Museum opens to celebrate the Black Country's glass-making heritage

A former factory has opened to the public as a museum, marking a legacy of Black Country glassworks.

The Stourbridge Glass Museum tells the story of 400 years of glass-making in the West Midlands.

Its home is the former canal-side Stuart Works, which was refurbished thanks to a multimillion-pound investment from Dudley Council and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Manager Oliver Buckley said glass making was "the tapestry" of the area.

"The football team is called the Glass Boys and the women's team is called the Glass Girls, there's lots of pubs that have names like the Glassmakers' Arms," he said.

"It really was the culture of this area."

Dudley Council said glass-making in the area dated back to the 17th Century. The Black Country's rich resources of coal and fireclay made it ideal for the industry.

Before long, cone-shaped glasshouses sprung up across the landscape - one survivor is the Red House Glass Cone, itself now a museum which sits opposite the new museum in Wordsley.

The museum will feature thousands of items of glassware from over the centuries, as well as a working glass studio.

Resident artist Allister Malcolm said he was really excited to be able to open to the public.

"It's taken years and years of planning to get to this stage where we've finally opened up," he said. "It's been a long time coming.

"The first sense that will hit you as you walk in is the warmth."

On a winter's day, people will enjoy the temperature, Mr Malcom said, but "in the summer it's not so pleasant in the studio, I have to admit."

Dudley Council said the opening marked an "exciting time" for the town.

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]