VISITORS to Wordsley’s Red House Glass Cone can now take a sneak peek inside the iconic building as its £1.5million restoration nears completion.

The landmark in Camp Hill has been partially closed for the last 12 months while vital work has taken place to preserve the building for future generations.

While the team is busy completing the finishing touches, it’s now safe for people to go into the cone and see the progress made.

Visitors can see the scale of the work that has been carried out to repoint the entire 100-foot high Grade II listed structure, install new cast iron windows and provide access to the tunnels beneath the cone.

The cone’s visitor centre, shop and studios have remained open during the sensitive restoration works and were recently assessed by Visit England which has awarded the site gold status for the third year running.

Assessors gave the tourist attraction, run by Dudley Council, an overall score of 91 per cent which is consistent with scores from the previous two years.

The site’s cleanliness, retail offer and the knowledge and friendliness of staff were all praised along with the council’s future plans for the heritage site.

Councillor Paul Bradley, deputy leader of the council, said: ”Not only has the site maintained its gold standard once again from Visit England, but it is now able to open areas of the site as restoration work nears completion.

“I’d invite people to pop along and wonder at the scale and quality of the work so far, but also ask them to bear with us while the final finishing touches are made.”

Brierley Hill and Wordsley South ward councillors Adam Davies and Wayne Little thanked cone staff for their hard work in helping the attraction to retain its gold status.

Cllr Davies said: "The Red House Glass Cone is one of our most important local attractions that draws visitors from all around the world to our neck of the woods here in the Black Country. The cone team do a fantastic job looking after the site and should be incredibly proud of this recognition - it's a true testament to their passion and hard work."

Cllr Wayne Little added: "To be awarded gold is a brilliant achievement, particularly as the cone has now reopened to the public after completion of the main restoration works. The team do an amazing job, and this recognition is well deserved."

The cone is free to enter and is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 3pm and Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 4pm.