Red House Cone, Industrial glass factory building in Wordsley, England.
Red House Cone is a cylindrical brick glass furnace that tapers dramatically toward the top and stands approximately 90 feet (27 meters) high. A spiral staircase winds upward to an observation platform, allowing visitors to see the entire interior structure.
The furnace was built in 1794 as a glass production facility and served the industry for over a century. Stuart Crystal, a later occupant, used the site until 1936 before relocating their glass-making operations.
The building remains a working studio where craftspeople create glass art using traditional techniques and contemporary designs. You can watch artisans at work in the restored workshop spaces.
The site offers free entry and sits within an area containing other industrial heritage sites from the same era. For the best experience watching glass artists at work, aim to visit during weekend demonstrations.
The building houses the world's only surviving moving lehr, a specialized oven used to cool hot glass carefully. This equipment reveals how sophisticated glass makers of the 1700s had become.
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