Stained glass

Researching Stained Glass

The collections focus primarily on the history and art of stained glass windows and the painters who created them. These records highlight how glass art was used to decorate church buildings and cathedrals, covering aspects of their design, construction, and internal features like furniture. Much of the material centres on specific historical periods, with a major emphasis on the Middle Ages and the Victorian era. You will find extensive information on famous artistic movements, such as the Pre-Raphaelites, and the work of renowned individuals and studios like Charles Eamer Kempe and Harry Clarke.

Geographically, the collection covers a vast range of locations, focusing heavily on England , including York Minster, and France, while also including significant records from Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Australia, and the United States. Beyond historical study, you will find titles about the practical craft and preservation of glass, offering guides on techniques for making stained glass and methods for the restoration and conservation of fragile historic windows. The collection also explores the religious and symbolic meanings behind the images found in these windows, connecting art to worship and sacred spaces.

Notable collections/collectors  

The library holds books, journals and images collected by individuals with a strong research interest in stained glass. These are complemented by original papers, drawings, and photographs held by the Borthwick Institute. These include the 1746 notebook of noted York glass painter William Peckitt; the archive of glass painting studio J.W. Knowles & Sons, stained glass artist Mabel Leaf and of Harry Stammers; and the archive of the York Glaziers Trust, the largest and oldest glass conservation studio in Britain.

Newbold Collection

Bequeathed by Dr Peter Newbold (1938-1996), for many years consultant dermatologist at Worcester Royal Infirmary.
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Dr Newbold was a lover of the fine arts and built up a very strong collection of material in this area with special emphasis on stained glass. The collection contains an extensive set of the Corpus Vitrearum series and, together with books from the Newton and Wormald Collections, forms an exceptional resource for the study of stained glass.

Newton Collection

​Dr Peter Newton, lecturer in British medieval art at York from 1965 to 1986, left his extensive library and collection of slides to the University. The collection is particularly strong in works on stained glass.

Dr Newton's notes on stained glass and heraldry are kept in the Rare Books collection.

Wormald Collection

The Wormald Collection was formerly the library of the late Francis Wormald, President of the Society of Antiquaries of London and Director of the Institute of Historical Research, and was given to the University of York by his widow in 1972.

Digitised Collections

York Discover Digital Library contains a collection of images of stained glass windows from both British and European examples.

• Painton Cowen is one of the world's foremost photographers of and writers on stained glass. There are over 12,000 images in the collection.

The Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi (CVMA) is hosted by the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of York. It contains a collection of over 25,000 publicly accessible images of stained glass.

It consists principally of books on the history of art, medieval history, and medieval English literature.

How to access the collections 

All the collections can be accessed via the Library's online catalogue. A valid University of York username and password is required to access content online. 

Many items held in the library can be borrowed using a suitable library card, some titles might be reference only and can only be read on site. 

Items held in the Borthwick can be consulted in the Borthwick Reading Room and copies can be made subject to copyright and condition. These materials cannot be loaned outside the University of York without the permission of the owners. Books in the Rare Books Collection and may also be consulted at the Borthwick Institute for Archives.