Ardrishaig church window restoration work under way
Work to restore the elegant and understated stained glass windows of Ardrishaig Parish Church has begun.
The original windows were installed when the church was renovated and extended in 1904 and the leadwork in particular is now in a poor condition.
Some of the windows are dangerous and steps have had to be taken to ensure the safety of the congregation, with pews in the centre of the church having to be blocked off.
A problem with one of the windows was first noticed and once a survey was carried out a common problem was identified. With the lead failing, a phased plan to restore all the windows was drawn up, with emergency conservation of the windows in the poorest condition being repaired first.
Blustery batterings from storms Brendan, Ciara and Dennis didn’t help matters, almost blowing in one of the front facing windows. As a result, the phased work has begun earlier than expected with the church’s insurance company covering the costs of the storm damaged window, which originally was going to be one of the last to be restored.
The cost of restoration is in the region of £60,000. So far in excess of £40,000 has been identified by the church’s Window Restoration Group but further fundraising is still required.
Despite testing weather on Monday March 9, Prestwickbased company Rainbow Glass Studio began removing the first of the art noveau style stained glass windows.
Stephen Malcolm, managing director of Rainbow Glass Studio, explained the process: ‘Each panel will go back to the studio where we will take a wax rubbing which shows all the detail and profile of the lead lines, so we can replicate them exactly as they were before.
‘The old lead and putty gets stripped off each bit of glass before it’s cleaned. Then we do all the new lead, copying the same design as the original using the wax rubbing as a base, before it’s all soldered and sealed. Finally we bring them back on site and put in new non ferrus bars and copper ties, so they don’t rust again.
‘It’s quite a straight forward process, just very time consuming. And that’s it for another hundred-odd years.’