Museum of Glass

Museum of Glass www.dudley.gov.uk www.britishglassfoundation.org.uk www.complexdevelopmentprojects.co.uk

Product of a community

Dudley MBC Museum of Glass British Glass Foundation Complex Developments Museum of Glass Product of a community

Introduction

Museum of Glass

The glass collections at Broadﬁeld House, the Red House Cone and those in storage at Himley Hall represent one of the ﬁnest holdings of 18th, 19th and 20th century glass in the world. Numbering some ten thousand items, the glass includes stunning examples from every major period of glass production in the country with the highlight being the collection of cameo glass, the speciality of the Stourbridge factories at the end of the 19th century.

Currently much of the collection remains undisplayed and those objects that are on display are split between two sites at Broadﬁeld House and the Red House Cone. Both facilities are small and do not have the critical mass to provide enough attraction for signiﬁcant visitor numbers. Neither facility provides either a comprehensive collection, nor offers enough space for the telling of the wider community story to expand the visitor appeal.

This document sets out the vision for a new Museum of Glass that brings together the collection onto one site and builds upon previous investment in the Red House Cone. The new Museum will provide additional display space offering the potential to animate the visitor experience telling the stories of the community that enabled Stourbridge to lead the world. The intention is to use the glass collection as the core element of an interactive tourist destination that will have a signiﬁcant impact on the visitor economy of the region. The proposals are intended to allow for the incremental future growth of the museum taking advantage of increased visitor numbers and revenue. They are purposefully conservative, recognising the failure of other projects based on excessive visitor projections. It should however be noted that the world’s leading glass museum in an isolated location in New York State receives approaching 500,000 visitors a year. In comparison the combined visitors to Broadﬁeld House and Red House are currently only 46,000 pa, offering considerable scope for expansion.

These proposals have been formulated by a ﬁrm partnership of interest and experience. The partnership includes: The British Glass Foundation, the umbrella group for local interest and the glass community; Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council and Complex Developments, one of the leading national experts in urban regeneration and listed building restoration. History

Glassmaking in Stourbridge

Over the past four hundred years, the economy of Dudley has been based on the natural resources of limestone, iron ore and coal. Steelmaking, forges and, foundries and heavy engineering have been the bedrock of the economy with development in to all areas of engineering and manufacture.

Glassmaking started on the western side of the Dudley Borough centred in Wordsley and Stourbridge from 17th Century onwards. The origins of the glass making with small cottage industries setting up and growing near the new canal network but the businesses quickly grew drawing in workers from the surrounding rural areas. The expertise of the Stourbridge glassmaking industry continued to grow and its engineers and industrialists spread with the empire to set up new operations in the New World. The area become the birthplace of modern glass and the technological advancement reached its zenith between 1850 and1900 when it was considered to have the ﬁnest glass craftsmen in the western world. This was exempliﬁed by the ‘Portland Vase’ then, and even now probably, “the most important glass artefact in world” which was copied by a number of cameo engravers in local factories with such accuracy and precision.

During this period some of the ﬁnest glass in the world was created and Stourbridge was to become the Mecca of world glass encouraging glass artisans to migrate to Stourbridge from across Europe. Some came from eastern France, the Huguenots also escaping religious persecution, and some from what is now the Czech Republic, which is now renowned for its glass. To this day many ‘Black Country’ names reﬂect these Bohemian origins. Skilled craftsmen took the Stourbridge knowledge around the world to places such as Corning in the USA, now the home of the world’s largest Museum of Glass. The Whitehouse Cone

The adjacent photo shows the Whitehouse Cone following its partial demolition in 1940

Historic Plan

This historic plan shows the proximity of the Whitehouse and Redhouse cones New Entrance to the Museum of Glass The new glazed front provides an open and welcoming entrance to the new museum allowing views in to the exhibition within

Museum of Glass

During the past ﬁve years Complex Developments, working with a team of consultants and the local planning department, have completed a considerable amount of research and analysis on the adaptability of the buildings. The study has looked at a number of options for the future use of the Listed Buildings resulting in the exciting current proposals as the best ‘vision’ for the future. The work done to date will mean that the implementation of the project will be relatively simple with many of the key issues already agreed and consented by the local authority. Works to restore the shell buildings have already been competitively tendered and only require adaption to incorporate the current scheme design. This means that the projected costs can be relied upon.

