Church's stained glass window brought back to life and unveiled at special Mass
Worshippers have gathered to celebrate the rededication of a stained glass window at a church in West Bromwich.
The East Window of St Peter's Church in Greets Green, West Bromwich, has been restored to its former glory and was admired at a special Mass on Sunday morning, where the Right Reverend Paul Thomas, Bishop of the See of Oswestry, was in attendance.
The window was commissioned and fitted in 1930 by Father Lancelot Lamplugh and the stained glass Te Deum window was created by Albert E Lemmon, the renowned Birmingham stained glass artist.
It has now been brought back to life by Ester Naylor, who lives in Halesowen, and Alvechurch-based stonemasons Steve and Stuart Fear from R.N Fear & Sons.
For the past five and a half months, they have been working together on the restoration of the stained glass window which has finally been unveiled to the church's parishioners.
Esther, who has worked in the industry for more than 20 years, said: "It’s absolutely beautiful and it’s been a joy to be able to look at it up close and personal.
"When it was made it cost £300, you wouldn’t get anything like it for that price now."
Following in the footsteps of her father, Tony, who has spent more than four decades in the industry, Esther began learning the craft at the age of nine and now runs her own business, Off The Wall Stained Glass.
The restoration project at St Peter’s has been a family affair as Tony, who worked for the well-known Birmingham stained-glass firm Hardman Studios before going self-employed in the 1970s, and her sister Lia have been lending a hand.
Although the glass panels were in a good condition for their age, the stone frame needed to be removed and rebuilt by Steve and Stuart after suffering damage caused by mining subsidence.
“The stone masons have been brilliant – their attention to detail is second to none. They’ve done an amazing job,” Ester says.
A few of the panels also needed to be flattened after becoming warped due to the subsidence. To do this, Ester lays the panels flat and gently heats them from underneath, which helps them to settle back into their proper shape.
“All the window needed was a really good clean – there was almost a century of grime on it – and a few cracks making good. It was very well made because the lead is very strong.”
Normally the panels would need to be dismantled and re-leaded. I’m so glad we didn’t need to take it apart.”
Esther added: "Parishioners at the time the window was made, wanted the Vicar, Fr Lamplugh, to be included in the window.
"He was well respected for his service to the community after the war when he spent much of his time visiting the families of those who had lost loved ones.
"Albert Lemmon did indeed include him." Reflecting on the restoration, Esther said: "It’s been a really lovely project and we’ve all worked really well together."
