Broadfield House to Close

[simon bruntnell]

Sorry for getting the name wrong Parmoor not Parmer. I thought that's what was said when I was introduced to him, in fact everyone just called him Milo if I remember rightly. I think the collection is in storage at Dudley at the moment. But when it was given over to Dudley it was with the expressed wish, that it came out on display, at regular times. If I remember rightly we had about 140 pieces in my studio altogether. The catalogue, really could not show the whole body of the collection. Keith Cummings had worked tirelessly on his research of Walter. I look back and think what a lucky person I must be, to be able handle the glass and have an expert in Keith next to me answering any question I threw at him regarding the it. I suppose not many people get that chance. I have no real knowledge of glass, but one thing I have come to appreciate, I know when I photograph good glass, and this collection is beyond good.

[sph@ngw]

Further to my earlier ,essage about the Stuart Crystal factory site ( not Red House Cone) , it appears a demolition contract for £190k has been place with a 19 week timescale by the developer see http://www.lawsongroupltd.co.uk/demolition_projects_stuart.html.
Perhaps a local member can advise if this has started.......
Stephen. :mus:

[David Hier]

The Glass Association has made a hard-copy version of their petition available:

www.glassassociation.org.uk/Broadfield-Petition.pdf

Please feel free to download the form and collect signatures on behalf of the Glass Association.

I have been asked to stress that people should only sign one of the two Glass Association petitions. In other words, you should sign either the online petition or the hard-copy version, but not both.

[David E]

The site is located next to a working canal and adjoins a listed building.

I was a little shocked to begin with - but see that the listed building is remaining. I believe this site would have been large enough to house a museum like Broadfield House, but I imagine the prospects are quite remote if a developer has already taken possession. Somewhat short-sighted by Dudley Council?

I also question the speed in which this proposal is being moved forward. From the first announcement on 5th Jan. to the final decision on 22nd Feb. is indecent haste for such an important decision, affecting a museum of international renown. Why has there been no consultation - and if there has, why were certain people [seemingly] kept out of the loop?

It seems the plans have been kept covered up - if so, what reason? As Simon states, if a purchaser/developer has already been lined up, then questions should be asked why this whole operation has been handled in such an underhand way.

Dates in purple to be checked!

[David E]

NEW WEBSITE

A new website has been launched for the Friends of Broadfield House Glass Museum. It will also serve to provide everyone with a focus concerning the closure/removal of Broadfield House. Very much work in progress, but the basics are there.

http://www.FriendsofBroadfieldHouse.co.uk

Please feel free to direct any news or announcements here so that the information can be posted.

This message will also be posted in the Museum Café if anyone wishes to comment, or offer suggestions on the site, rather than in this thread.

[simon bruntnell]

Further to my earlier ,essage about the Stuart Crystal factory site ( not Red House Cone) , it appears a demolition contract for £190k has been place with a 19 week timescale by the developer see http://www.lawsongroupltd.co.uk/demolition_projects_stuart.html.
Perhaps a local member can advise if this has started.......
Stephen. :mus:

Its all boarded up with a gate some of the buildings have been burnt down, alot has gone. It looks the same as on google earth view as far as I can see. I went to Broadfield and did some shots outside with Allister Malcombe looking p*%ed off for the local paper so if anybody wants some let me know. I will swing by the old stuart site tomorrow at some point (if I can see my hand in front of my face..FOG!! here today.) and do the James Bond bit.

[aa]

Extract from the petition:

Signatory no 472   David Whitehouse   USA   Jan 28, 2009

http://www.cmog.org/dynamic.aspx?id=2164

[aa]

Extract from the petition:

"As an inhabitant of London. but with roots in the Midlands, am aware of how the Regions so often complain about the lack of attention they perceive they receive in arts and culture in comparison with the capital: Bad decisions like the one proposed above only go to reinforce the impression that Regions aren't always very serious about their cultural heritage in any case..."

James Malpas

[Ettiene]

Hi everyone,

in order to make the Friends of Broadfield House web site as complete as possible could I ask that not only is the text of letters from Councillors forwarded but your original letter as well. Assuming you are prepared to make either public.

