Decorative & Stained Glass
Stained and decorative glass covers church windows, domestic leaded lights, painted and enamelled panels, etched and acid-embossed glass, and the coloured margin lights common in Victorian and Edwardian houses. The studios in this category survey, repair, relead and conserve existing glass, and design and make new work where panels are lost beyond recovery. Conservation practice favours retaining original glass and paint wherever possible, repairing in situ where the panel allows, and recording what is there before anything is removed. Several studios also design protective glazing and handle ferramenta and fixing repairs.
What this category covers
- Survey, recording and condition reporting of historic glass
- Releading, edge bonding and repair of leaded lights
- Conservation of painted, enamelled and silver-stained glass
- Isothermal and protective external glazing systems
- New commissions and replacement panels for lost glass
Ark Stained Glass & Leaded Lights Limited
Ark Stained Glass & Leaded Lights Ltd designs, manufactures, conserves and restores ...
Ashley Stained Glass Ltd
Ashley Stained Glass specialises in the conservation, restoration and protection of architectural ...
Cheshire Stained Glass Ltd
Cheshire Stained Glass is a stained glass studio working in Cheshire and ...
Clearsands Stained Glass
Clearsands Stained Glass is a stained glass studio near Exeter in Devon ...
Commissioning stained glass conservation
Get the panel recorded before it moves. Rubbings, measured drawings and photographs of each panel in place are standard practice, because leadwork is rebuilt from that record and glass sequences are easy to lose once a window is out of its opening.
Repair in preference to releading. Complete releading is invasive and removes evidence, and edge bonding, copper foiling and localised repair can extend the life of a panel considerably. Ask what proportion of the original lead and glass the proposal retains.
Treat painted glass as the vulnerable part. Historic paint and silver stain can be unstable and are readily lost through cleaning, so a conservator should test before cleaning anything and be explicit about which panels are painted.
Consider protective glazing carefully. Externally vented isothermal systems can reduce condensation and physical damage, but badly detailed protection traps moisture and accelerates decay. In churches, faculty permission applies alongside any Listed Building Consent.
Questions to ask
How long does leaded glass last before it needs releading?
Lead came typically lasts around a hundred years, but life varies with exposure, panel size and ventilation. Bowing, cracked solder joints and loose glass are the usual indicators. A survey should establish whether localised repair will serve rather than full releading.
Does repairing a church window need permission?
In Church of England buildings the faculty system applies, and other denominations have their own procedures. Listed Building Consent may also be needed. A conservator used to ecclesiastical work will normally help prepare the supporting statement.
Can broken painted glass be repaired rather than replaced?
Often yes. Edge bonding with conservation-grade adhesive retains original paint and glass, and is preferred to inserting new pieces. Replacement is a last resort where the glass is lost or shattered beyond reassembly.
All 80 businesses listed under Decorative & Stained Glass
- Ark Stained Glass & Leaded Lights Limited Herefordshire
- Ashley Stained Glass Ltd Flintshire
- AuraVisions Essex
- Bahill Glass Aberdeenshire
- Barley Studio North Yorkshire
- Bella Vista Stained Glass Cheshire
- C J L Designs Somerset
- C N Glass Oxfordshire
- Ceili Stained Glass Cornwall
- Cheshire Stained Glass Ltd Greater Manchester
- Classic Glass Derbyshire
- Clearsands Stained Glass Devon
- Clement Windows Group Surrey
- Coruscate Stained Glass Hertfordshire
- CWS Design Stained Glass Studio County Antrim
- Dan Humphries Stained Glass Somerset
- Design Glass Ltd West Yorkshire
- Designs in Glass Oxfordshire
- Devlin Plummer Stained Glass Ltd Norfolk
- Distinctive Stained Glass Aberdeenshire
- Emma Lindsay Glass Studio Glasgow
- Glasgow Traditional Windows Glasgow
- Glasswood Somerset
- Great Panes Stained Glass Wiltshire
- Harland & Co Stained Glass Cheshire
- Hellier Stained Glass Restoration Bristol
- Heritage Stained Glass Devon
- Holdsworth Windows Ltd Warwickshire
- Holme Valley Stained Glass West Yorkshire
- Holy Well Glass Somerset
- Hugh McMahon Stained Glass Nottinghamshire
- J H Stained Glass Bristol
- Jim Budd Stained Glass Herefordshire
- John Corley Stained Glass Studio
- John Yeo Stained Glass Somerset
- Karl Theobald Stained Glass West Yorkshire
- Knutsford Stained Glass Cheshire
- Lady Bay Art Glass Nottinghamshire
- Lattice Period Windows/Mike Honour Windows Gloucestershire
- Le Breton Traditional Devon
- Leadcraft Stained Glass Studio Berkshire
- Leona Stewart Leaded Glass Ayrshire
- Lightworks Lancashire
- Lucian Stained Glass Cornwall
- Malcolm Wytcherley Stained Glass Studio Worcestershire
- Martin Johnson & Co (York) Ltd York
- MDS Stained Glass Nottinghamshire
- Meridian Stained Glass Denbighshire
- Morning Glass Designs Aberdeenshire
- MWM Matt Window Mate Glasgow
- Old English Doors Nottinghamshire
- Pembrokeshire Stained Glass Ltd Pembrokeshire
- PM Stained Glass Glasgow
- Rainbow Glass Studios Ayrshire
- RDW Glass Glasgow
- Recclesia Ltd Cheshire
- Recclesia Stained Glass Cheshire
- Refurb-a-Sash Ltd Greater London
- Revival Stained Glass Greater Manchester
- Rob MacInnes Original Stained Glass Glasgow
- SDL Stained Glass Wiltshire
- Selwyn Stained Glass Greater Manchester
- Sherriff Stained Glass Specialists Dorset
- Somerset Stained Glass Somerset
- Stained Glass & Pottery by Nadia Miller Cornwall
- Stephen Weir Stained Glass Glasgow
- Stewart & Hutchinson Art Glass Conwy
- Stonecroft Stained Glass Ltd Dorset
- The Artistic Leaded Glass Co Ltd Oxfordshire
- The British Society of Master Glass Painters Somerset
- The Cathedral Studios Kent
- The Purple Stained Glass Studio Leicestershire
- The Putty Glazier Buckinghamshire
- The Stained Glass Display Company Northumberland
- The Stained Glass Factory Bristol
- The Stained Glass Studio Cirencester Gloucestershire
- Tracy Whyte Stained Glass Shropshire
- Transparent Glass Studio West Midlands
- Vitrail Studios Northumberland
- York Glaziers Trust York
Directory information is provided to help visitors identify potentially relevant specialists and suppliers. Inclusion does not constitute a recommendation, approval or guarantee by Tuscan Foundry Products. Please check current services, credentials, availability and suitability directly with each business.