The Stained Glass Centre opening in York

3:21pm Thursday 7th February 2008

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A VISIONARY new centre is to be created in one of York's "lost" buildings in a bid to showcase the age-old skill of stained glass making and revitalise part of the city.

The Stained Glass Centre will be housed on Micklegate following a contemporary, but sensitive adaptation, of the Grade I listed St Martin-cum-Gregory Church, which dates back to before the 11th century.

The building has been neglected for many years yet boasts important glass and fascinating graffiti from the 14th to the 18th centuries.

It is hoped the centre, the creation of the Stained Glass Trust, will become the national showcase for stained glass while also raising Micklegate's profile.

Keith Barley, a trustee, said: "York has a fantastic heritage and massive amount of medieval stained glass. One of the things that makes York a possible World Heritage Site is the fact it has so much stained glass."

Much of Britain's surviving ancient glass is in York which is a focus for craft and creativity in the modern-day practice of stained glass making.

The centre will create gallery, workshop and meeting spaces. It will show off the historic glass already within the building and highlight what's on offer around York through demonstrations, workshops, tours, lectures, master-classes and professional development courses. Visitors will be able to gain hands-on experience of glazing and glass-painting, or watch other artists and craftspeople at work.

The building will also contain a fully-equipped auditorium/lecture theatre and a research centre with links to international electronic resources. These include the University of York - home of the country's largest collection of books on stained glass and magnificent conservation collections.

Mr Barley, of Barley Studios, Dunnington, said the trust would be holding exhibitions and open days to get the ball rolling.

He said the trust would ultimately lodge a national Heritage Lottery bid for cash to convert the whole building.

Richard Seed, Archdeacon of York and chair of the Redundant Churches Users Committee, said: "The scheme is extremely exciting. I am hoping St Martin's will contribute quite a lot to the general ambience and restoration of Micklegate. Holy Trinity is attracting a lot of visitors at the moment for its monastic display, and with St Martin's we will be able to offer tourists and residents something quite different. I am hoping we will attract people to this part of town and raise the profile of Micklegate."

A draft scheme detailing the proposed lease of the redundant church for use as a Centre for Stained Glass can be inspected at Holy Trinity Church, Micklegate. Representations must be made by March 4.