Museum celebrating Stourbridge glass making finally set for completion after near £1m grant
A 'People's Museum' showcasing Stourbridge's glass making heritage moved a step closer thanks to a near £1 million funding pledge.
The White House Glass Cone site, based opposite Wordsley's well-known Red House Glass Cone, would house ornate pieces made in the Glass Quarter.
Many of the glass creations were on show at Broadfield House Glass Museum, in Kingswinford, prior to its closure in 2015.
A long-running campaign has sought to safeguard the Kingswinford museum and its collection.
Work began back in 2013 to transform the former Stuart Crystal works into the White House Glass Cone museum.
The site has been targeted by vandals in a fire in 2011.
Site owners Complex Development Ltd worked with Dudley Council and the British Glass Foundation to secure £2.15m from the European Regional Development Fund in 2013.
The site was redeveloped, part of the land used for new apartments and homes, into an industrial space which has held infrequent exhibitions.
The Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership also handed £1.3m to support the project.
But now the British Glass Foundation and Dudley Council have secured £980,000 from National Lottery Heritage Fund to complete a full fit out of the museum.
Once the fit out is complete, the new White House Cone Museum of Glass will open next year.
Anne Jenkins, director of England, Midlands and East at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “We are delighted that thanks to National Lottery players this wonderful glass collection can now go on permanent display for the communities of Stourbridge, and visitors from even further afield, to discover and enjoy."
Graham Knowles, chairman of The British Glass Foundation added: “I am delighted for the people of Stourbridge and the wider community that, thanks to the Heritage Fund, we now have the resources to finally complete the 'People’s Museum'.
"Their support has been fantastic and this award now gives us confidence that we will attain our goal of providing a new home for the internationally renowned Stourbridge glass collection.
"Despite all the difficulties and delays, with the resolve of the trustees and our supporters, we now have the funding to enable us to fit out the display areas and tell the remarkable stories of people involved in the glass making industry.
"I would like to thank everyone for their support but I am particularly grateful to Dudley Council which has been absolutely crucial in helping secure this funding. They remain a key player in our plans and we look forward to continuing our excellent working relationship.
"I would also like to thank Ian Harrabin MBE managing director of Complex Development Projects Limited for his generosity which will ensure that the new museum is sustainable in the long term for future generations and to acknowledge the substantial sums received from ERDF (£2.15m) and The Black Country LEP (£1.3m) which provided funding for the actual building work."
The fit out will transform the ground and first floor galleries to include permanent displays looking at the history of the people, products and processes associated with glass production.
There will be a flexible activity and learning space for seminars, talks and school visits.
The hot glass blowing studio which was a popular feature at Broadfield House Glass Museum will be reinstated and the wider space used for various community-led events and workshops.
Dudley South MP, Mike Wood, said: “This is fantastic news for the area and I’m so pleased that the resources have now been made available to develop a world-class home for the famous Stourbridge glass collection.
“The glass-making heritage of Stourbridge and Wordsley is something we should all be proud of and I’m delighted that, thanks to the Heritage Fund and the hard work of all those involved in the bid, local people and tourists from far and wide will have a state-of-the-art museum to celebrate this heritage.”
A temporary exhibition space will enable more of the collection to be put on display in a series of changing exhibitions and will also allow the display of items loaned from other museums and galleries.
Dudley Council cabinet member, Councillor Ian Kettle, added: “This is excellent news and the result of a lot of hard work from everyone involved in this project.
"This is another important stepping stone in creating a visitor attraction in the heart of such an important area for the glass making industry, that will welcome people from all over the world."