At the moment it is a bit like hearing one end of a telephone call. Also it will help others with their own letter writing.


All the best


Ettiene

Info should be sent to campaign [the at sign] friendsofbroadfieldhouse.co.uk

[sph@ngw]

Another spanner in the Works?
One fact I have not seen referred to in all these "plans" of Dudley Council, who were planning to move the Museum contents to "The Red House Cone Site" is that Waterford Glass, I believe, still owns or controls part of the site. The factory shop, namely.
At 12noon today, bids closed for the assets and brands of Waterford, including Stuart Crystal and Edinburgh Crystal.
So it looks as if Dudley Council had not factored this in, (unless they have bid for the complete ownership of the site themselves!). More uncertainty.

How on earth can they take a proper informed decision at the Council meeting in March? It will take at least 3 months for Deloitte the Administrators to sort out the sale of the Waterford assets.
The only sensible thing for Dudley Council to do, is to announce a six month moratorium and consultation process, which should have been done at the outset!
Stephen.

[simon bruntnell]

Dudley Council said they have a 90 year lease on the cone, but who ever buys Stuart will end up with it. I would not be surprised if the Far East move in on this (the glass designs etc that is). And the building is listed and Dudley would control any planing application's. But another sad comment I did pick up that the staff at BHM where told that they would be redeployed (one would be layed off)and not into museum services, that was 'set in stone' was the words used. The General view around here is that Dudley are going to weather the storm on this, as people are finding with the round robin letters, and try just, to ignore people . But as I said before I don't think they expected a load of glass lovers to cause such a stink. I really think stink is going to have to get bigger, there's been nothing on the local tv except the £60 million pound shoe box gallery in West Bromwich. 

[yelooc]

Latest Article From Express and Star:

This article seriously mis-quotes visitor numbers and running costs; BH has had 12,000 visitors in the first three quarters of this financial year i.e 15,000 pa. However, the council keep missing the point; they are counting bus loads of school kids; who will be happy with mannequin dolls dressed as glass blowers.

The Oxford Circus McDonalds has a larger footfull then the V&A museum. What they haven't realised is that they have a real piece of culture.

Plan to plough sale cash into expansion
This article posted on January 29, 2009 at 11:27 am.

http://www.expressandstar.com/2009/01/29/plan-to-plough-sale-cash-into-expansion/

"Hundreds of thousands of pounds generated from the sale of an internationally-renowned glass museum in the Black Country would be ploughed into funding an expansion of another historic site, it emerged today.

Broadfield House Glass Museum in Kingswinford could close under Dudley Council cost-cutting plans. But councillors say if the sale of the building in Compton Drive goes ahead the plan is to pump some of the proceeds into the Red House Glass Cone in Wordsley.

However they are also keen to stress the proposals for the sale are not set in stone.

Council chiefs revealed last week they are considering closing Broadfield House as part of plans to shave £120,000 off next year’s museums bill. But they have moved to allay the fears of collectors and visitors collections will be placed in storage or squeezed into existing rooms at the cone in High Street.

Councillor Karen Shakespeare, cabinet member for environment and culture, said: “We are not shutting the glass museum and attempting to either put the collections in the existing space at Red House Cone or into storage, which appears to be a major worry for many people who have contacted me.

“The location of Broadfield House is not ideal from the point of view of a visitor attraction. It is not easily accessible to many people who visit the Red House Cone, which is shown by the number of visitors to each museum. There are in excess of 20,000 more visitors to the Cone each year, which is one of the reasons why I would like to look at the option of relocating the entire collection to a single site. Clearly, this would have to entail an expansion of the existing Red House site.”

If the Broadfield House sale goes ahead, the council hopes to release cash to create an improved visitor attraction with all the borough’s collections centred around the Stourbridge Glass Quarter.

Broadfield House costs £250,000 a year to run, attracting around 8,500 visitors. More than 27,000 people flock to the cone each year."

