Historic British glass museum saved from closure thanks to international campaign

Antiques Roadshow glass experts Andy McConnell and Eric Knowles pictured with Janet Hendry of the group Save our Glass Heritage.

After a 10-month battle that energized Britain’s Glass Association, and spawned new groups such as Save Our Glass Heritage, the fight to save Broadfield House glass museum is over. Those fighting the proposed closure of this West Midlands, England, institution that boasts one of the most important collections of historic glass designs from this English center of glass production, claimed victory on Tuesday, October 13th, when the local council agreed to shelve a plan that would have moved the collection to a nearby glass historic site called the Red House Cone to save money.

The Broadfield House museum will remain open thanks to a grassroots campaign that mobilized support from around the world.

Those fighting the closure framed the debate as a matter of respect for the region’s long history as a center for glassmaking. Broadfield House is located near Stourbridge, England, where, in the 17th century, glassmakers flocked to this coal-rich region as they were forced to stop using wood-fired furnaces by royal edict as all available wood was used to build navy fleets. Thanks to a highly developed canal system, Stourbridge thrived as a center for glass production, peaking in the 19th century but maintaining a reputation for high quality crystal. Today, only one hand-made glass production factory, Shire Crystal, remains.

With nearly 7,000 signatures collected from 75 countries around the world, a hand-written and online petition to protest the closing of a beloved glass museum in Stourbridge, England was successful. Read more about the victory in this BBC report. The extensive comments are evidence of the wide support this campaign enjoyed.