Experts at Sunderland’s National Glass Centre have started work on the painstaking restoration of a stained glass art work from a busy Tyneside Metro station.
The 40 year-old ‘Beaches and Shipyards’ installation has been carefully transported from Monkseaton Metro station in North Tyneside to the Glass Centre on the banks of the River Wear to be restored to its former glory.
Stained glass expert Cate Watkinson and her team are slowly cleaning and repairing the glass, replacing cracked panes, and making it as good as new once again.
The work needs to be undertaken slowly to ensure that the delicate stained glass window, first unveiled in 1983, is restored properly.
Metro operator, Nexus, said it was looking forward to seeing the completed project, which forms part of a £400,000 refurbishment scheme at Monkseaton Metro station.
The stained glass is in a special workshop where Cate is carefully removing the cracked panes and lead frames. The glass is then re-cut and new lead frames are soldered into place before being cemented to make the glass stronger and water-tight.
Cate said: “I’m pleased to say that we’ve started the work of carefully restoring the stained glass art work from Monkseaton Metro station here at the National Glass Centre in Sunderland. This is a fantastic project to be involved in.
“The first task is to take rubbings of the stained-glass window so that we can tell where all of the pieces need to go.
“The broken bits of lead need to removed, then we have to select the right colours from the sheets of glass that we have so can cut them to size and replace panes which are cracked. The rubbings that we have taken helps us with this.
“We use the same lead that was used 40 years ago to hold the panes in place. These are then carefully soldered together.
“The last part of the process will involve cementing it in order to waterproof it and make the whole stained-glass window structurally sound, and less wobbly like it was before. Once all of this is done the window will look as good as new and can be put back into place at the Metro station.”
Artist Mike Davis incorporated stained glass into each end of Monkseaton’s glazed canopy in 1983.
It features two stunning pieces of stained glass art work. ‘Beach’, executed in a bold and colourful style, was designed from a schools competition won by Rosalind Hurst, while ‘Shipyards’ is a more abstract treatment of the River Tyne’s heritage.
Nexus are refurbishing the glazing and steel structures that make up the gable ends of the canopy, ensuring the longevity of the structure for years to come. The glazing will be toughened so that it will be more resistant to vandalism and bad weather.
The project is a labour of love for Cate, who trained as a stained-glass artist under the expert supervision of Mike Davis when she studied at the old Sunderland Polytechnic.
By taking on the Monkseaton Metro station project Cate will be working to preserve one of her mentor’s very own commissions.
Photo credit: Nexus
