WINDOW TO THE PAST...!
Iconic design is restored at Alton Towers
A World-famous stained glass window has been restored - 170 years after it was first installed at Alton Towers.
Thanks to painstaking work by highly-skilled craftsmen, the window will once again sit at the centre of the theme park when the scaffolding is removed this week.
Created in 1850, the iconic Banqueting Hall Bay Window at the former home of the 16th Earl of Shrewsbury, more recognisable today as Alton Towers, is the largest of its kind ever installed in a private house.
Measuring 10 metres tall by six metres wide, the design was created by Pugin – known for works including Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster, and Cheadle’s St Giles’ Church.
He commissioned notable glassmakers Hardmans of Birmingham to bring his vision to life.
Warren Critchley, project lead and Alton Towers heritage committee member, said: “Most people when they think about Alton Towers think about rollercoasters, but 130 years before it became a theme park it was home to the Earls of Shrewsbury.
“Alton Towers itself is a massive gothic mansion that took over
50 years to build, and the most significant part of the completed mansion was the grand Banqueting Hall, and the jewel in the crown was this fantastic three-storey high window.
“In 2010 the window went into storage until we could find the specialist skills needed to renovate the window and give it the true artistry it needed to bring it to life.”
After a decade of searching by the heritage team at Alton Towers, two of Hardman’s former craftsmen, David Williams and Stephen Byrne of Williams & Byrne, were located and commissioned.
The project has taken more than two years to complete.
Warren added: “As custodians of Alton Towers, we want to invest in and undertake these projects to ensure we preserve these iconic buildings and features for future generations to come.”
The vast window with 36 panels is heraldic in design and celebrates the lineage of the Earls of Shrewsbury dating back to the Norman conquest of 1066.
Its central window showcases the coat of arms of the Earls of Shrewsbury, above which is the coat of arms of the Talbot family, dating back to 1442.
The surrounding windows symbolise notable connections to the family including King William, King Donald, the Verdun’s and Fournivals, who were the first Earls of Shrewsbury, as well as the houses of Doria and Borghese that are European nobility the family married into.
David Williams said: “These are some of the finest heraldic stainedglass windows in Britain, possibly Europe. It is unique and the scale of it is unique, it isn’t wanting in anything. It’s been a real joy to work on.”