Geoffrey Clarke Panels Conserved for the Stained Glass Museum, Ely

April 2016

In 2014, the York Glaziers Trust conserved four rare and experimental panels designed by the artist Geoffrey Clarke (1924-2014) on behalf of the Stained Glass Museum, Ely. Three of the panels - Priest, St Sebastian and Fragment - have been installed in bespoke frames at ground level, so that they can be appreciated at close quarters. The fourth panel - St Anthony - is a much larger and longer artwork, and is installed at a higher level. The latter was manufactured using several dark layers of glass, making it especially hard to comprehend without the aid of strong transmitted light. Consequently, the panel's deep blue tones have been enlivened after half a century of obscurity, after being backlit with a custom-made LED screen. 

In April 2016, the Trust were invited to a special private viewing of the panels, opened by Lloyd Grossman CBA FSA. The panels are now on permanent display in the gallery, located in Ely Cathedral's south triforium.