Milner-White and All That: The Restoration of York Minster’s Windows c.1750-c.1950

York Minster preserves the largest and most diverse collection of stained glass in Britian. It is a collection that has survived religious Reformation and iconoclasm, Civil War and two major fires. It also bears the marks of ‌centuries of restoration and repair, some of it skillful and caring, some of it ignorant and careless. The conservator of the twenty-first century must contend with failing repairs, inappropriate use of materials, misguided restoration and a lack of accurate and informative documentation. This lecture will focus on the interventions of the period c.1750-1950, their consequences still discernible in the stained glass today.

Presented by the Department of History of Art in association with the Stained Glass Research School