oral histories using photographs taken by Eileen ‘Dusty’ Deste as a catalyst for discussion.

Guided by the participants’ insights, Sophie and Amanda Ritson (NEPN) are co-curating an exhibition of the project to be presented at Culture House in 2027. The exhibition will include a soundscape produced in collaboration with Grace Stubbings.

 

Hear about the project

You can also catch Sophie on 8 March talking about the project as part of Culture House Sunderland’s International Women’s Day celebrations.

Find out more

Who is Dusty Deste?

Eileen ‘Dusty’ Deste was a commercial photographer from the 1920s – 1970s with a personal interest in documenting regional British industries. She travelled the country in a Land Rover, photographing industries from the South to the North of England. From tin mines in Cornwall and potteries in Staffordshire to the Pyrex Factory in Sunderland.

She visited the Pyrex factory in January 1961. She photographed both male and female employees working across the departments – from the office to the factory floor, laboratories to canteens.

Her photographs are a comprehensive photographic documentation of the company, guided by her own interests, not a commission. Her work brings a new visual narrative to an industry that has primarily been seen through the male gaze.

A portrait photograph of Dusty Deste. A black and white photo of a person sitting on the roof of a Land Rover. The person holds a camera and smiles. The car has a spare tyre on the front bonnet. In the background, there are brick houses and four very tall chimneys. Small clouds of smoke come out of the chimneys.
Zoom picture 1 of 5
A black and white photo shows people working in a factory. In the front, many glass bottles sit on a metal belt. Two people in white coats stand behind a wooden barrier. They look down at the bottles under a bright light. Other people work at tables further back. The rest of the room is dark.
Zoom picture 2 of 5
A black and white photo shows people working in a factory. In the front, many glass bottles sit on a metal belt. Two people in white coats stand behind a wooden barrier. They look down at the bottles under a bright light. Other people work at tables further back. The rest of the room is dark.
Zoom picture 3 of 5
A black and white photo shows a group of eight people in a large kitchen. They are all smiling and looking at the camera. Most of the people are wearing white aprons and small caps on their heads. One person in the front is holding a small white card. On the left side of the room, there is a large window with many small panes of glass. On the right side, there is a big cooker and other kitchen tools.
Zoom picture 4 of 5
A black-and-white archival photograph of individuals working inside a mid-century office environment. An individual seated in the foreground looks toward the camera while working at a wooden desk with papers. Two other individuals are visible further back at separate desks, one writing and another leaning over a desk near the left wall. Desks hold papers, ledgers, and a typewriter in the lower right. The walls feature a calendar, a reference board, and a long mounted chart filled with columns of data.
Zoom picture 5 of 5

About the Pyrex Factory

James A Jobling & Co Ltd of the Wear Flint Glass Works obtained the license to produce Pyrex, a heat-resistant type of glass ideal for laboratory glassware and kitchenware in 1921. They became the supplier of Pyrex Pyrex for the Commonwealth countries (except Canada).

They first made domestic products and then expanded into laboratory glassware. Due to the product’s success, Jobling’s swiftly became known as the Pyrex Factory. At the height of production in 1960, over 3500 people worked there.

This project is led by photographer and researcher Sophie Piper, as part of her collaborative PhD at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens – delivered in partnership with Historic England and the North East Photography Network, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of the Museum redevelopment project

Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens logo
University of Sunderland logo
Sunderland City Council logo
North East Photography Network logo