Birmingham Cathedral's stained glass windows to be repaired

Work is to begin after Easter to restore and repair four stained glass windows at Birmingham Cathedral.

Conservators will remove a build up of debris and repair areas of cracking, lead and paint loss within the windows.

Produced by Birmingham-born artist Edward Burne-Jones, the historic windows include depictions of Jesus, the Nativity and the Crucifixion.

About 3,000 hours of work will be involved in the project, which is expected to be completed by Christmas.

The 19th Century windows were installed between the years of 1885 and 1897, when the cathedral was still a parish church.

Repairs are part of the cathedral's Divine Beauty conservation project, which has been funded by donations from The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Cathedral CEO Anna Pitt said the project and conservation work had been planned since 2014.

"Being able to finally start the physical conservation work is an exciting milestone.

"Our hope is that by Christmas, our windows will be bright, clean and preserved safely for future generations to enjoy," she added.

The cathedral has appointed glass specialists Holy Well Glass to complete the restoration work.

It will begin with the removal of the protective grills on the outside of the cathedral, before glass conservation, stone cleaning, masonry repairs and protection measures are completed.

Visitors to the cathedral will be able to view restoration work up close from a special viewing platform, when scaffolding is put up after Easter.

Some sections of the glass will also be removed for cleaning and repairs inside the cathedral.

Jack Clare, director at Holy Well Glass, said the project was "especially exciting" for his team.

"We count ourselves fortunate to work at many of the great cathedrals and churches in the UK, but this project is especially exciting for the team, conserving and restoring what is undoubtedly Edward Burne-Jones' master work," he said.

A range of events to enable visitors to learn about the windows has been planned between May and September.

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