A treasured house of glass

Conservation of the stained glass at St Mary’s Church, Shrewsbury

The collection of glass at St Mary's Church was originally installed in the 18th-and 19th-centuries after travelling from mainland Europe.

No collection, in any English parish church or outside a museum, is equal to it.

 

 

The collection consists of:

• Splendid 16th-century glass from the ancient Low Countries, including 12 very fine Flemish roundels and magnificent figurative windows from Herkenrode Abbey, Liege and Treves
• Nineteen 16th-century glass panels from Altenberg Abbey, which tell the story of St Bernard of Clairvaux
• The Tree of Jesse, which contains no fewer than five tiers of panels, painted in the first half of the 14th-century

Jigsaw pieces

In 1996, we completed a major conservation programme on the stained glass East window (Tree of Jesse) to ensure that the life of this remarkable survival was extended for future generations to enjoy.

What we repaired:

• The large number of cracks and fractures in the glass
• The holes from vandal damage
• Poor quality Victorian painted replacements and repairs
• The small areas of corrosion
• Any damaged stone surrounding and holding the glass panel in place

Along with the repairs, we also cleaned the panels with de-ionised water and protected them.

Not many companies make glass by hand anymore, therefore a job like this offers the opportunity for craftsmen and conservators to exercise their skill and to train and develop the next generation of glass-masters.

Project team

CCT Conservation manager: Catherine Cullis (no longer at the CCT)
Architect: Stafford Holmes at Rodney Melville & Partners
Conservator: Jim Budd Stained Glass
Contractors: Carrek Ltd and Treasure & Son Ltd

Find out how you can contribute to work like this in the future

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