The Stained Glass Museum

The Stained Glass Museum The Stained Glass Museum is the only museum dedicated to the art of stained glass in the UK. Located in the heights of Ely Cathedral, Ely, Cambridgshire.
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The Stained Glass Museum is the only museum in the UK dedicated to displaying and interpreting the art of stained glass to the public. The Stained Glass Museum is an independent museum and registered charity (no. 1169842) in the UK. The museum was founded in 1972 initially to rescue windows from redundant churches. The Museum first opened to the public in the north triforium of Ely Cathedral in 19

79. In 1997 an Appeal was set up to rebuild the Museum in the south triforium of Ely Cathedral. Our collection spans an enormous chronological range, showing the development of stained glass from the thirteenth to the twenty-first century. The Museum also has a growing collection of tools, and stained glass designs and cartoons related to the design and making of stained glass windows. A specialist library is available to researchers by appointment.

We’re delighted to be attending Two Temple Place’s Celebration of Makers event again this year!If you find yourself in L...
22/08/2026

We’re delighted to be attending Two Temple Place’s Celebration of Makers event again this year!

If you find yourself in London on Thursday or Friday next week, do pop in to this FREE event to say hello 👋🏻

Alongside exploring this beautiful building, see craft demonstrations, see showcased works, enjoy fun craft activities & of course, learn all about stained glass!

The event continues until Sunday 30 August

17/08/2026

✨Stained Glass Glossary: Plated Glass ✨

Plated glass is when two or more pieces of glass laid one behind the other and leaded together to achieve a variety of effects – just like a stack of plates!

Plating can be used as an artistic effect, deepening colours and textures or as a protective measure during conservation for pieces of glass that may be damaged.

Our stained glass glossary videos here at the museum help to explain some of the key terms you might come across as you learn more about the materials, tools and techniques used by stained glass artists.

On Wednesday, we were delighted to welcome inspirational local teenage author Hephzibah Akinwale for a fantastic story w...
14/08/2026

On Wednesday, we were delighted to welcome inspirational local teenage author Hephzibah Akinwale for a fantastic story writing workshop at The Stained Glass Museum

During this interactive session, attendees took inspiration from the stories told through the stained glass on display in our gallery and learnt how to create and develop characters, storylines and plots before putting their new skills into practice and creating stories of their own.

Some of our brave budding new authors even shared their stories with the group at the end of the session – we’re sure it won’t be long before we see some fantastic new books hitting our shelves!

Hephzibah, who was inspired to write her novel, Chronicles of the Timekeeper, after growing up feeling that she wasn’t represented in the books she read, was an inspiration to us all. She shared some fantastic advice and encouragement with our budding young authors, helping to show them that their stories are worth telling too.

Thank you to all who were able to join us, and to Hephzibah for a fantastic afternoon 📚

We were thrilled to learn today that Wild Folk has been shortlisted for the 2026 Wainwright Prize for Illustrative Books...
05/08/2026

We were thrilled to learn today that Wild Folk has been shortlisted for the 2026 Wainwright Prize for Illustrative Books.

The Wainwright Prize is the UK's foremost award celebrating nature writing and conservation. Wild Folk joins five other outstanding titles on this year's Illustrative Books shortlist, a category that recognises the powerful meeting of art, storytelling, and environmental insight.

This summer, we are delighted to be exhibiting the original stained glass panels created by Tamsin Abbott which illustrate Wild Folk. Running until 27 September, this exhibition is the first opportunity to see these captivating works since the book's launch, offering a rare chance to experience the illustrations as extraordinary glass artworks in their own right.

Chosen for its alchemical qualities and symbolic connection to the book's themes of shapeshifting and transformation, glass is the perfect medium for Tamsin's enchanting illustrations. Through its transformative process, simple materials become luminous, jewel-like works of art, bringing the magic and mythology of Wild Folk vividly to life.

Alongside the exhibition, signed copies of Wild Folk, signed prints, and postcards are available from our shop in Ely and online. Visit: https://the-stained-glass-museum.myshopify.com/products/wild-folk-tales-from-the-stones

We warmly invite you to step into the world of Wild Folk and discover this remarkable collection of stained glass panels. Seeing them in person, it's easy to understand why this beautiful book has been recognised by the Wainwright Prize - its breathtaking imagery is every bit as captivating as the stories it tells.

We send our congratulations to Tamsin, Jackie and all who transformed these stories into the beautiful book celebrated today.

Recently, some our wonderful volunteers joined us to learn more about our current conservation project at the museum!The...
05/08/2026

Recently, some our wonderful volunteers joined us to learn more about our current conservation project at the museum!

They spoke to Isabelle, our conservator, to learn more about the work she is doing to conserve our beautiful collection. They found out more about how the glass is cleaned, and why this project, which has been funded by the Julia Rausing Trust, is so important for our collection.

