Introduction to Glass Blowing Class

Enjoy a four-hour introduction to glass blowing at this hands-on workshop in Manchester.



4 hours Class size 1 to 4 guests    

  £340 - £380 per class (£340 for Weekdays; £380 for Weekends)

If you've always fancied trying blowing glass and want to give it a go, this this 4-hour glassblowing class in Manchester will give you a brilliant introduction to working with molten glass.
Under the expert guidance of your tutor Niki Steel, you'll get to grips with the art of shaping molten glass to create decorative and practical pieces of art. The session can be focused on creativity or technical aspects depending on what you are most interested in – Niki has over 14 years' experience and can, therefore, be flexible on the outcomes of the class.
This is a hands-on class where you'll not only be learning the techniques from an expert, but also trying your hand at making some beautiful things that'll give you years of pleasure.
The minimum pieces made by each student will vary depending on how many students attend the class. These include:
  • a colourful paperweight
  • a blown bauble/hanging ornament
  • a drinking glass
  • a vase or bowl
Please note:
  • The price of the class is £340 for 1-4 students. What you'll make on the day will depend on how many are in your group. Feel free to get in touch if you want more information on this!
  • Pieces take 24 hours to cool down so will be available for collection after that or postage can be arranged when needed.
  • The studio is a working environment, so please wear suitable shoes and keep long hair tied back. Other safety equipment is provided by the studio.
What you'll get
Completed artworks and demonstration pieces.
Read more details   
Knowledge required
beginner
Location

The Workshop, Ward Street, Manchester, England, M20 6TJ

Introduction to Glass Blowing Class location
Verified reviews


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Recent reviews of Introduction to Glass Blowing Class

