This morning we met with Sarah Brown from the York Glaziers Trust, a stained glass conservation group that grew out of a glazer’s workshop. We sat through a slideshow that explained the goals of the YGT, some of their previous work, and their current project (the East Window of York Minster). Within the last two years she has also helped set up a new Master’s program in Stained Glass Conservation, the first of its kind in Britain. However, the majority of those currently working in this field come from varied backgrounds, including Art History, Medieval Studies, and Conservation. Those coming to work at YGT undertake a kind of apprenticeship that lasts two years; so although the art of stained glass conservation is becoming more rooted in science, it is still very much a craft.
Some of the reasons stained glass conservation is needed are vandalism, the overabundance of mending lead and other lead related issues, and various issues pertaining to moisture. Vandalism includes both malicious and accidental acts, such as a soccer ball accidentally breaking a panel, a rock purposefully thrown, or even an unfortunate bird meeting its end. Mending leads were used in the 19th century to fix cracks in the stained glass, which led to a few problems. Eventually the glass would become so broken up by thick lead lines that the original paintings were disjointed and at times completely unrecognizable. Also, the sheer weight of this extra lead could lead to structural problems. Even the original lead net eventually suffers from metal fatigue and eventually begins to crack at the seams. Much of the glass suffers from corrosion as well, especially the glass mixed with wood ash from later periods. The moisture from condensation inside a building can also lead to paint loss.
The YGT is currently undertaking a huge project, the East End of the York Minster. As the stained glass had to be removed anyway while structural repairs are made to the East End, it seemed a good opportunity for YGT to handle the conservation work now (with “now” lasting between five and ten years, depending on funding). The Heritage Lottery Fund is funding 60% of the project, with the Dean of York having to raise the other 40%. These panels last underwent conservation after WWII. The current goal is to preserve whatever glass is left from John Thorton’s original panels, removing the more obtrusive stop-gaps (discolored pieces from the last restoration), removing the lead mending wherever possible and using resin to reconnect the glass, and adding new glass when necessary, while scoring the pieces lightly to show observers that the added glass is not original. In some cases, YGT takes conservation a step further into restoration. For example, having an artist add a face to a figure that may or may not have had one in the past. They only made these major changes when they feel they have enough historical evidence to justify the change.
In an effort to further conserve the stained glass once it is back in the Minster (or other buildings), the YGT is also adding a protective glazier to the outside of the window, with a 20-30 mm gap between it and the stained glass. There are also gaps at the top and bottom, which keeps condensation from forming on the glass. They also take care to monitor the stained glass with sensors. If the stained glass if from another church, YGT educates the caretakers on how to conserve the panels to the best of their ability, which is sometimes as simple as making sure no bricks or rocks are left lying nearby.
After speaking with Sarah, we visited the Bedern Glaziers Studio, one of two studios the YGT uses. We met with Donja, who spoke about her work as a conservator with YGT, which perhaps unfortunately at this point is no longer just conservation. Whoever is working in this smaller studio (there are only two workspaces) must also speak with the visiting public. Until recently this studio was not used full time, but rather as a demonstration studio, where little real work can be done as most of the tools are in the larger studio. So although the public gets a glimpse of some of the tasks undertaken by the YGT, much of the real work appears to go on at the larger studio, which we unfortunately weren’t able to see.
I learned a lot about the conservation of stained glass today, and while it was interesting to see their efforts to engage the community in their work, I am not sure what else to take away from the experience.
*****
As we had the afternoon free, I spent a couple of hours touring Treasure’s House, which according to the National Trust (who owns the property) has, “thirteen period rooms,” and “one man’s remarkable collection of antique furniture, ceramics, textiles and paintings” (National Trust Handbook 2010). Hah. What a letdown. First of all, I’m not sure what to make of the period rooms, as they are not really distinctly of any period. For example, one of the house guides could only point out one item from the 15th century in one room, the hand painted walls, which of course were only recently painted using a design that would have been popular in the 15th century. Of course the furniture in the room varies from within the last three centuries. And as for the furniture, there was nothing spectacular that we haven’t seen other, better examples of, and even the house guides said that the former owner wasn’t much of an art collector. Their vehicles of interpretation left much to be desired as well, despite having new room sheets printed in the last two years. Overall, it was a disappointing experience compared with some of the other homes we have visited, probably doubly so because the handbook speaks so highly of it.
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