Conservatories may well benefit from a spruce up in the form of Stained Glass. This ancient practice mightprimarily be more associated with Churches or Mosques but it’s worth looking at as an addition. If you haven’t got a conservatory and are searching for “Conservatories Cheltenham” then a quick trip to conservatories might put you in the right direction. People have always loved a bit of glass in the house for views outside, but stained glass takes it to another level.
The image of a stained-glass window can create an ambience in a Church like nothing else. It’s also a sign of how rich that parish is. It was also a way for a local Lord or Elite to get themselves in with God by donating the money for one so that the clergy would all go around thinking what a nice guy/gal they were and overlook all the nasty things they may well have done around the villages or the land they owned. Some did, of course do it as a legacy to be remembered and some just because their strength of belief was such that they felt compelled to do it.
Traditionally stained-glass pieces are religious themed but there are examples of more Medieval romantic ones usually with fair damsels get all weak with some armoured/unarmoured Knight whose supposed to be King Arthur, Sir Lancelot or Sir Galahad. These became popular additions to the stately home and were not meant for public viewing, some even featured family members in the roles of Knight and lady. Whatever the theme when the Sun hits a stained-glass window the image is spectacular and is designed to be awe inspiring.
How is the colour put in? It is a slightly complicated process that begins at the glass making stage. When glass is often it can be formed into pretty much and shape you like as long as you can stand the heat and use thermal gloves and have access to the right tools. Medieval glass smiths used oxide metal powders added to the glass to form the colours required for the window. There are a few basic colours that are incredible vivid on the window if a little limiting. Copper in varying degrees makes a green and blue green tint. Cobalt makes a rich deep blue which is often used to sea picture and for Robes as the dense colour lends itself well to the face details. Gold is used for a wine dark red and to make purple. This purple colour is also very popular for religious robes. Copper has substituted Gold in modern times as it is cheaper but with chemical processes can produce a much deeper fuller red. Once the colour is achieved the glass is “blown” by a bubble of air pushed into it and then shaped as required. The most common approach was to use moulds and frames of wood made tothe specifications of the order.
So, while your conservatory may have a nice a view the next time you see a piece of stained glass you’ll know a bit about where it’s come from.
