GLASS enthusiasts have accused Dudley Council of reneging on its pledge to keep Broadfield House Glass Museum in Kingswinford open until a replacement attraction is built.

The world famous glass museum in Compton Drive closed its doors for good last Wednesday (September 30) after 35 years as home to the borough’s prized glass treasures.

Former operations manager John Smith, who worked at Broadfield for 22 years, described the closure as “a very sad loss” and “like losing a friend” and he said: “The council have reneged on what they said. They said Broadfield would not close until the new museum was about to open.”

Charles Hajdamach, the borough’s former principle museums officer, echoed his concern, adding: “Dudley Council promised us they wouldn’t close Broadfield House until a new place was up and running – that’s a promise they’ve reneged on.”

The British Glass Foundation has been working with Complex Development Projects to develop a replacement museum on the old Stuart Crystal site opposite the Red House Glass Cone in Wordsley.

Work is well underway to create the new £5.5million tourist attraction, which is being built thanks to a recently awarded £2million grant from the European Regional Development Fund, and it is expected to be completed by the end of 2016 but no official date for opening has been given.

In the meantime the borough’s prized glass collection, which is being transferred to the BGF on a 125-year lease, is being packed away ahead of the move and the pieces can only be seen by the public online.

Councillor Khurshid Ahmed, Dudley’s cabinet member responsible for tourism, said: “Our plans for a world class visitor attraction to house our proud glass heritage are on track and progressing well.

“We have been careful not to close Broadfield House Glass Museum until the future of the glass has been secured. Now we have funding and plans in place for the new building, we are progressing with our proposals in partnership with the British Glass Foundation, a highly regarded charitable trust.

“The new museum will allow the collections to be displayed and interpreted in new ways that will engage with a wider audience and attract more visitors to the Glass Quarter. “There will also be a programme of temporary exhibitions which will explore the history and artistry of glass and allow more of the collections to be seen.”

Broadfield House, which was opened as a glass museum in 1980 by Princess Margaret of Kent, is set to be sold off next year “for a use fitting its listed status” - to help fund the new state-of-the-art museum in Camp Hill.

One full time and four part time posts are being made redundant as a result of Broadfield's closure, the council has confirmed, but affected staff will be offered redeployment opportunities with the authority.

Only one or two paid positions are expected to be available at the new museum.