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Windows

Windows

   Stained glass windows used to be part of almost every house and buyers were given the choice of which pattern they would like. Glaziers had to learn how to make and repair stained glass as part of their apprenticeship but now, many double-glazers cannot even cut clear glass. I have watched it dissappear from all the old houses, replaced by clear or stained glass overlay, which is in fact sticky-backed plastic over a single pane of glass, with stick-on lead covering the joins. It is then used as one side of a double-glazed unit. The plastic's colour is only guaranteed for ten years and I take much satisfaction from watching it turn lime-green and yellow over time.

   Homebuyers these days love the look of original features, from the stained glass in the entrance or in the top lights of the bay widow, to fireplaces, cornices, flooring and so on.  When browsing these photos, it can be difficult to see, but many of these panels are triple-glazed with the leaded panel in the middle. The glass is proven to hold its colour for thousands of years. Most of the panels I repair are around 100 years old. They should last much longer when triple-glazed as they are not exposed to the elements.

    If you have moved into a house which needs the windows renovated, please do not destroy our heritage. The windows will look like new and be AAA energy rated when fitted into a new wooden or UPVC frame.

These ladies are his Spring and Summer posters  from around 1895, and feature two beautiful ladies in a forest surrounded by cala lilies and white irises. The Hartley Wood glass really adds shade and depth to the material in the dresses, as well as to the foliage in the landscape. althogh it cannot be seen there are many pieces of engraved glass adding detail to the flowers and on things like the neclaces and flowers in the hair and hand. The features in the faces are painted on.

 

Alphonse Mucha ladies with a Frank Lloyd Write border and C R Mackintosh details 

 

 

Angels 

 These angel windows were bought from a church in County Durham which was about to be demolished. The lady who bought them was married in this church and had lost her husband a few years ago.

They were in bad condition and the most important parts are the most badly damaged pieces. There are videos on my repair page which show how i painted the face and cloak of one angel then leaded it together.

Angels 

 

Wisteria and Lavender  

Fusing (slumping, melting) glass together can create amazing effects. These pieces are melted together in a kiln at around 650°C to form a solid shape. I have bordered them with lead, and set them into a double-glazed panel.  They are designed  to resemble wisteria and lavender.

 

St. Peter  

St. Peter was created for a lady in commemoration of her sister in the local church. The church painted the background. This piece had to match three other windows from 1850, and every piece of glass was painted and fired at least once and more often than not, three times.

Jesus  

Jesus was bought at auction and brought to me for repair. 40% of the pieces were broken and had to be replaced, I matched the colour and painting style, then rebuilt the whole panel.

Curtain 

   I like designing and building curtains. The HW glass really lends itself to the swoops in depth and colour in the same way as the materiel it imitates. These curtains were built by cutting the same pattern out of two different sheets of glass, and then swapping alternate pieces before leading them together.

   I use this technique frequently as it provides the best way to guarantee the colour combination between two or more windows, as seen in the bedroom windows below.

 

Slumped Curtain 

   This curtain has been melted (slumped) in two parts to around 800°C in a kiln four times as each new layer was added.

   This  gave the finished piece of glass more depth and movement and less definition between pieces.

 

                                                                        Bedroom 

   These windows are set in a bedroom bay  in a semi-detatched development. You can almost make out the houses on the opposite side of the street. There was no need for a curtain but, as you can see from the image below, when closed, the resulting projections were stunning, and became animated as the wind stirred.

   The sheets of Hartley Wood glass in these windows were chosen for their turquoise colour and the amount of movement (streaks in thickness) they contained. 

 

Our Lady 

   This window is set in the chapel of a primary school in Penshaw.

   The design was adapted from a drawing created by a 10-year-old girl which won the school competition. The drawing was very good and hardly any changes were needed in order make it possible in stained glass. She even gave Mary ginger hair, the same as her own.

 

Watermill 

This window overlooks the River Eden near Carlisle and is a representation of the view from this site 150 years before the house in which it is fitted was built.

 

Bullions 

   These bullions were made at Hartley Wood and this picture shows quite a range of them. Back in the day, (around 700 AD), flat glass was made in this way. The middle was discarded and the surrounding glass was cut into rectangles. This is why window panes were so small. 

   Should you ever visit Venice (the glass-making capital of the world), you will notice that most of the windows there are made from the centre piece (the discarded portion).

Disney 

These panels were adapted from the Dumbo animated film. Used as lightcatchers to hang in a window, they are a very attractive and colourful addition  to any child's room.

Windows
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