The York Glaziers Trust, established in 1967, is the oldest and largest specialist conservation studio of its kind in Britain and grew out of the much older glaziers workshop at York Minster. The Minster remains at the center of their work, and they are currently in the fourth year of a twenty-year program of conservation and protection of the Minster’s irreplaceable stained glass windows. They have been using the Proliner Glass package at the Minster for nearly three years and will be using it in other prestigious locations in the UK. Conservator Zoe Harrigan is enthusiastic about sharing this project:

“We are always looking to develop our techniques in line with new technological developments, so the Proliner has helped us to move one of the oldest basic processes in our field forwards into the twenty-first century. At York Glaziers Trust we are using the Proliner for templating the historic stonework into which our conserved stained glass and our new protective glazing must fit with pinpoint accuracy. The creation of a new outer glazing layer to protect fragile historic stained glass is an integral part of the modern approach to stained glass conservation, so accurate templates are essential. Templating is often one of the most difficult and challenging processes in our work, and the Proliner has transformed both the speed and the accuracy of this critical first step.

Because the Proliner generates a line drawing (DXF file) that can be used in Adobe Illustrator, we can work with it straight away. Once I am back in the studio after ”Prolining” the stonework, I make an Illustrator file which has the Proliner drawing of the inside and outside stonework, a photo of the stained glass panel I’m working with, re-sized to 1:1 scale, and the protective glazing ‘cutline’ drawing from which the new protective glazing will be cut and glazed. I can then work on these separate elements simultaneously, ensuring that the design of the protective glazing matches the stained glass on which it is based and that both will fit accurately with the masonry of the window opening. Having the inclinometer built-in is very useful for checking that the panels and any supporting bars are completely level.

The team at the York Glaziers Trust is delighted with the streamlining of the templating process that can be achieved with the Proliner, and York Minster is very satisfied with the quality of the work we achieve for them! Having accurate templates of the stonework in a digital format also means that we can preserve this information for the future – so the conservators of the future will also be very satisfied.

We got to know the Proliner because The York Glaziers Trust and the York Minster stone yard have benefitted from an R&D project paid for by the York Minster Fund and a specialist consultant has helped us to identify working processes that could be improved through the introduction of new technologies. She has introduced us to a range of possibilities and arranged a demonstration of the Proliner for both stone yard and York Glaziers Trust. Needless to say, both departments are now using the Proliner!’’

The York Glaziers Trust Website

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