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One of only four remaining cones in the country
© Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council - Red House Glass Cone
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Red House Cone |
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The glass industry once dominated the skyline of the area around Stourbridge and Dudley, and the glass cone is still one of the most distinctive features of the West Midlands’ industrial landscape.
Once common, it has now become a rare and protected species. Old views of Wordsley in the Black Country show half a dozen of the cones, rising up like termite mounds above the chimneys and the cottages. But now the Red House Cone on Wordsley High Street is the last survivor, and one of only four in the country.
Dial Glass Cone - Stourbridge, in 1935
The Dial Glass Cone which once stood in Stourbridge
© Supplied from the originals held at Dudley Archives & Local History Service |
In recent years the Black Country glass industry has shattered into many pieces, but the Red House Cone stands as a powerful memorial to an industry that once employed two out of every ten male workers in the area.
Glassmaking in Staffordshire dates back to at least the 14th Century and we can only guess how much of the glass that fills our cathedrals originated in the county. Certainly, York Minster was ordering some from Rugeley in 1418.
But in the Medieval and Tudor periods glassmaking was concentrated in the centre of Staffordshire. What took it south to Amblecote and Wordsley?
The answer is probably a mixture of geology and economics. The art of glassmaking can easily appear to be magical, but the alchemy involved and the raw materials needed are pretty down-to-earth, or, to be strictly accurate, down under the earth.
Words: Chris Upton
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