The proposals retain the heritage features of the Listed Buildings and these will be a key a feature for the Museum of Glass. The size of the former factory spaces, with the opportunity of connecting rooms, is ideal for a public visitor experience where the displays will be clearly visible allowing easy access. The re-use of the existing building in it’s historic setting will build upon the attraction of the Red House Cone which sits behind solid walls and is not an obvious visitor attraction. In contrast the new Whitehouse entrance will reinforce the sense of place of the former glassworks and provide a landmark gateway along the Glass Quarter with a clear view into the display spaces inside.

In summary the proposal set out in the following drawings will add a significant amount of choice and flexibility to an already established heritage centre having the added benefit of clear visible access and much increased parking. Proposal

A journey through time

The visitor arrives at an open courtyard that provides the setting for the remains of the Whitehouse Cone marked by a circle of light recreating the shape of the cone. This ghost of the past mirrors the existing Red House Cone on the opposite side of the A491 and will be particularly visible at night. The courtyard is framed by two walls of glass. These new frontages to the former Stuart Crystal factory provide a dramatic view into the new museum with the glassware on display clearly visible.

The visitor experience starts with the reception accessed through the glass façade. To the rear is a restaurant and café with external seating looking over the canal. The tour starts with the story of glass making from its earliest days and takes the visitor through a timeline telling the stories of individuals from the local community that were involved in the industry. Each visitor is given an identity from the past, the factory owner, the glass cutter, the Huguenot, the Bohemian etc and during the tour learns of the work and home life of their identity. The tour ends when the person reaches 50, where the visitor learns whether they have lived to reach old age and survived the harsh life of the early glass works.

The tour then continues through the collections of glass, which are animated by interactive displays of the processes developed to create the glassware. A short cut is available to bypass the local history and the larger collection for more academic study is located at first floor level. The main tour continues down into the ground through the atmospheric tunnel of the old Whitehouse Cone and into the lower chamber which is below the level of the canal. The views out to the canal, unusually above you, highlight the engineering required and the importance of the canal to the development of the industry. A display sets out the development of the canal network in the area and its role in the making of glass. The journey continues through the tunnel and under the road to the Red House Museum. Upon arrival the visitor rises up in a lift back to ground level and into the display of modern glass. The tour continues with the stories of the local artisans making glass today and future development planned for the industry. The visitor then ends their tour in the gallery of the dramatic Red House Cone – a fitting grand finale. Options are to then attend a display of glass blowing in the Red House Cone or browse the studios of the glass makers. Glass blowing will be done every hour and will allow the visitor to be in close proximity to hot glass capturing the excitement and danger of the industry.

The experience ﬁnishes at the shop, where small items made by the glass blowers will be on sale. Each child will be given a certiﬁcate and small piece of glass to take home. Visitors then return through the tunnel and either go back to their cars or to the restaurant.

Aerial Photo This aerial view shows the Whitehouse Cone site in its context with the canal and the Redhouse Cone site adjacent © Complex Developments The Buildings

The Whitehouse Works

The Whitehouse and Newhouse Glassworks are a collection of buildings located on the Stourbridge canal and opposite the Red House Cone. The A491 divides these two centres of historic glass production.

The Whitehouse Works and cone were constructed in the early 1780’s by Richard Bradley, the owner of a glassworks in nearby Audnam. The buildings predate the Red House, which was developed by Bradley shortly afterwards in 1788. The original Whitehouse was small and included only the cone and buildings adjacent to the road. Adjoining this were a group of mill buildings running into the site along the canal, the names of the Bone Mill and the Flour Mill that survive to this day give clear indications of their original purpose.

In 1856 Frederick Stuart started the long association of Stuart Crystal with the area. Stuart leased the Red House works in 1881, forming Stuart and Sons in 1885. Stuart and Sons formally purchased the lease of the Whitehouse in 1914, although it is likely that they were already occupying much of the buildings. The attractive design room in the Whitehouse, that remains as part of the Listed Buildings today, produced the ﬁne crystal glassware for the Captain’s Table on the Titanic, which sank in 1912.

