To celebrate the London Craft Week, the director of Heritage Of London Trust, Dr. Nicola Stacey is joined by designer Kit Kemp MBE as she speaks to Peter Campling, who has worked in the field of restoring stained glass for over 40 years.
The Greater London Council established the Heritage Of London Trust as an independent historical charity in 1980 to save historic buildings and monuments. They serve local communities in every London borough, assisting those who most need it.
For them, the hidden histories of London are so inspiring and enchanting. It is fulfilling to look into the incredible tales behind each project and utilise them to brighten our surroundings and lives. Heritage Of London Trust restores buildings and monuments across London using the greatest craftsman. Furthermore, through HOLT’s Proud Places initiative, they now incorporate young people in all of our projects.
With HOLT, Peter Campling has designed new windows as well as worked on stunning stained glass projects across London. Caroline Gardens Chapel's jewel-like central window was recently highlighted on the BBC. Peter shows how to restore glass using an undetectable copper thread and paint on it, a 500-year-old process.
Then came flash glass, which consisted of a transparent body with a thin layer of red glass over it to provide colour. For instance, a piece of clear glass would be dipped in a molten glass mixture to coat it red. Because lead was required around the glass to swap it, early designs tended to be mosaic
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Some glass is pressed glass with a pattern imprinted on it (diamond-shaped glass with corn shape on it).
Aside from the talk, early visitors can receive complimentary drinks and a goody bag to take home from the Crimson Bar.
To sum up, I thoroughly enjoyed the session under the gentle and expert tuition of the master glaziers. The fully hands-on demonstrations made for a fun experience while learning the craft and I can't wait to be back the next time the workshop comes around.
