Families have a smashing time as they see ongoing restoration work at Red House Glass Cone
Visitors flocked to see ongoing restoration work at Wordsley's iconic Red House Glass Cone at an open day this weekend.
Contractors Phillips and Curry invited the public to see the restoration work going on in which Dudley Council has invested £1.5m and which is expected to last 18 months.
Visitors were given 'hard hat tours' which gave them the chance to see the internal scaffolding and work completed so far. The tours proved so popular they were sold out with booking done in advance.
Workers on the project were on hand to talk specifically about it and there were live demonstrations of the repointing process on the cone structure which was built around 1790 and used in the manufacture of glass until 1936.
As well as the repointing with authentic lime mortar, vegetation sprouting from the cone is being carefully removed on a phased basis and new drainage is being installed around the building, with access to the tunnels opened up.
A new lift is being put in place by the visitor centre to allow wheelchair access to the upper level where a viewing platform will allow people to see into the cone and hot glass studio.
Children enjoyed free craft activities in the education room and there was a glassmakers tool handling session. All craft studio businesses based on the site were open along with the Blowfish Glass Contemporary Glass Gallery.
Adele Lavender, the deputy site manager for Dudley Council said: "This is a project that has been five years in the making and there is a lot of work that needs to be done including replacing damaged brickwork and plenty of restoration work.
"Mike Curry from Phillips and Curry was keen for people to see what is happening here and they generously funded the day – there were plenty of activities for all ages, demonstrations of the glass making process and opportunities to see crafts people in the many workshops which exist here."
