The Red Glass Cone has been awarded silver accreditation by Visit England, just narrowly missing out on gold.

In its recent Visit England assessment, the popular Dudley Council-run venue in Wordsley increased its overall score from 85 per cent in 2019 to 89 per cent, just one per cent off achieving the coveted gold status.

Various aspects of the visitor experience were praised with the assessor saying that the Cone provides a 'most interesting and enjoyable experience for a wide age range of visitors'.

The assessor found that 'the attraction, toilets and gift shop were in excellent condition” and the “external site layout is easy to navigate.'

The assessor also praised the signage, interpretation panels and the overall appearance of the site. Councillor Simon Phipps, cabinet member for regeneration and enterprise, said:

"We believe the Red House Glass Cone is one of the jewels in our borough’s crown and we are incredibly proud of the visitor experience it offers, connecting local people to the area’s renowned glass making heritage.

"We think we narrowly missed out on gold as the cone itself is closed at the moment for maintenance, which means we’re unable to offer glass blowing demonstrations. Although people are not able to enjoy the full experience right now, there are many elements to still enjoy, which the judges recognised.

"We’re striving for gold though and hope to achieve the status when we have our next assessment."

The Red House Glass Cone is currently open to visitors Monday to Friday 10am to 3pm and 11am to 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays. The site has free parking and will be holding a festival event on Saturday September 18 with live music and an outdoor bar. 

To find out more about the venue, visit dudley.gov.uk.