THE NATIVITY RESTORATION

Follow the process of my restoration of a heavily damaged window from start to finish...

This project was to repair and restore a window from St Anne's Church, Clewer. The window, depicting The Nativity, was made by Clayton and Bell in the late 19th century. It had been badly damaged and much of its glass lost. I carried out the restoration of this window at the Cathedral Studios, Canterbury.

Because so little of the original design had survived, extensive research was undertaken to locate images of windows made by the same company of designers. Once examples were found, the drawing and re-construction of this beautiful window could begin.

The damaged window before removal.

The window is carefully removed and taken to the studio.

After extensive research, the image can be redrawn in a way that fits very closely with the original designer's vision. Next the 'cut lines' are worked out, deciding where the lead lines will be.

Once the drawing is complete and the cut lines established, new glass is cut and colour matched to the original window glass.

Next, the glass painting begins. The paint colours and the techinque of application must be closely matched to the original.

Once the painting is complete the glass is fired to fuse the paint onto the surface of the glass. The new pieces of the window are arranged in daylight for a final inspection.

The panel is then leaded using lead that matches the profile of the original leadwork.

The panel is cemented, giving it strength and making it weather-proof.

Finally, the panel is cleaned and re-installed.

Grace Ayson

THE NATIVITY RESTORATION

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