Long Melford’s Holy Trinity Church reaches halfway point on £1m stained glass restoration project

The £1 million restoration of a one-of-a-kind collection of medieval history has reached the halfway point as its profile continues to grow.

Work began on Monday to install a newly-refurbished stained glass window at Long Melford’s Holy Trinity Church – the fourth out of eight to receive the restoration treatment.

The church is now entering its fifth year of fundraising to preserve the historic windows, with the help of specialists at Cathedral Studios in Canterbury.

All eight pieces of stained glass are rare survivals of the Reformation and the Civil War – both periods of history where many churches were intentionally vandalised.

However, through a combination of pollution and weather damage, they had increasingly deteriorated in recent decades, leading to the launch of the restoration project in early 2020.

With half of the windows now rejuvenated and in situ, Holy Trinity Church committee member Simon Edge told the Suffolk Free Press that ‘the difference was extraordinary’.

“Because the vast majority of English medieval stained glass was destroyed in the Reformation and the Civil War, it’s our duty to look after what we have left,” he said.

“Our collection in Long Melford is absolutely unique – there is nothing like these almost life-size stained-glass portraits of the great and the good of the late 15th century anywhere else in the country.

“By conserving them, we’re showing off the glass to its absolute best, and we’re also saving it for future generations.”

The Long Melford stained glass collection has been deemed as nationally significant because of their secular imagery.

Rather than depict biblical events, as was common for the era, the glasswork mainly shows family, friends and associates of John Clopton, the wool tycoon who spearheaded the church’s construction.

Among the sources of funding for the restoration project so far has been a large donation from one of Clopton’s descendants, who is based in the United States.

As part of the project, Holy Trinity Church has also produced both a comprehensive guide and a colouring book, to shed more light on the figures represented.

For more details about the project and how to donate, go to www.longmelfordchurch.com/stained-glass.

Mr Edge explained that, while the windows have national renown, their local profile was smaller, but the project has gradually seen more Long Melford residents take an interest in village history.

“One of our ambitions was not only to raise money to finance the work, but also to raise the profile of the glass itself,” he added.

“This is so that more people in the village and further afield are aware of what we have in our church and why it’s a big deal.

“We’ve given talks, we’ve published a pamphlet and a colouring book based on the figures in our windows, and we have produced some beautiful signage for the church.

“From the generous donations we’ve received, we know that more and more people in the village have taken pride in – and fallen in love with – our windows.

“They are just one of the things that make Long Melford special.”