Coordinates: 52°28′34″N 2°09′26″W / 52.476168°N 2.157235°W / 52.476168; -2.157235

Red House Cone

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Red House Glass Cone
File:Redhouseglasscone.jpg
Red House Glass Cone
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LocationWordsley, Stourbridge, West Midlands, England
DesignerRichard Bradley and George Ensell
Height90 feet (27 m)
Completion date1794

File:Redhouseglasscone.jpg
The Red House Cone as seen from the gates
File:Red House Glass Cone Cherry Picker - View from top of Cone (51102898536).jpg
Top of the cone, seen in 2021

The Red House Cone is a Grade II* listed glass cone located in Wordsley in the West Midlands, adjacent to the Stourbridge Canal bridge on the A491 High Street. It is a 90-foot (27 m) high conical brick structure with a diameter of 60 feet (18 m), used for the production of glass.[1] It was used by the Stuart Crystal firm till 1936,[2] when the company moved to a new facility at Vine Street.[3] It is one of only four complete cones remaining in the United Kingdom.[4]

It is one of four such structures in the UK and is currently maintained as a museum by Dudley Council. (The other three cones are at Lemington, Catcliffe and Alloa).[5] At the site are 10 businesses including glass artists, pottery, jewellers, textiles fine art and demonstrations of glass blowing along with a Coffee House and gift shop.[6]

A 1-acre (4,000 m2) site, on which the cone stands, was sold by John and Ann Southwell and Rebecca Stokes to Richard Bradley, a wealthy glass-manufacturer, on 21 June 1788. The cone was built by Bradley in partnership with his brother-in-law, George Ensell, for the manufacture of window glass.[7] Ensell installed a moving lehr in the cone, which remains today and is the only surviving one in the world.[1]

The cone received Grade II* listed building status on 23 September 1966.[8][9]

In April 2022, the Cone received a pledge of £1.5m from Dudley Council in order to restore the structure.[10] The restored cone was opened to the public in August 2024.

Representation in the media

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The Red House Cone was featured in an episode of BBC Two's Great British Railway Journeys, in the episode Sarah Cordingley taught Michael Portillo how to make a lampwork bead.[11][12]

References

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  2. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  3. ^ BBC Legacies: Red House Cone, Chris Upton (page 4)
  4. ^ Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council: Red House Glass Cone
  5. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  6. ^ Red House Glass Cone entry on Culture24 Retrieved 9 December 2009
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