RESTORATION IN ACTION
Ashes to light Rachel Mulligan, a local stained glass artist, has joined forces with the School and volunteers to restore beautifully crafted fragments of our history
T
he exquisite stained glass windows of the original Charterhouse Chapel in Godalming must have made for a splendid spectacle when they were first unveiled in 1874. They were created by a renowned British glass manufacturer and depicted biblical panoramas each of which stretched across 18 windows – with a stunning rose window at the east end donated by Queen Victoria in memory of her beloved Prince Albert. Many beaks and pupils must have gazed at them in wonder in the years that followed. Once the much larger Memorial Chapel was consecrated, however, the Old Chapel was converted into a Music School, with the stained-glass panoramas removed in 1939. Queen Victoria’s
4 E The Greyhound
window remained, although it is covered up on the inside of the building and can only be seen externally from Gownboys’ private side. Then there was a terrible accident. In the mid 70s, the barn storing the glass burnt down, melting some of the lead and causing soot damage. An enterprising beak (Mr Clive Carter, BH65–96) and his archive volunteers researched the history of the glass, cleaned as much as they could, and put it on exhibition in 1976, appealing for it to be properly restored. The exhibition showed off the glass to good effect but, unfortunately, no money was available for repairs, and the panels went back into storage, some of them suffering further damage during a second fire in 2008. Dr Ernst Zillekens (BH79–17) made another rescue attempt by approaching
stained glass specialists for advice, only to be told that the glass was beyond repair. Miraculously, when all hope had been lost, a local stained glass artist called Rachel Mulligan proposed a rescue plan. She believed that some of the glass was of sufficiently good quality to be reinstated into the fabric of Charterhouse and that even the badly damaged fragments could be repurposed into new works of art. A labour-intensive cleaning programme began, as more than 80 panels were gently cleaned. The process was supervised by Rachel and other artists from the Surrey Glass Easel Collective, but much of the work was carried out by volunteers of all ages, ranging from pupils, parents and staff to local ‘University of the Third Age’ members. The cleaned glass was then photographed
