Red List Comment Submission

Commenting on: Historic stained glass window making

Section one - About you

Section two - Description of the craft

If you are commenting on an existing craft, please select it here and skip the next two questions

Please enter the name of the craft you would like us to add here.

If this is a new craft type please select the most suitable category

Please identify country, region, county or town

Please identify country, region, county or town

Please identify an era/century/approximate historic period.

Heritage Crafts uses a system of four categories of risk to assess the viability of heritage crafts. A heritage craft is considered to be viable if there are sufficient craftspeople to transmit the craft skills to the next generation. For more information on definitions see http://heritagecrafts.org.uk/redlist/categories-of-risk/

Section three - Current numbers of those practising the craft in the UK

People earning their main craft income from this craft (selling, commissions, conservation/ restoration and/or teaching).

People practicing this craft commercially (selling, commissions, conservation/restoration and/or teaching) but as less than half of their income.

People acquiring skills in order to become a professional in this craft, they probably have to work under supervision even if they are earning money while training.

People whose knowledge and ability is at a level of the most skilled practitioners of this craft.

People who do not intend to practice this craft professionally or at the highest level.

Section four - Issues affecting the viability of the craft

Existing content:
  • Loss of skills: The construction of large scale traditional painted, stained and leaded windows made with antique glass for buildings is in dangerous decline.
  • Ageing practitioners: Skilled artists and craftspeople who are skilled ‘masters’ are aging and retiring with few opportunities for apprentices to learn in studios. The British Society of Master Glass Painters has 61 accredited members (Fellows and Associates). A survey amongst them completed this month with 39 respondents showed that 41% will be retiring in the next 10 years and that 10% have already retired.
  • Lack of opportunities for skilled makers to pass on their skills: The survey also showed that 59% of masters (post formal education) had benefited from working in a studio or completing a formal apprenticeship. Today only 18% of the respondents are in a position to pass on their knowledge and skills. However, a further 33% indicated that they would like to offer apprenticeships if the funding was available.
  • Decline in educational opportunities and courses: In the last thirty years there has been a serious decline in the number of dedicated courses for traditional stained glass at art schools and universities. There is vital outreach work to be done, as young people don’t know there is a career pathway into stained glass, and it isn’t on any education curriculums. Closure of all higher-level courses that solely focus on stained glass is a shocking fact. Even colleges and universities that offer glass courses, such as UCA in Farnham, and the University of Sunderland don’t offer traditional stained glass as an option. It has become something of a fringe activity, often being absorbed into broader studio glass and ceramics curriculums. The latest survey amongst accredited members of the Society confirmed that 67% of them had completed formal stained glass training to higher education level or other artistic training to degree level. However, 74% of respondents said that the courses that had taken them into the profession no longer exist and the remaining respondents were not sure of the status of their courses. Further research by the British Society of Master Glass Painters revealed that only Swansea College of Art is teaching a full curriculum of stained glass at higher education level. Some core skills such as taking templates, laying out a drawing for a window, designing, cartooning, painting, staining, glazing and fittings windows are rarely being taught.
  • Lack of training and employment opportunities with larger companies: Established studios such as Chapel Studio and Godard & Gibbs, which used to employ and train many crafts workers, have closed.
  • Relevance in today’s world: Historic buildings such as churches are financially challenged and not commissioning many new works of art. The number of commissions are a fraction of those commissioned through the Victorian era and the post-war period. New buildings don’t incorporate traditionally made windows because they don’t meet current building regulations.

e.g. lack of qualifications, funding for training etc.

If yes, please describe the issues below

e.g. lack of demand for products/skills etc.

If yes, please describe the issues below

Tick the box if there are difficulties with the supply of raw materials, allied materials or tools

If yes, please describe the issues below

i.e. issues around running any small business, not just crafts

If yes, please describe the issues below

Is the main workforce made up of people who are approaching retirement age?

If yes, please describe the issues below

e.g. legal restrictions on materials, health and safety etc.

If yes, please describe the issues below

e.g. Brexit, Covid-19, conflict

If yes, please describe the issues below

Please describe any other issues

Section five - Current Initiatives to preserve craft skills

Please describe any UK projects or schemes

Section six - Main players in the craft – please tell us who you know about

Please list any known practitioners of this craft — add a row item for each person or business and complete the fields to the best of your knowledge. To get started click the `Add practitioner` button below.

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Add practitioner

Section seven - Optional additional information

It may include when and where the craft developed, how it has changed over time, etc.

e.g. festivals, religious celebrations, agricultural practices, music, dance etc.

e.g. religious, ethnic, social class. Please give an overview of the techniques involved in the craft.

This may involve different materials, techniques, styles or finished products.

e.g. books, websites etc.