Stained Glass Class in Hoxton: 2.5-Hour Session for £72

SONG Art & Craft teaches its Stained Glass Workshop at Unit 2 (1b), Rosewood Building, Gorsuch Place, London E2 8GX, and the booking page offers two lengths: 2.5 hours for £72 (a 10 by 10 cm piece) or 5 hours for £144 (20 by 20 cm). The studio's customer service hours are 10 am to 9 pm every day of the week. It sits in a converted warehouse tucked behind Hoxton station, with an orange door, and the maximum class size is eight. You do the cutting, smoothing and soldering yourself with an instructor beside you, and you leave with the piece.

The studio's contact page says it is tucked behind Hoxton station in a converted warehouse on Gorsuch Place, and tells visitors to look for the orange door and the smell of beeswax and propane. The listed address is Unit 2 (1b), Rosewood Building, Gorsuch Place, London E2 8GX. The same page gives the nearest transport as Hoxton Overground, a 2 minute walk, and Old Street tube, a 10 minute walk.

The studio opened in 2021, according to the About page, which shows 2,400 plus students taught and five craft disciplines: lampworked glass, kiln-formed glass, stained glass, glass painting and metalwork jewellery. The founder is Binghui Song, a glass artist, jeweller and RCA graduate who still teaches lampworking and wax carving most weekends. The founder's line on the About page explains the studio's size: six benches, a kiln, a kettle and real time.

The studio calls itself a Shoreditch glass and metal studio in its page titles, though its own About page places it in Hoxton. Do not let the two names confuse you when you search a map. The postcode is E2 8GX, and the street to type in is Gorsuch Place.

The Stained Glass page sets out the options plainly. A 2.5 hour session costs £72 per person and produces a piece of 10 by 10 cm. A 5 hour session costs £144 per person and produces a piece of 20 by 20 cm, and the site marks it as the most chosen. The class size is a maximum of 8, and the course is open to all levels.

The studio describes the workshop as assembling vibrant glass pieces into designs, ornaments, luminous panels or even 3D lampshades, guided by expert instructors through cutting, smoothing and soldering. You may bring your own designs, and the page gives a rule of thumb to keep them realistic: fewer than 10 glass pieces recommended for the 2.5 hour session and fewer than 20 for the 5 hour session. Straight-line designs are recommended for beginners.

My judgement is that the 2.5 hour session is the right choice for a first visit, because 10 by 10 cm with under ten pieces is something you can finish while still enjoying it. The 5 hour option makes sense when you already have a drawing you love, or when you want to make a bigger piece to hang rather than a small ornament. At exactly double the length and double the price, the longer class buys you area rather than extra instruction.

All tools and materials are provided, according to the highlights on the page. Professional equipment includes glass cutters, grinders and soldering irons, and the glass is described as premium art glass with rich colours and a smooth texture. Protective gear is provided too. The solder is lead-free, which the studio says makes the finished piece safe for indoor display.

The safety rules are specific. Guests must be at least 12 years old, guests under 18 must be accompanied by an adult at all times, and the class is not suitable for pregnant individuals. These are stated on the booking page before you pay, so a family outing with a teenager is possible as long as an adult books alongside.

The studio's about page says every class is led by a working maker, and it names the team: instructors including Aisha Airan and Electra Mae Poppy Wineter, a workshop manager, JinJin Zhang, and a mix area supervisor, Yutong Liu. For a first-time glass cutter the useful detail is that the instructors are working craftspeople, and groups are kept small on purpose so that nobody is rushed past the moment a thing finally goes right.

All reservations are made through the website booking link, and phone and email are for enquiries. The Contact page says you can reschedule online up to 48 hours before your session, and within 48 hours you should email first and then call.

The studio's Visit and Hours panel and its customer service hours both list Monday to Sunday, 10:00 to 21:00. Session start times are chosen in the booking system, so the opening hours tell you when the building is staffed, not when each class begins. If an evening slot suits you better, the late closing time is a real advantage over studios that shut at 5 pm.

Group events are handled separately. The Contact page links to birthday, team and private hire options, and the studio keeps a Private Group Booking and Exclusive Hire Policy. If you are organising a stained glass afternoon for friends, start there rather than booking eight single seats.

The studio is two minutes from Hoxton Overground and ten from Old Street, so the walk to either station is short. Hoxton Street and Kingsland Road are the roads on the studio's own map, and both are a short walk from the door on Gorsuch Place.

If you booked the 5 hour class, eat before you arrive, because a 20 by 20 cm panel takes sustained concentration at the bench.

If it rains, stay inside and browse the studio's other classes, because the All Workshops page lists eleven hand-built classes across glass, fire and metal. Lampworking, kiln-formed glass and glass painting all run from the same building, so a second visit can be a different craft on the same postcode.

SONG Art & Craft is at Unit 2 (1b), Rosewood Building, Gorsuch Place, London E2 8GX, open 10 am to 9 pm Monday to Sunday. Stained Glass Workshop: 2.5 hours £72 for a 10 by 10 cm piece, or 5 hours £144 for a 20 by 20 cm piece, maximum 8 per class. Minimum age 12 with an adult for under 18s.

Bring a simple design with straight lines. Arrive a few minutes early to settle in at a bench, and tie back long hair. Everything else is supplied by the studio: tools, glass, protective gear and lead-free solder. Reschedule online at least 48 hours ahead to avoid an email-first process.