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Stained Glass Windows for Darnley Mausoleum,
Cobham, Kent 2008
At the beginning of summer 2007 I was commissioned
by Godstone Glass if I would like to make 3 huge stained glass
windows for the Darnley Mausoleum in Cobham, Kent.. The design
for the stained glass is based on an original water colour
produced by the architect James Wyatt,in 1786. The Darnley
Mausoleum has undergone a complete transformation by the stone
masons and now, rather than looking sad, neglected and vandalized,
it stands proud and gleaming in Cobham Woods in Kent in the
grounds of Darnley Hall. Recently with the addition of the
three finished stained glass lunette windows, the project
is completed and will be handed over to the National Trust
in due course.
Godstone Glass won the commission and I
soon began the lengthy process of manufacture.
I first made full size drawings, called cartoons, which were
then approved by English Heritage and The National Trust.
A small 1/4 size panel was made to show
the style of painting, enamel and glass colours . The approval
process took some time but finally we got the go ahead and
full production got under way.
There are in total 3 stained glass lunette
windows (Wikipedia)
each 3m in diameter. So not a job for the inexperienced or
faint hearted! Each piece of glass is painted and stained
in the traditional way with the addition of a special 'designed
for the job' enamel applied by spray gun to the background
and fired in a kiln.
I had help from 2 former colleagues and
of course from Godstone Glass who, apart from cementing ,
fitting and housing the whole job, were working behind the
scenes with the main contractor leaving me to get on with
the work. The whole process took 6 months from start to finish
and the stained glass was fitted in late April 2008.
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