| Red House Cone | |
| Location: | Wordsley, Stourbridge, West Midlands, England |
| Designer: | Richard Bradley and George Ensell |
| Height: | 90 feet (27 m) |
| Complete: | 1794 |
The Red House Cone is a glass cone located in Wordsley in the West Midlands, adjacent to the Stourbridge Canal bridge on the A491 High Street. It is a 900NaN0 high conical brick structure with a diameter of 60feet, used for the production of glass. It was used by the Stuart Crystal firm till 1936,[1] when the company moved to a new facility at Vine Street.[2] It is one of only four complete cones remaining in the United Kingdom.[3]
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).[4] 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.[5]
A 1acres 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.[6] Ensell installed a moving lehr in the cone, which remains today and is the only surviving one in the world.[7]
The cone received Grade II* listed building status on 23 September 1966.
In April 2022, the Cone received a pledge of £1.5m from Dudley Council in order to restore the structure.[8]
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.[9]