The Glass Cone

Glass cones are glass production structures historically unique to the UK. A glass cone had a large central furnace, a circular platform where the glassblowers worked, and smaller furnaces  around its wall to ensure the glass did not cool too quickly. This one at Lemington on the outskirts of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK is  the last of four which once occupied this site and one of only three left in England (with an additional UK example in Scotland).  One of the other English examples is included in Atlas Obscura( https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/catcliffe-glass-cone), as the oldest existing glass works building in the world.

The Lemington cone was built by the Northumberland Glass Company in  1787 . The cone itself is brick built throughout (1.75million bricks). It has a circular plan and is over 120 feet high and almost 70 feet in diameter. Its location was favourable due to availability of coal via the Wylam Waggonway and of other materials via the River Tyne.

It was in use until 1997 and since then has become a grade II listed structure.  It has had a number of uses including a showroom for a fireplace manufacturer.  Recently it has been renovated(apparently under pressure from the regulator), mainly to remove plants growing  in the pointing and to repair the, historically valid, lime mortar pointing.