Description:The furnace.
These remains of Tudor glassworks were found in Bishop's Wood in the 1930s. Although heavily restored, they are one of the most complete examples of a sixteenth century glassworks in the country. The furnaces, crucibles (for melting a sand and ash mixture), benches used to raise the crucibles, and the fire trench can still be seen.
Glass manufacture was introduced to the area by Bishop Overton, who moved to Eccleshall Castle (residence of the Bishops of Lichfield and Coventry) from Chichester Cathedral in 1580. He believed to have invited glass-makers from Sussex and Kent to exploit the area, which was rich in the raw materials such as stone, wood and ferns, required for glass manufacture.
Parish registers first record the names of glass manufacturers living in the area in 1582, but in 1615 a law was passed banning the use of wood in glass-making. The industry moved to Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Stourbridge, where coal was in plentiful supplying for the furnaces.