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New Wordsley glass museum to be larger than planned

A new glass museum which is set to open in Wordsley this summer is to be larger than originally planned.

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Bosses at the £5.5 million White House Cone Museum of Glass have decided to include an extra 600sq m of space as part of the venue rather than renting it out as had been planned.

They had a change of heart after deciding they wanted the spare room to be part of the new attraction have now turned to the public for ideas on how to use it.

A range of options are being considered, including bringing in interactive facilities for families to use.

The famous Stourbridge Glass Collection is being moved to the new centre, which is nearing completion.

The display area at the new site is now three times larger than where the collection was previously stored at Broadfield House in Kingswinford, which has left curators with leftover space.

Graham Knowles, chairman of the British Glass Foundation, said the organisation was open to a range of options, including bringing in interactive facilities for families to use.

But Mr Knowles admitted the lost cash from not renting the area out will have to be made up elsewhere.

He said: "In reviewing the importance of the exhibitions, and considering the consultation process with the community, the overwhelming preference is to take on more space for glass-related activities to widen the scope for visitors.

"We propose this takes place in the units that were originally going to be rented out to raise income towards running costs. So we must also ensure that we can raise that equivalent amount of income to ensure sustainability for the whole attraction.

"We would therefore like ideas about what the additional space could be used for, such as educational space or interactive facilities for children, and also how funds could be secured to cover the cost of making these spaces part of the new museum.

"It's quite a challenge but we are confident people of Stourbridge and the glass world beyond it can rise to it."

Work to build the new museum, which is replacing the now closed Broadfield House, on the former Stuart Crystal factory site in Camp Hill, opposite the cone, is reaching the final stages. It is expected to open to the public in June.

To launch the attraction there will be a selection of 'pop-up' exhibitions and visitors will be able to see glass artist Allister Malcolm in action as the borough's glass collection is moved in.

Ideas can be emailed to bgf@britishglassfoundation.org.uk

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