Projects

Sts.Peter & Paul, Bardwell, Suffolk

The 2 sets of 2-light stained glass windows of the North Nave (nIII & nIV) comprised of complete panels and individual pieces of mediæval glass gathered from other windows in the church, and elsewhere, by Horace Wilkinson’s company in 1934.
The paint work was stable but the glass itself was badly corroded with pitting. The only way to prevent further decay was to remove all the glazing for setting into an isothermal scheme. External protective glazing (EPG) was fitted into the original glazing grooves and the newly-framed stained glass was set onto the stone work with a ventilated inter-space to prevent condensation forming on the delicate ancient glass. The previous EPG was of 5mm plate glass and covered the windows in large sheets, irrespective of the architectural features. We replaced this with a soft reflective glass made to fit each individual opening for a much improved visual effect.

Cleaning had a surprising impact by removing much of the previously-applied leadlight cement residue, rendering much of the glass brighter. However, several pieces remained opaque, due to the effects of manganese browning. As the glazing had been fully releaded in 1934, no work was required to the lead work, apart from adjusting the overall shapes to fit the new frames.