Lemington Glassworks Cone (detail)

Image: © Andrew Curtis Taken: 28 Jul 2010

This cone Image built c.1787 for the Northumberland Glass Company is the only surviving element of Lemington's former glassworks. It is 21m in diameter and over 35m high. Local legend has it that the cone was made from 1 million bricks, although an estimate of 1.75 million has also been made. Three smaller cones and a larger two to the east were demolished in 1837 http://www.lemingtoncentre.co.uk/wb/pages/heritage/glass-works.php Newcastle Libraries have an old photo here http://www.flickr.com/photos/newcastlelibraries/4090410457/ The flues for the furnaces inside the structure would have ran underneath the cone whose height was designed to produced a draught of air through the furnace which increased the heat generated. Coal, mined locally, was used as the fuel. The cone was restored in 1993, with a door inserted on the north-west side, and has been used as a factory and showroom. This imposing structure is said to be one of the most important industrial monuments in the North East. http://sine.ncl.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=485

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