“The medieval glass preserved at St Mary’s Blanchland is of very considerable national significance.”
Photo: Revd Helen Savage
Extracts from the 2023 Statement of Significance written by York Glaziers Trust state:
- Premonstratensian glazing is rare in England and these fragmentary remains are therefore of national significance.
- The kneeling canons are the only known images of Premonstratensian canons to survive in the UK, identifiable by their distinctive white clothing, which the Order believed was given to them by the Virgin Mary, and thus was protected through the provisions of their statutes
- The quarries depicting the Instruments of the Passion and the related fragment of a Crucifixion, while not of the highest artistic quality, are an important expression of late medieval devotion, further evidence of the vigour of late medieval religious material culture.
- The use of sanguine enamel is of considerable interest.
Urgent conservation works were found to be urgent and necessary:
- The panels remaining in situ are now in a poor condition, displaying signs of corrosion, significant paint loss and extensive surface mould.
- Comparison with an image taken in 2006 shows the panel in a cleaner and sharper condition than observed this year, suggesting ongoing paint loss of the unprotected glass.
- Display in a setting that allows the pieces to be viewed and appreciated more easily is also to be encouraged.
In June 2024 the two remaining panels were carefully removed from the east window and the glazing there repaired. The stained glass panels were taken to York Glaziers workshops where they were carefully conserved and repaired. The details of the significance of the glass and its conservation can be read in the report below. All three panels are currently in safe storage with York Glaziers while the new scheme is designed as part of the proposals for the Treasures of Blanchland project. However there are large format photographs and illuminated interpretation of the panels available to view in the Abbey.
Additional funding required to conserve the medieval glass was secured through the kindness and generosity of:
Lord Crewe’s Charity, Jill Franklin Trust, King Charles III Charitable Fund, and the Church of England
