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BCD Special Report on
Historic Churches
18th annual edition
Historic
Leaded Lights
Stephen Clare
T
his is
an exciting time for glass
conservators in England, with several
large projects involving internationally
important glass in progress. These include
the major works by York Glaziers Trust
to York Minster’s resplendent Great East
Window by John Thornton (c1405), the 16th
century Belgian glass from Herkenrode Abbey
imported by Brooke Boothby to the Lady
Chapel at Lichfield under the care of Barley
Studio of York, and the ‘Tree of Jesse Window’
(c1340) from Wells Cathedral, presently being
conserved by Holywell Glass of Wells. Complex
interdisciplinary collaboration between glass
conservators, conservation scientists and art
historians has led to significant progress in
this field and it is not surprising that stained
glass conservation has held centre stage.
However, the majority of our heritage
in glass does not comprise such significant
painted, stained or enamelled glass, but plain
or ‘quarry’ glazing with simple, diamond-
shaped quarries of glass set in a lattice of
lead. The quality and beauty of these humble
leaded lights can be arresting, whether in a
country cottage or a medieval church. Growing
appreciation has led to greatly improved
custodianship, not least because so much has
already been damaged or replaced through
ignorance of historic methods and materials.
It is vitally important that we now pay
proper respect to the substantial amount
of plain glazing which has survived and
do not neglect the basic methods of site
fixing, maintenance and repair which
are essential to its proper care. (Many of
these principles are of course common to
both leaded lights and stained glass.)
Likewise, historic plain glazing demands
the same level of documentation as stained
glass. While there is often no need to prepare
conservation diagrams for each panel,
key areas should be carefully documented
and original glass and lead described
diagrammatically, which is straightforward
with modern computer software.
The importance of high quality, first
level training cannot be overstated. Just as
conservators cannot function with any degree
of authority without first developing high-
level craft skills, it is equally essential that
conservation awareness and sensibilities,
as well as a knowledge of historic materials
and methods, are introduced to trainees at
a very early stage irrespective of whether
their work will involve plain leaded lights
or stained glass. It is equally important that
qualified highly skilled leaded light makers
and fixers are given the respect they deserve.
In the conservation and restoration of plain
glazing, the most important factor in securing
the survival of historic glazing is knowledge of
materials and appropriate techniques. Although
this can be complex, there are a few key
elements to consider which are set out below.
Traditional and modern
types of windowglass
Knowledge of glass types and manufacture
is essential so that important survivals are
recognised and conserved. By understanding
the qualities of original glass – its thickness,
brilliance, texture and so on – the best
possible decisions can be made concerning
replacement when conservation is not possible.
Mass-produced sheet glass
Generally the most common types of sheet glass
throughout the 19th and 20th centuries were
Leaded lights at St Kenelm’s church in Minster Lovell, Oxfordshire (Photo: Kate Mellersh)