Born in Prague and brought up in England, Peter Layton studied ceramics at the Central School of Art and Design in London under some of the foremost potters of the day. He chanced upon glassblowing while teaching ceramics at the University of Iowa and since returning to Britain has been continuously at the forefront in promoting this magical and versatile medium.

In 1969 Sam Herman conceived and set up the Glasshouse in Covent Garden. Peter Layton helped build the first furnace there and was involved in its beginnings. He subsequently established his own small glass studio at his pottery at Morar in the Highlands of Scotland, a Glass Department at Hornsey College of Art (Middlesex University) and in 1976, the London Glassblowing Workshop in an old towage works on the Thames at Rotherhithe.