• Entries,  Stained Glass

    Stained Glass Tours – 22 July 2015

    On Wednesday night I had the pleasure of helping chaperon a tour of two churches in York, exploring some of the oldest and the newest stained glass in the city. The glass in St. Denys, Walmgate and All Saints, Pavement collectively covers a history stretching over 800 years of the craft of stained glass production. The tour was organised by York’s Stained Glass Centre and presented by local experts in the field of stained glass. Phil Thomas, Church Buildings Officer at Diocese of York, began the tour in St. Denys church, Walmgate, with a fascinating insight into the intricate details which can be found in medieval fragmentary glass. In one…

  • Ceramics,  Entries

    A visit to Rockingham Potteries!

    Visiting the demolished site of the Rockingham pottery factories in Swinton, South Yorkshire, has been on my to-do-list for a few months. Earlier this year, when I conserved three beautiful Rockingham vases, I found out quite a lot of interesting history and information about the firm. Most notably I discovered that although the majority of the factory buildings had been destroyed by 1910, the Waterloo kiln, a gatehouse and the pottery ponds can still be seen today. These remains can be found quite easily in Swinton, on Blackamore Road (S64 8UX), there is a small car park which is open for use by visitors. Following a public footpath at the…