Devlin Plummer were commissioned to conserve the medieval glass at St. Mary the Virgin Church in Norfolk.
One of our skilled team working in the studio on a pane from St. Mary the Virgin Church.
Before conservation the medieval glass panes can be seen with surface corrosion present.
A pane installed with isothermal glazing at St. Mary the Virgin Church.
Examples of panes after conservation before installation at St. Mary the Virgin Church.
Examples of panes after conservation before installation at St. Mary the Virgin Church.
ST. MARY, SAXLINGHAM NETHERGATE, NORFOLK
Sometimes we find ourselves confronted with a situation where the glass is in need of attention but the leading is in good condition. A good example of this, are the chancel windows at St. Mary the Virgin Church, Saxlingham Nethergate, Norfolk.
They were releaded by G. King & Son during the 1970’s so the lead matrix is still very firm. The medieval glass however was in poor condition with surface corrosion prevalent on many of the glass surfaces. Back then Dennis King tried the very different approach of grinding the corrosion off and re-polishing the glass surface. Unfortunately within 25 years the surface of the glass was once again covered in a white corrosive deposit.
Today we have a more extensive knowledge of the characteristics and structure of glass and we now understand that the surface layer of the glass is often the toughest, and will form the first line of defence against the elements.