GRANT funding of nearly £50,000 has helped to landscape the front of what will become the borough's sparkling new glass museum.

The British Glass Foundation has been able to landscape the frontage to what will be the brand new White House Cone Museum of Glass in Wordsley, thanks to grant funding of £30,000 from the Enovert Community Trust and £18,000 from Ibstock Enovert Trust.

The new multi-million pound museum, which has only opened for pop-up exhibitions to date, is due to fully open to the public in around 12 months time.

Based on the old Stuart Crystal glass factory site in Camp Hill, which has been revamped with new homes and the museum building, the museum will house Stourbridge's prized glass collection which was previously held at Kingswinford's Broadfield House Glass Museum until it closed in 2015.

Graham Knowles, chairman of the British Glass Foundation which will manage the museum, said: “We have one of the finest collections of Stourbridge glass in the world. Many local people have relatives who worked at the Stuart Crystal factory and I am sure they will be pleased with the transformation of the whole site.

"The vision for the museum is the creation of a visitor attraction for tourists and local people, retaining and discovering their rich heritage, a place that inspires imagination in the young and innovation in the glass industry with glass-making taking place on site to raise the profile of our glass-making heritage."

The new landscaping has transformed the entrance to the museum, which aims to showcase the wonder of glass through educational and inspiring exhibitions and which will also tell the stories of the people who used to work there and how they helped to create some of the world’s most important decorative art.

Angela Haymonds, trust secretary at Enovert Community Trust and Ibstock Enovert Trust, said: "The trustees were delighted to support the British Glass Foundation with two grants towards the landscaping project, which has created a wonderful public open space at the front of the new museum that provides opportunities for outdoor leisure and exploration.

"Stourbridge is renowned for its glass-making tradition and the museum will provide a fantastic venue to celebrate the area's unique glass heritage."

The museum opened briefly in June 2016 when first built to give supporters a sneak preview but its official opening has had to hold off while campaigners work to raise the money needed for its internal fixtures and fittings.

News on an application for just under £1million towards the internal fit out, which has been submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund, is currently awaited and Graham Fisher, BGF spokesman, said: "We are still working hard raising money for the internal fit-out to include the glass cabinets and various interactive displays focussing on different glass techniques."

He added: "One of the interactive displays we would like to include is an exciting introductory audio visual display which will include a map of Stourbridge and give an account of the history of Stourbridge glass, having a focus not only on the quality of the art and design of the glass but also of the people, the past workers, the owners and the families as well as the 19 factories they worked in that produced Stourbridge glass."

The display is expected to cost around £18,000 and donations are being sought from glass fans and businesses to help raise the money.