Council buys Stuart shop
The landmark Stuart Crystal glass shop has been sold to Dudley Council, paving the way for future expansion of the Red House Glass Cone site in Wordsley.
Council leaders say the sale of the redundant shop will bring "exciting opportunities" for one of the borough's jewels in the crown and one of the last four glass cones in the country.
Dudley Council has refused to say what the bid was worth but the shop has been marketed at £250,000.
As well as the shop, which closed in March bringing to an end 60 years of trading, the council has also bought other buildings including exhibition space at the site.
Cabinet member for environment and culture, Councillor David Stanley, today described the purchase as "an opportunity that was too good to miss".
"The Red House Glass Cone is only one of four remaining glass cones in the UK and of these it is the best preserved," he said.
"Owning this extra space on such an historic site, intrinsically tied to the borough's heritage will provide us with lots of exciting opportunities for the future."
"As we already had a 99-year lease on the cone itself it made sense to put in a bid and unify the site."
Council bosses will now look into expansion plans for the museum.
Its owners Waterford Wedgwood were forced to shut the shop after it went into administration earlier in the year.
