Lindfield, Sussex — Tudor Stained and Painted Glass Conserved and Kiln-Fired

A Tudor period property in the village of Lindfield, West Sussex contained original stained and painted glass of considerable historic interest — glass that had survived in the windows for centuries but whose painted surface details had deteriorated and required specialist conservation intervention.

Surrey Leaded Lights undertook the careful removal of the historic painted glass panels for conservation in the studio. The glass was cleaned, and areas of paint loss and flaking were stabilised using reversible consolidants. Where painted details had been lost, they were carefully repainted to match the surviving original, working from close examination of the glass and reference to comparable historic examples. The repainted glass was then kiln-fired to bond the new paint to the glass surface — the traditional technique which gives painted glass its durability and prevents further deterioration.

The conserved panels were releaded and reinstated in the original window openings, ensuring the Tudor painted glass will remain in its historic setting for future generations. The project required both the scientific knowledge to assess and stabilise historic glass and paint, and the artistic skill to execute period-appropriate repainting — a combination of conservation science and traditional craft that sits at the heart of Surrey Leaded Lights' practice.