The Newhouse was built in 1925 adjoining the Whitehouse Cone demolishing the earlier buildings but retaining the basements. This building provided large ‘modern’ space for the new technologies at the time and comprises a major part of the new museum proposal. The Whitehouse Cone was reduced in height in the 1950’s and sadly demolished in 1970. Whilst nothing of the cone remains above ground, all of the below ground structures remain including tunnels that connect to the other buildings. These remains are scheduled as an Ancient Monument. The new museum will create the ghost of this fantastic structure in the form of a light sculpture ensuring that its impact on the skyline of Wordsley will not be forgotten.

The combined Redhouse, Whitehouse and Newhouse complex will provide a unique record of the development of glass making in Stourbridge and are a ﬁtting setting for the Museum of Glass. Plans

Connecting the two sites

A major element of creating the new Museum of Glass involves linking the Redhouse and Whitehouse sites through an underground tunnel running under the High Street. This will provide a safe passage between the buildings and provide a dramatic visitor experience exploring the untouched time capsule of the historic tunnels. The intention is to dimly light these areas and leave them in their existing state to provide a sense of the life of the original workers.

The Whitehouse Cone site will be divided into two elements with new commercial units for glass related businesses within the Mill Building and residential units above. The museum will be located in the Newhouse Building at the entrance to the site. Parking will be provided next to the museum for visitors and the existing parking next to the Red House will be used for staff and business parking. This will resolve the existing parking shortfall. Coach parking will be provided for large groups and a drop off point right outside the museum entrance for disabled visitors.

The proximity to the Stourbridge Sixteen Locks Conservation Area offers the potential for the cafe to have canal side seating areas. New landscaped areas to the public space at the front of the Newhouse Works will set out the position and scale of the demolished cone as a reminder of a bygone age with dramatic lighting to provide a new landmark.

Externally, the existing brickwork, openings and structures will be retained, cleaned and repaired with new double glazed windows used throughout. New insulated metal cladding and slated roof coverings will be installed and existing walls lined internally to improve thermal performance and reduce energy costs providing a sustainable building.

Internally the features of the former glassworks buildings, including cast iron columns, timber beams and ﬂoor boards will be left exposed retaining the historic character and setting of the buildings for public display.

Proposed Ground Floor Plan

At ground floor level a new main entrance forms the start of a route through the buildings with a reception area, cafe and exhibition spaces

The existing tunnels can be accessed from ground floor level with a new link under the High Street to the Redhouse Cone

The Museum of Glass combining the Redhouse and Whitehouse Glassworks

The Museum of Glass

The Broadfield Glass Collection

About

The British Glass Foundation thinks these collections are undoubtedly the largest collection of English glass in the world - having around 10,000 items - even more than the Corning Museum of Glass in New York, the largest glass museum in the world. Charles Hajdamach was Director of Museums and was responsible for creating the Broadﬁeld House Glass Museum and bringing together all the various collections held by the Borough and local Councils some 25 years ago. He says....

The glass collections at Broadfield House Glass Museum and Hinley Hall represent on of the finest holdings of British 18th, 19th and 20th century glass in the world. Numbering some ten thousand items, the glass includes stunning examples from every major period of glass production in this country with the highlight being the collections of cameo glass, the speciality of Stourbridge factories at the end of the 19th Century. The Museum has benefited from major bequests especially that of Michael Parkington which extended and completed Broadfield’s collection of 18th century glass. The Museum has also saved iconic collections including that of the great 20th century glass designer Alexander Hardie Williamson

The museum also owns important glass archive material including pattern books from Stevens & Williams, Richardson’s amd Thomas Webb & Sons, plus the two major glass libraries of Robert J. Charleston, former Curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum, and from H. Jack Haden, a local historian who amassed a valuable collection of local Stourbridge material, as well as many other documents, letters, photographs and films. The glass library owned by the Museum is one of the finest in the country and includes the complete microfiche catalogue of original glass catalogues owned by the Corning Museum of Glass in America, the only museum in this country to own this valuable research facility.