To celebrate the end of another successful academic year, and in a small thanks for all of their fantastic help this year, we enjoyed excellent tea and cake at Sophie's!

Thank you, as always, to our brilliant team of volunteers for all they do throughout the year, both in term time and in the school holidays - we couldn't do it without you!

A reminder that our fun Summer at The Stained Glass Museum: We Are Artists - Free Drop In Craft Session takes place TODA...
04/08/2026

A reminder that our fun Summer at The Stained Glass Museum: We Are Artists - Free Drop In Craft Session takes place TODAY until 12noon!

Come along and make your own stained glass lantern, try our fun 'Art Detectives' trail, design your own window in the gallery and build a window with our special translucent lego bricks too!

🌈 Come and get creative with us tomorrow at our FUN, FREE drop in morning! 🎨We can't wait for our Summer at The Stained ...
03/08/2026

🌈 Come and get creative with us tomorrow at our FUN, FREE drop in morning! 🎨

We can't wait for our Summer at The Stained Glass Museum: We Are Artists - Free Drop In Craft Session, happening tomorrow morning from 10am–12pm!

Come along and get stuck into lots of colourful, creative fun. You can:

✨ Make your very own stained glass-inspired lantern to take home
🖼️ Design your own colourful window
🔍 Have a go at our 'We Are Artists' trail
✏️ Enjoy some sketching in the gallery
🧱 Build your own stained glass windows using LEGO!

There's no need to book – just pop in anytime between 10am and 12pm and join the fun. All ages are welcome!

🎟️ Children enjoy FREE entry to the museum with one accompanying adult. Additional adults are charged at the usual admission rate.

We can't wait to see your creations! 🌈✨

This 'Labours of the Month' panel depicts a male figure threshing grain, representing the month of August.Donated to The...
01/08/2026

This 'Labours of the Month' panel depicts a male figure threshing grain, representing the month of August.

Donated to The Stained Glass Museum in 2001, this piece was designed by Dante Gabriel Rossetti in 1863, and made by the studio of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner and Company. Originally part of series of 12, each panel depicted a typical labour for that month. The panels were made for the now demolished Silsden House in Keighley, Yorkshire.

The décor scheme at Silsden was designed by the architect Norman Shaw for Charles Hastings, a Bradford textile manufacturer. The source for the Labours was probably a medieval manuscript or almanac.

A surviving sketch-design for the glazing scheme for Silsden House indicates that this panel was one of many made for the windows of the drawing room. Another panel from this series, 'March, A Woodcutter' is in the collection of the William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow.

Although the glass was removed before Silsden was demolished in 1903, the rest of the series is untraced. Morris and Co. used these images for tiles as well as stained glass.

Fireplace tiles with the complete set of Labours can be seen in the Old Hall at Queens' College, Cambridge, decorated by Morris and Co. in 1862-4

This panel is on display, alongside it's companion, 'December: Killing the Hog', in the gallery at The Stained Glass Museum

At the end of the summer term, we were delighted to welcome Lily to The Stained Glass Museum for a fortnight long Collec...
31/07/2026

At the end of the summer term, we were delighted to welcome Lily to The Stained Glass Museum for a fortnight long Collections Internship, giving her the opportunity to gain valuable, hands-on experience working directly with our collection.

Currently completing her MA in the Department of History of Art, University of York , Lily immersed herself in a wide range of collections work during her time with us. Alongside researching different areas of the collection, she gained practical experience in documenting and recording objects, getting a behind the scenes insight into the work involved in caring for and interpreting a museum collection.

One of the highlights of Lily’s internship was working with our fascinating collection of Christopher Webb cartoons. Together, we spent time carefully examining, documenting and recording this unique collection, successfully documenting over 180 cartoons – some of which measured over 4 metres in length!

Originally from The Bahamas, Lily was particularly delighted to discover this design from St. Andrew's Presbyterian Kirk in Nassau within our collection – a wonderful connection to home!

We’d like to extend a big thank you to Lily for all her help during her internship, which enabled us to make big progress with this collection, and we look forward to sharing more of her research with you in due course!

30/07/2026

✨ Stained Glass Glossary: Acid Etching ✨

Acid etching is the process of removing the surface layer from flashed glass to expose the underlying glass. This is achieved today by using hydrofluoric acid, however in the medieval period a tool was used.

Our stained glass glossary videos here at the museum help to explain some of the key terms you might come across as you learn more about the materials, tools and techniques used by stained glass artists.

Acid etching is a dangerous process as the hydrofluoric acid is very corrosive - even the fumes from the acid are harmful. Artists must take great care, and the process must only be undertaken with proper ventilation. safety equipment, and specialist PPE.

For their help in creating this video, we'd like to thank;

Andrew Pennycook for providing the footage of acid etching in action

Petri Anderson of Mongoose Stained Glass for demonstrating the acid etching process and providing the images used.

Address

Ely Cathedral
Ely
CB74DL

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm

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