Grant to preserve cathedral windows

THE beautiful stained glass windows of Birmingham Cathedral will be preserved with the help of National Lottery funding. The cathedral has received development funding of almost £82,000 to help conserve the windows designed by Birmingham-born Pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones.

The Dean of Birmingham, the Very Reverend Matt Thompson, said: “We’re delighted that we’ve received this support thanks to National Lottery players.

“The stained glass windows are a remarkable inspiration.”

Cash support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for Divine Beauty, a project which aims to conserve and interpret the stunning stained glass windows. It will help Birmingham Cathedral progress its plans to apply for a full National Lottery grant at a later date. The project aims to carry out essential conservation work to the stained glass to remove the build-up of decades of dirt and debris and to replace the external protective grilles with a more sympathetic and bespoke alternative. The way the cathedral shares information about the windows will be improved with enhanced interpretation both inside and outside the cathedral, events and an education programme.

And the project will link with other sites in the city with a walking trail and tours. There will be a new short film and there will be opportunities for people to get involved, learn the history of the windows and the techniques by which they were made. Birmingham Cathedral was built as the parish church of St Philip’s more than 300 years ago and the four remarkable windows were added between 1885-1897. They are some of the finest examples of Birmingham artistry and hold an important place in the life of the city.

A cathedral spokesman said: “During World War Two the windows were removed courtesy of Birmingham Civic Society and placed in a slate mine in Wales for safekeeping. The duty of this generation is to ensure they are preserved and recognised for the future.”