Glass making equipment has also been collected to compliment the glass and the archive collections. Notable pieces include the only surviving ‘Pull-Up’ machine invented by John Northwood in the 1880s to decorate glass ware at Stevens & Williams, and a rare complete example of a Bohemian copper-wheel engraving lathe which was used by the great Joseph Keller. In the 1980s the Museum rescued the foundations of an entire 17th century glass furnace from the estate of Sir Charles Wolseley near Rugeley, Staffordshire.

Since it opened in 1980 Broadﬁeld has pursued a vibrant and exciting policy of temporary exhibitions, often drawn from European and American collections, and complements them with erudite and learned catalogues. With this incredible combination of glass, archives, equipment and an active educational policy, it can rightly call itself “The Museum of The British Glass Industry”’

Charles R, Hajdamach - February 2011 Local context

The Development of the Glass Quarter

The Whitehouse and Redhouse Cone sites are located within the larger Glass Quarter area of Stourbridge. Adjacent is an extract from Dudley MBC’s Glass Quarter Supplementary Planning Document which shows the site in its context and relationship to other sites such as the Ruskin Glass Centre. The site is also shown to be located adjacent to potential canal side and streetscape development areas and is in close proximity to a primary gateway.

The purpose of the SPD is to provide a framework to guide development and investment in the Glass Quarter whilst recognising and retaining its unique heritage, in order for it evolve as a visitor destination to the beneﬁt of local residents, businesses and visitors. The SPD uses an evidence base formed by a Historic Landscape Characterisation Study (HLC) and a front loading consultation to create a boundary for the Glass Quarter. This will be used to build a ‘sense of place’ for the area through design guidance so that it can be developed and enhanced as a visitor destination. A framework has also been provided to guide the development of opportunity sites to act as a catalyst for regeneration in the area and to provide public realm improvements.

The area has been chosen to include both a focus of existing glass working businesses and visitor facilities, and an area with signiﬁcant areas of historic landscape that make an important contribution to local character and identity. It is intended that regeneration and new development in this area protect the continued presence of glassworking businesses, provide opportunities for increasing the number and variety of businesses involved in glassworking and other crafts, enhance the area’s appeal to visitors and protect the best features of the area’s distinctive urban landscape. It is expected that the museum will form a starting point for visitors to explore the borough’s other attractions.

Once readily recognisable from the number of glass cones and large scale businesses within the area, the Glass Quarter is now a relatively undeﬁned area with only a few remaining buildings relating to the areas glass history – these include the Red House Glass Cone and the former Webb Corbett/ Royal Doulton site, now home to the Ruskin Glass Centre.

Through a supporting Urban Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC) study buildings, areas and sites that make an important contribution to local character and distinctiveness are identiﬁed. Extract from Dudley MBC Glass Qtr SPD pt1 Urban Design Framework Plan

The glass history of the Stourbridge area is a signiﬁcant and massively underutilised local resource. The Corning Museum with its 500,000 visitors each year, shows the potential level and impact that the Museum of Glass could eventually achieve. These are proven aspirations and disprove the sometimes quoted view that glass is dull and has limited specialist appeal. Whilst this may in part be true with some of the current display, the enlivening of the exhibition through both an exciting new building and a display that tell the story of not just the glass, but the people that made it, will dramatically change its appeal. The vibrant Museum of Glass will complement other tourist attractions of the area, turning Dudley into a weekend destination, adding positively to the local economy. It will also preserve the rich heritage of the glass industry for future generations through the collections of glass & archives and the explanations of the technology and mystique in the industry. It will also encourage glass craftsmen to continue to develop their techniques and skills in the area through training and education. It will be a living, working hub celebrating and protecting our past and encouraging and developing our future.

These proposals are real and take account of the economic climate and the failure of projects in the past. The new museum makes the step change and sets the framework for the continued incremental improvement of the facility through fund raising based on visitor numbers rather than dreams. The project is ready to start but needs the support of funding bodies if it is to proceed. The robust partnership of the Council, the community and an experienced developer brings together the three sectors to operate as one. This is an exemplar project in the making.

This vision could be a reality in 2013.