Walks & Talks

Stourbridge 10am Glass Blowing Demo

The Conservation Working Group are offering a unique and exciting opportunity to visit the Historic Glass Quarter of Stourbridge to watch a demonstration of traditional cylinder flat-glass making with Blowfish Glass at the Red House Cone. This technique of creating mouth-blown window glass has been used for centuries. The Group are focussing this year on the risks threatening the stained glass community. Sadly, 2023 has seen “stained glass window making (historic)” added to the Heritage Craft Association’s Red List of endangered crafts for the first time. The risk of traditional skills and knowledge being lost is something which artists and craft workers are keenly aware of. Traditional glass blowing is one such craft.

The demonstrations will be given by glass sculpture artist Elliot Walker (winner of the Netflix series ‘Blown Away’), and accredited conservator Laura Atkinson. They have been working on creating flat window glass, looking into preserving and evolving this art form for specialist use.

Participants will not only be treated to a live demonstration but will also have flexible entry to the Glass Museum and the Red Cone Museum. Stourbridge has been a major glassmaking center in Britain for over 400 years. The two museums explore this fascinating history and showcase a variety of glass objects.

There will also be an option of an afternoon guided canal walk. The Stourbridge Canal was built to transport coal from coal mines at Dudley to the fuel the kilns at Stourbridge, and to carry fragile glass to market. This chance to explore ‘the glass mile’ will follow the landscape which helped shape the glass industry into what it is today.

There are three ticket options available;

10am glass blowing demonstration, entry to both museums, guided canal walk.

12 noon glass blowing demonstration, entry to both museums, guided canal walk.

2:00 pm glass blowing demonstration, entry to both museums.

The 2pm tickets exclude the afternoon canal tour, so would suit people who can’t participate in the walking tour owing to reduced mobility, or who are unable to arrive in the morning. Holders of a 2pm ticket will be welcome to visit both museums all day.

Full price £75. Members £63.75. Student tickets are available at a reduced price of £55. Please contact kencomct@googlemail.com for more details. Students need to bring proof of their course on the day.

The formal event will finish at 16:30 pm but there will be a social event happening afterwards. Details will be shared with participants after booking.

For more information please contact Lizzy at bsmgpconservation@gmail.com

Saturday 19th August is a day not to miss!

Stourbridge 12 noon Glass Blowing Demo

Book 12 noon ticket here and see 10am ticket for full details.

Full price £75. Members £63.75. Student tickets are available at a reduced price of £55. Please contact kencomct@googlemail.com for more details. Students need to bring proof of their course on the day.

For more information please contact Lizzy at bsmgpconservation@gmail.com

Saturday 19th August is a day not to miss!

Stourbridge 2pm Glass Blowing Demo

Book 2pm ticket here and see 10am ticket for full details. Note that 2pm ticket is cheaper because it doesn’t include all the activities.

Full price £65. Members £55.75. Student tickets are available at a reduced price of £45. Please contact kencomct@googlemail.com for more details. Students need to bring proof of their course on the day.

For more information please contact Lizzy at bsmgpconservation@gmail.com

Saturday 19th August is a day not to miss!

Oxford Festival of the Arts

We are delighted that our Centenary Touring Exhibition is on display at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford as part of the Oxford Festival of the Arts from 24 June – 10 July.

You can join us in the afternoon on Tuesday 28 June for a Walk & Talk at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. We will be led by our expert guide, Peter Cormack.

Highlights of the tour include some remarkable 14th-century stained glass, Abraham van Linge’s extraordinary c.1630s window, Edward Burne-Jones’s early masterpiece, his 1859 St Frideswide window, as well as several fine windows made by Morris & Company. Some artists from the Centenary Touring Exhibition will be on hand to talk about their panels in the exhibition.

Tickets are £8.50 for members and their guests (£10 for non-members) and includes a guided tour of the Cathedral.

Meet at Tom Gate, Christ Church Cathedral at 1.30pm.

Spaces are strictly limited so book now to avoid disappointment.

Harry Clarke at Ashdown Park

This year our Walks & Talks event on Wed August 14 (2pm-6pm) will be visiting just one location, but what a special one! The Ashdown Park Hotel houses eight windows by acclaimed Irish stained glass artist, Harry Clarke (1889-1931). Clarke designed the scheme which was made at the Glass House in 1925 for the former Chapel of Our Lady and St Richard, Convent of Notre Dame, now part of the hotel.

The extraordinary windows are full of exquisite detail and rich colours. This is a must-see for all Harry Clarke fans. The former Chapel also includes unusual abstract windows by John Hayward FMGP.

Tickets are £17 for members and their guests (£20 non-members) and includes talks by our guest speakers, Caroline Swash and Tony Benyon. Rachel Mulligan will be leading a sketching workshop for those interested in studying the artworks in more depth.

There is an option to have afternoon tea at the hotel for £26 (£48 for two) or a cream tea for £11.25 (please email your order to Andrew Taylor when booking but pay on the day). For those wishing to stay at the beautiful four-star Ashdown Park Hotel & Country Club for a mini-break, room start at around £150 a night which includes use of the Spa.

Please note that the event is now confirmed with the venue and will definitely proceed on 14th August.