Glass-making Cone House at "The Hotties"

Image: © David Long Taken: 8 Feb 2007

Now part of "The World of Glass" Museum, to which it is joined by the bridge, the cone house, and the building which later enclosed it, date from some of the earliest glass works on the site. A plentiful supply of coal and sand, with transport provided by the canal, created the ideal conditions for the glass industry to flourish here. The area is known as "the Hotties" because water from the canal was used in cooling glass in its manufacturing process, and was returned to the canal through sprays issuing from the pipework seen on the left. This warmed the water (tropical fish were said to enjoy life there), and caused clouds of steam as it met the cooler air.

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