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!