Voices from the cones
An oral history project which culminated in the creation of a folk album will be celebrated next week.
Voices From The Cones is a new release from Midlands singer-songwriter Dan Whitehouse and poet / storyteller John Edgar based on a series of interviews from forms glassworkers from across the Stourbridge Glass Quarter, including Wordsley’s very own Red House Glass Cone with support from Dudley Museum Service.
The album launch show on October 21st in the Glasshouse Arts Centre (built on the site of the old factory) will celebrate 400 years of glassmaking, with Dan and John joined by local pianist and singer-songwriter Elizabeth J Birch.
The songs and Radio ballad style narration retell real stories captured from an archive of interviews with 100 former glass workers talking about their memories of working in the glass trade, alongside new interviews conducted by Dan and storyteller John Edgar. The result is an emotive journey into the history and future of the glass industry.
Councillor Simon Phipps, cabinet member for regeneration and enterprise said:
We started this joint research project back in 2019 with Ruskin Mill Land Trust, Dudley Museum Service and Stourbridge Glass Museum.
Together we captured almost 100 stories, which Dan and John have now translated into these beautiful pieces of music which bring an additional layer of understanding to these personal tales.
Tickets can be booked via eventbrite.