THE glass making heritage of Newcastle is to be celebrated in a £500,000 quayside office development.

Stefan Lepkowski, managing director of Karol Marketing, is turning the former Fighting Cocks pub in the Ouseburn Valley, into the headquarters for his expanding agency.

A keen student of local history, he hopes the glass building will commemorate the area's former industry.

"This area of the quayside was famous for its pottery and glass making," he said.

"I thought combining our fantastic view of the bridges with a major glazed feature would make a stunning architectural display and be in keeping with the area's heritage."

The firm has invested what it described as a "considerable sum" in restoring the Fighting Cocks' Victorian features.

Mr Lepkowski hopes that this blend of traditional with modern could bring the building an architectural award.

Guy Holmes, of Browne Smith Baker, the architects behind the development, said: "The angled glass wall on the south elevation can be seen from the Tyne Bridge and makes Karol Marketing's offices a very imposing landmark.

"Combining this with a glass-encased staircase which goes in and out of the gable end was particularly challenging, but it works well."