  • 5/5 from Niamh M Elligott, attended Oct 2026: Had the best time at our glass blowing class. Niki was a brilliant teacher who helped us all along every step of the way. She was so informative and welcoming, and I’m looking forward to receiving my finished pumpkin!
  • 5/5 from Nicola McElligott, attended Oct 2026: Christmas gift card from my husband & what a wonderful experience. Nicola was friendly, extremely welcoming. Excellent teacher too. Four of us in our session & we all did pumpkins. We had a go at every aspect of the process from choosing colours to the end product. Highly recommend this experience.
  • 5/5 from Philip Wall, attended Jul 2026: Niki is a fantastic teacher and made the introduction to glass blowing course a wonderful experience. Highly recommended if you want to learn about the process in a relaxed and fun environment. You get to take away some cool pieces of glass too.
  • 5/5 from Fran Whitehead, attended Jul 2026: This was an amazing experience. We booked for our friend’s birthday and Nikki made us feel so welcome and relaxed. We had differing levels of confidence and skill and Nikki adapted her approach for each of us. Would highly recommended- a really special day. Thank you Nikki
  • 5/5 from Adam Wesley-August, attended Jun 2026: Brilliant afternoons introduction to glass blowing. Niki was great at explaining what we were going to do. With four of us in the group, we each managed to pick a design and colour of paper weight to start, before each venturing onto a small vase each. We were all very happy with the class and are excited to see the results after they've cooled down in a couple of days.
  • 5/5 from Sarah Atkinson, attended Jun 2026: My daughter and I had a brilliant afternoon with Niki - she is a brilliant teacher - patient, encouraging, full of energy and enthusiam! It was very hands on - we got to make a paper weight and a glass using different techniques - we would highly recommend this - it really takes you out of yourself and is a great way to ecape from everyday life!
  • 5/5 from Lucie Everard, attended May 2026: We had an amazing day with Nikki and Kate. The glass blowing was so much fun and Nikki made us feel very comfortable. We did a lot of hands on glass blowing and shaping ourselves with Nikki's support, and we found her a very engaging and excellent teacher. The class flew by (it was meant to be 4 hours but we were there more like 5) and we couldn't recommend it enough.
  • 5/5 from Tom Nash, attended May 2026: Niki was such an amazing teacher - full of knowledge and experience, and most importantly positivity! It was quite a full-on day but she made sure not to overwhelm me and let me bring my own ideas to the day. I'm really grateful to Niki, Kate and Kelsie for their help and letting me try things even if they were a little ambitious! The time absolutely flew by and I'm thinking about when I can go again.
  • 5/5 from Darren Kelly, attended Mar 2026: Nikki and Kate were amazing. We all had a fantastic time, thoroughly enjoyed. Would definitely recommend this experience
  • 5/5 from Keith Thompson, attended Feb 2026: What an experience! We were made welcome from the start and each skill and process was explained and demonstrated clearly. We were then guided through each process as the complexity increased from paperweight to bauble to beaker. We were so well taught that we have produced items that we are so proud to display, show our friends and in the case of the glass use every day. Thank you very much Niki, we will return
  • 5/5 from Molly McKernon, attended Feb 2026: Nikki was fab - she made us feel so welcome and gave us so much info about glass blowing. Her assistant Kate was also lovely! It was really fun to get involved and take home some pieces :)
  • 5/5 from Toby Davidson, attended Jan 2026: Nicola held a very fun, informative and inspiring class for us! She kept us safe through the whole session, while making sure we were having fun and kindly answering all our questions. I was surprised at how much we made, and we felt we learned a lot, about the industry and the art form, in just one day. Nicola was extremely patient and encouraging, and her love for glass is infectious. Thank you too to her lovely assistant, Kate, who also made our experience so enjoyable. Looking forward to seeing what we made!
  • 5/5 from Iram Raja, attended Jan 2026: I really enjoyed the class! Niki was an amazing teacher, patient and really knowledgeable! I’m glad I got to try so many techniques, I’d definitely recommend anyone to try!
  • 5/5 from Colin Kelly, attended Jan 2026: We had the best time at the Intro to glass blowing class, Nicky was an amazing teacher and we got to make some beautiful paper weights, baubles and tumblers. I would 100% recommend this class and will be coming back for more!
  • 5/5 from Christine Durrant, attended Jan 2026: We had a fantastic time, made some great pieces and were well looked after by Niki and Kate. Felt very comfortable and confident in the hands of such a great tutor. Thanks, from the Durrants
  • 5/5 from Jason Wilkins, attended Nov 2025: Nicola is a fantastic teacher. She is friendly, extremely knowledgable and ensured we got as much as possible out of the class. She was especially good at recognising the confidence and ability of those in the class, offering just the right amount of assistance at the right times. Overall, a great experience.
  • 5/5 from Rebecca Hopkin, attended Nov 2025: Absolutely perfect day! Niki was great from the get-go. She catered the session to me (4hr 1-2-1) and we covered so much ground. Definitely caught the bug and that is thanks to Niki. She was attentive throughout, knew where my skillset was, and allowed me to really test out some skills in our time together. Can't wait for the next lesson/session together! Wholeheartedly recommend!
  • 5/5 from Ee Leen Woon, attended Oct 2025: We had a really enjoyable class. Nicole was a great teacher, very friendly, energetic and helpful. She is highly skilled. I will definitely come back. I recommend this class to anyone who wish to try glassblowing.
  • 5/5 from Emma Johnstone, attended Oct 2025: AMAZING CLASS! My family & I had a wonderful afternoon - this was a gift for my mum’s 60th (she has always wanted to do glass blowing). It was everything we could’ve hoped for & more! Excellent teachers - such great energy & so encouraging! Thank you Nicola for a day we’ll remember & we can’t wait to see the finished products! :)
  • 5/5 from Craig Scott, attended Oct 2025: Great class with a great teacher
  • 5/5 from Paulina Mikula, attended Sep 2025: The class was great! A lot of fun, great atmosphere! I booked the class out if the sheer curiosity because a book I was reading mentioned glass blowing and I thought "what the heck, what's the worst that can happen? I'll enjoy it?" And that was exactly what happened, I enjoyed it very much! The ladies in the workshop were great! Good fun, very professional! And well, I always wanted a handmade, glassblown ornament for my Christmas tree, I just never expected it will be one I've made myself!
  • 5/5 from Gemma Walker, attended Sep 2025: Excellent class! Highly recommend, worth every penny. So knowledgeable, will do again
  • 5/5 from Mark Goodwin, attended Sep 2025: You are in very good hands with Niki. She keeps her class fun, lively, energetic, informative, safe, and you go home with something great to be proud of. Thanks Niki from the Goodwins :)
  • 5/5 from Walli Ullah, attended Sep 2025: Fabulous teacher very patient and accommodating. Really enjoyed the session will be going back for more.
  • 5/5 from Matthew Archer, attended Aug 2025: My wife and I had never tried to blow glass before and we are definitely not artisticly blessed. However watching Blown Away on Netflix, that gave us an inspiration and a little bit of insight to think we would like to try it. Niki and Olivia were so welcoming, enthusiastic and energetic our afternoon flew by as we learned about glass blowing and we did far more than we imagined we possibly could have. Niki is an amazing teacher and made the day so fun, fast and she still managed to teach us about lots of aspects of creating glass…! Thank you Niki ️
Your teacher

Nicola Steel Glass
Nicola Steel Glass

5.0 (136)
female Women-owned

My name is Niki Steel and I started working with hot glass at Manchester Metropolitan University in 2006, from there I very quickly fell in love with the material. From there I was lucky enough to study at the International Glass Center in Stourbridge, completing the Hot Glass Professional Development course with top marks.
I have worked in a variety of studios in the UK and also been lucky enough to learn in the Netherlands, USA and Czech. Glass blowing is a very wide range of skills, so the more variation of teaching styles you can experience the better to become competent. All these years of working and training have allowed me to understand this amazing material enough to go on to teach others; this is something I am so passionate about and love to do. I now have years of teaching experience in a public studio, glass demonstrations streamlined and have appeared on a couple of TV programs in the UK (although I am still too embarrassed to watch them my self!!)
I am so passionate about glass and always give 100% to make sure all students get as much out their time as possible.

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2026-10-23 15:00:00
class 0 1E57MXLBSX b30fa37a8c654059964d2a78c24cea95 1 production manchester Manchester North West GB manchester