30/04/2026
The west windows of the nave aisles contain glazing designed and made by Cathedral glazier Samuel Caldwell Jr. They were installed in 1949, replacing mid-19th century glazing lost in WWII. He incorporated some old glass into his designs, including several heraldic shields. Most of these date to the late 14th and 15th century! The original location of these shields is now unknown.
Repairs to the stonework made it necessary for us to remove some panels. It was decided that every medieval shield would go back into the building in its own protective glazing unit. This solution brought the shields further forward into the building, which caused a problem in two panels, where an immovable bar ran straight in front of the glass.
Replicas were made to replace these two 15th century shields. The old glass was carefully removed for the new shields to be inserted into the panels. The before and after images below show how much brighter they would have been before corrosion!
The originals have been moved to the Water Tower corridor on the north side of the cathedral, and fitted with protective glazing. This has allowed visitors to see the medieval originals at eye height for the very first time.
Making the replicas was a fun job, and involved creating corrosion patterns in paint!
📷 Images - ©Chapter of Canterbury
Canterbury Cathedral
