22 Jan 2018

Restoring stained glass windows broken in the earthquakes is a labour of love for a local artist and conservator.

As the owner of Stewart Stained Glass, Graham Stewart has been involved in the repair and conservation of heritage stained glass windows in many notable Canterbury buildings following the quakes.

One of his most recent projects is the painstaking restoration of several glass windows, including a special rose window, at the Christchurch City Council-owned Rose Historic Chapel on Colombo St, which will reopen in June.

The windows were badly damaged in the February 2011 quake when part of the chapel’s gable walls collapsed. Putting hundreds of broken pieces of glass back together jigsaw-style into their original form is very satisfying, Mr Stewart says.

“It is incredible what we were able to achieve using modern conservation techniques. You would never know in a million years that the windows were almost completely destroyed.”

Mr Stewart’s team, which includes his three sons Victor, Ed and Ren, and Carmen Schill, an experienced glass painter from Germany, has also been restoring stained glass windows for the Nurses Memorial Chapel at Christchurch Hospital, due to reopen in September.

Their meticulous handiwork can be seen all over the city, in the Memorial Window of the Arts Centre’s Great Hall, the St Andrew’s College Centennial Chapel, and at Christ’s College.

Mr Stewart hopes to be involved in the restoration of the stained glass windows in the Christ Church Cathedral when that work gets underway.

He admires the artistry of the people who originally made the stained glass work and is interested in the history behind each one.

“You have an incredible opportunity to study from the old masters and there’s a never ending opportunity to learn. I’ve always treated it as an art form not just a commercial trade. It’s always been the art that’s interested me.”

Council Heritage Rebuild Programme Manager Richie Moyle says it’s a pleasure working with Graham and the windows he has restored for the Rose Historic Chapel are “absolutely stunning”.

“I saw the damage that was done to those windows and looking at them now, it is an amazing transformation. They’re very significant from a heritage point of view and it’s wonderful to have them back in even better condition than they were before, thanks to the skills of Graham and his team.”