Broadfield House Glass Museum

Broadfield House stands in Kingswinford, West Midlands, on land that was once open farmland. The Grade II listed building began as an 18th-century farmhouse and grew into a grand Regency residence with a three-storey block and portico. A former threshing barn now serves as the Hot Glass Studio, a reminder of the area’s agricultural past. In the 1940s the house became a private home before later serving as a mothercraft hostel and an old people’s home. Its institutional past remains visible in features like the 44 stairs and lack of a lift. The museum displayed glass from the 17th century to the present across nine galleries, alongside paintings and tools that show glassmaking and the local landscape. Its archives held pattern books, catalogues and invoices, while the library included the entire collection of Robert Charleston from the Victoria and Albert Museum. Temporary exhibitions featured local, national and international artists, and the Hot Glass Studio supported glass-blowers. The collection has since moved to Stourbridge Glass Museum. Visitors once found a shop selling souvenirs, vintage glassware and works by contemporary makers. The building’s Regency block formed the main entrance, reversing the original orientation of the farmhouse. Paintings showed glassmaking scenes and the surrounding countryside. The archives and library offered detailed records of the industry and its craftspeople. The Hot Glass Studio provided a working space for artists and graduates.