[aa]

 

Councillor Karen Shakespeare, cabinet member for environment and culture, said: “We are not shutting the glass museum and attempting to either put the collections in the existing space at Red House Cone or into storage, which appears to be a major worry for many people who have contacted me

I have permission from Councillor Dave Tyler to post the email below, please note the final paragraph that I have highlighted in red. I will leave it to readers to make their own judgment, in respect of the quote above

Councillor Tyler, in a separate email explained:

Perhaps my family history makes me more in tune with the glass industry. I have a long line of ancestors in the industry including my great grandfather William Breese who was apprenticed to Henry Gething Richardson in 1885.
I have even transcribed his apprentice papers for inclusion in the Broadfield archive.
His father Thomas Breese also worked for Richardsons. And it goes on and on and on !!

From:   cllr.dave.tyler@dudley.gov.uk
Subject: Broadfield House closure
Date: 25 January 2009 22:01:54 GMT
To:   adam@aaronsonnoon.com
Hello Adam,
I am the leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Dudley Council and you may already know that I am totally opposed to the closure of Broadfield House.

If it is to close at some stage in the future it should only be AFTER all interested parties have had a chance to explore ALL alternatives and funding with a view to creating a far better facility. Such a building should include Museum space, training, research, storage and lecture theatre facilities.

If we are to retain and improve our glass heritage them we must all get around a table first before any action is taken.

There is no point in announcing a closure first then expecting everything to fall into place.
If this decision had been made by a business it would fail dramatically and shareholders would call the executives to account.

To announce the closure as part of next years Budget proposals with a possibility of a feisibility study thrown in after the decision has, I am convinced, been made just to placate people.

I understand your feelings about siting a petition at Broadfield House and I would personally have no objection but I don't run the Council.

If you need an example of petitions against closure being completed within closure threatened buildings look no further than the recent closure of primary schools throughoput Dudley and a local swimming baths at Brierley Hill.

As far as I understand there were petition forms in all those Council owned premises ready for parents, friends, family and users to sign and I see no reason why Broadfield House could not do the same.

As far as employees are concerned there may well be some possible threat of discipliniary action which hangs over any officer openly criticising a Council policy as their employer.

One further point and this is purely political.
Whatever any Conservative Councillor says between now and 2nd March when the final Budget setting meeting takes place at Dudley Council House all Conservative Councillors will vote "In Favour" of their own Budget and therefore "In Favour" of the closure of Broadfield House from 1st April 2010. Their Cabinet of 9 Councillors have already agreed this course and their Lead Member for Finance will present the report on 2nd March for ratification.

Hope this helps
Regards
Dave 

 

[Anne]

A new thought. Surely it is possible to get the accounts for the last three years on the running costs of the Broadfield House Museum using the Public Information Act?
Councils have to be more and more accountable and open!

Seeing as no-one else has picked up on this, I thought I'd add a reply. The relevant legislation is the Freedom of Information Act 2000, under which anyone may request access many public records, but it should be noted that many  documents are already available without having to request them formally under the FOIA.

The Council's accounts are freely viewable in the Archives - see LINK

Access to council minutes, accounts and non-current electoral rolls which are held, is provided free of charge in the searchroom, whether listed or not, in accordance with the Local Government Act (1972).

If an item isn't in the Archives or available under the council's Publication Scheme, then an FOIA request may be made, but there is normally a fee payable for this. Freedom of information requests must be in writing, give the name and a return email or postal address of the person requesting the information, and describe the information that is being requested.

[Anne]

The permanent and temporary exhibitions at Broadfield House attract visitors from all over the country, while the majority of people visiting the web site are from the USA. The glass collection contains approximately 15,000 individual pieces (including long term loans) ranging from 17th century glass to present day work, with the main focus on glass produced in the local Stourbridge area. The collection of Stourbridge glass is the finest and most comprehensive in the world. The museum is supported by an outstanding glass library and archive collection, and is a major centre for research into 19th and 20th century glass. Enquiries are received from all round the world.

The Red House Glass Cone was restored and opened as a visitor attraction in 2000. It is one of only four remaining glass cones in the country and is the most complete, retaining its associated workshop buildings and canal side location. The Red House Glass Works, of which the Cone forms part, was the home of Stuart Crystal from 1881 and the Council today operates the site in partnership with its current owners Waterford Wedgwood.

Source: ‘Reasons to be Cheerful’ A Cultural Strategy For Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council 2006/07 to 2008/09, published by Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, 1 Nov 2006.