Overnight visit to Stourbridge

The Stourbridge area was a major centre of glassmaking for 400 years and was particularly well known for its fine lead crystal. Established by French refugees in the seventeenth century, the industry thrived for many years, until its decline in the latter part of the last century. This trip is an opportunity to visit three museums dedicated to the history of glassmaking – the Ruskin Glass Museum, the Red House Glass Cone and the Stourbridge Glass Museum.

Leaving the Memorial Gardens at 8am, we will travel by coach to Calke Abbey. This remarkable house has been sensitively conserved by the National Trust. It has a wonderful display of Gilray cartoons and a large natural history collection. After a self-funded lunch at Calke, we will travel to Ironbridge where we will visit Ironbridge Gorge and possibly the Jackfield Tile Museum. We will stay overnight at the Valley Hotel, Ironbridge on a dinner, bed, and breakfast basis. On Tuesday we will travel to Stourbridge visiting three glass museums. Firstly, the Ruskin glass museum where we will have a talk by the curator and visit the extensive artists’ studios. From there we will travel to the Red House Glass Cone Museum, with over 230 years of history of glassmaking. Here we will have an introductory talk and lunch before walking the short distance to the Stourbridge Glass Museum. Here we will have a tour of the museum and tea and coffee before travelling back to York, arriving approximately by 7 30pm.

Cost £320 per person to include all travel costs, dinner, bed and breakfast, buffet lunch, tea and coffee at Stourbridge Museum and all entry fees, National Trust properties excluded (NT members get free entry).

Book with a non-refundable deposit of £50, balance due on or before 12 June.