Nigel Benson began collecting glass in the early 1970’s whilst studying Landscape Architecture. His enthusiasm for the subject culminated in founding his company specialising in selling glass in June 1986 and becoming synonymous with British twentieth century glass. His dealership has supplied glass from Britain, Scandinavia and Czechoslovakia to exclusive private collections and museums in the UK
, including The British Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum, Broadfield House Glass Museum and the Geffrye Museum. His international connections have included a number of world renowned museums. Having been a collector of British glass when most collecting of twentieth century glass meant mainly Art Nouveau and Art Deco glass from France and North America Nigel recognised that this was an area full of opportunity – both commercially and historically. This looking for niches has been a common thread of the business, having dealt in glass by James Powell & Sons, Whitefriars, Kings Lynn Glass, Isle of Wight Glass and many more well before their later recognition by other collectors. This continued with glass from Czechoslovakia when, whilst also part of a co-operative ‘Freeforms’, (later to become FreeformsUK, and then FreeformsUSA) he became absorbed by unusual designer pieces from that country. Nigel was invited to be the consultant on the Miller’s publication Collecting Modern Design and then to write the Millers Guide to Collecting '50's & 60's Glass which was regarded as being successful having sold out and is still in demand by collectors. In 2003 two projects culminated in exhibitions; the first, Nazeing Glass and its Origins was held at Lowewood Museum, Hoddesdon, Herts. And covered the history of the company since inception in Vauxhall during the 1880’s through to modern times; the second was a joint venture with another specialist dealer that encompassed designer cut glass from between about 1920 to 1970 and was called Art Deco to Post Modernism, A Legacy of British Art Deco Glass. In 2009 Nigel was approached to become the Twentieth Century Glass Consultant for a terrestrially based auction house, Auction Atrium, that ran all its auctions online. During 2013 this form of auction has become a popular vehicle for a number of auction houses using an umbrella site. Nigel also provides consultancy for publications as well as articles and ideas for many leading antique magazines. He also gives lectures on many aspects of collecting glass, mainly connected with his passion, British glass, but also on Continental and Scandinavian glass mainly from the post war era. In his role as a specialist he has appeared both on Radio and television and is a regular writer for The Glass Association having also written for a number of Antique magazines over the years. He is a member of The Decorative Arts Society, a committee member and Trustee of The Glass Association, and is a keen supporter of The British Glass Foundation, having previously been a member of the Steering Committee that helped found the charity.
