大象传媒

St Matthew's Church at Naburn, just a few miles south of York, is a church reborn. In the 1990s it was declared redundant. Villagers had raised tens of thousands to ensure its survival, but they could never meet the soaring costs of repairs to the early Victorian building.

The church closed and was put on the open market.听 Luckily the National Heritage Memorial Fund stepped in. Their grant of 拢165,000 enabled vital repairs including rewiring, new heating and ensuring the structural stability of the building. That restoration didn't look at the church windows though.

The east window of the church has been partially hidden for almost a century. In 1896 a large Reredos was erected, at the rear of the altar, obscuring the lower half of the window. The Reredos is an Italian triptych with three paintings depicting The Crucifixion, with St Mary and St John flanked by two angels. It was commissioned and painted in Florence听in 1895 and was donated to the church by the then Vicar's wife as a memorial to her mother.

This glass panel is detached from the stonework

For the last century church regulars have only been able to clean, by sticking a brush between the Reredos and the window. Fed up with this routine, villagers decided to take the Reredos down. They discovered the true beauty of the window, but what also became apparent, was that the window was in need of serious restoration.听 It's feared the costs could run into many thousands of pounds.

The window is the same age as the church, built in the early 1850's, and is dedicated to the memory of George Palmes. The Palmes family had owned Naburn Hall since the 13th Century. It's attributed to the stained glass manufacturer William Wailes.听 Wailes, from Newcastle, began working with stained glass in the 1840's and was noted for his use of Medieval styles and colour.

His firm was used by the famous architect Pugin, who designed the Houses of Parliament in London. There is no firm evidence that the window was the work of Wailes, but being a northern firm who'd worked on many other churches in the area, and the largest manufacturer of stained glass outside London, it's more than likely the window came from his company.

The design of the window shows a cross and the signs of the four Evangelists; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and bright geometric patterns and leaves. Beneath is the dedication, "In memory of George Palmes of Naburn Hall Esq, who died March 29th 1851 aged 79 years."

The stonework is decaying

A close examination of the window shows the damage. Many of the glass panels are bowed, lead work has broken away from the walls and the supporting stone work is decayed in places.

Church architects are yet to inspect the damage and to give their estimate of what work needs to be done. Church regulars and villagers in Naburn now face another fundraising marathon, whatever the final cost of repairs, to ensure the future of their once hidden treasure.