PAINSTAKING work to restore world-famous medieval stained glass to its former glory is well underway with hidden secrets discovered.
Urgent work to restore, protect and fortify the medieval glass of Great Malvern Priory - which ranks among the best in England - is already, quite literally, bearing fruit.
The restoration itself has yielded a rare, tantalising glimpse into the skills of the craftsmen of the Middle Ages in creating the Tree of Life.
The Friends of Malvern Priory and the modern craftsmen working on the project hope to rescue the glass from the ravages of time and the elements and conserve it for future generations to cherish and enjoy. But as they have carried out the work they have learned more about how their fellow craftsmen worked.
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Anne Eglington, Chairman of The Friends of Malvern Priory, has welcomed the work by the York Glaziers Trust (YGT) to restore and protect the glass.
She said: "An exciting discovery was made by YGT in a detailed survey of the Priory glass in 2016. Two of the windows show examples of medieval ‘jeweling’. This is the highly skilled process of cutting a hole in fragile glass with medieval drills and fitting a circular piece of a different colour glass into it. The lead surrounding some jewels is medieval, which is a very rare survival. The apples on the Tree of Life are good examples of this."
Worcester Cathedral may be famous for its effigy of King John, its Norman crypt and Prince Arthur's Chantry but when it comes to stained glass there are few churches or cathedrals in the country which can hold a candle to the stained glass of Malvern Priory which rivals the great windows of York.
These photos, supplied by the York Glaziers Trust show the delicate restoration work now underway to conserve Malvern's legacy after a mission was launched to save the beautiful but imperilled glass before it is lost forever.
The YGT is 'the oldest and largest specialist stained glass conservation studio in Britain, and one of the largest in Europe, counting amongst its staff an unprecedented three ICON accredited conservators (ACRs) and 17 members of staff'. The charitable trust is dedicated to the care and conservation of historic stained glass in York Minster and throughout the UK.
Malvern's breathtaking Creation Window in particular has suffered because of acid rain, algae and being exposed to the elements - and this has been the focus of the restorers' endeavours.
As previously reported, a list of at-risk sites has been published by Heritage England, including the glass of Great Malvern Priory.
The Priory Church of St Mary and St Michael, Church Street, Malvern, is a former Benedictine Priory founded in 1085. The church has the largest display of 15th-century stained glass in England.
Anne Eglington, the chairperson of the Friends of Malvern Priory, said last year: "It's some of the best surviving medieval stained glass in the country, second only to York Minster. If we don't do something about it, it will be lost forever. We are passionate about saving, protecting and preserving the medieval glass at risk in Great Malvern Priory."
The priority now is to apply for National Lottery Heritage Fund to continue the work after the success of the pilot project.
Malvern's medieval glass is regarded as 'a national treasure' say the friends who have worked to raise funds to protect and preserve it.
The Friends have agreed to support the restoration of the first of these windows, the Creation Window in St Anne's Chapel, as part of a larger Priory Development Plan.
Reinstalling the glass in an environmental protective frame and repairing the surrounding stonework costs £125,000.
However, thanks to many generous donors, many of whom have wished to remain anonymous, together with grants from both the Headley Trust and the Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass, the cost of the project has been fully covered.
Funds of £50,000 are being carried forward towards the cost of conserving a second window in due course. The glass so far restored is expected to be returned in the spring.
York Glaziers will then bring the ancient glass back to Malvern in May 2023 to fit it back into St Anne's Chapel, along with the environmental protective glazing.
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