A unique jewellery collection, crafted from original stained-glass that has been salvaged from Manchester Town Hall’s restoration works, is now available.
The Town Hall Jewellery collection has been created by Lin Fletcher, a stained-glass artist and one of the expert team tasked with repairing and restoring more than 4,000 windows as part of the Manchester Town Hall restoration project.
The jewellery is now for sale and will be sold through the Manchester Central Library shop with all the profits going to the Lord Mayor’s Charity.
Safeguarding the town hall, a nationally important Manchester icon, for generations to come through repair, restoration and refurbishment is at the heart of the project. So too is improving public access to this incredible building and its collection of civic artefacts which help tell the story of the city.
As part of the renovation, windows were removed and their condition was assessed. Much of the original glass was still in good condition - this was cleaned and re-set with new leading.
Where it couldn’t be reused, the weakened or damaged pieces of original glass were replaced with new sections. This authentic replacement glass (offcuts from the new glass that was brought in to replace what couldn't be reused) was cut to shape as required and added in to complete the pattern. As well as the original glass that was removed, there were also offcuts from the new, authentic panes. This would ordinarily have been wasted.
Lin recognised that these small offcuts of original and authentic glass, although unusable in the windows, had wonderful heritage value. As a jeweller, she immediately saw the opportunity to transform the fragments into wearable art that celebrates Manchester’s heritage.
Each item in the collection, which includes earrings, pendants, and cufflinks, is a one-of-a-kind creation, complete with flaws and imperfections in the glass that just add to the individuality of each piece of jewellery.
There are two types in the overall collection: the ‘original’ range uses the pieces of original glass that were installed in the 1870s. The ‘authentic’ range uses the offcuts of the new glass that was specially created to replace the worn sections of the original windows.
Each item is handmade using the Tiffany method, which encases the glass piece in a lead-free solder. Earrings are hung from silver hooks and the pendants supplied separately so that you can choose your preferred chain.
Councillor Garry Bridges, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council said: “Manchester Town Hall is one of the jewels of the city's heritage and this creative jewellery project breathes new life into the historic stained glass and respects the original craftsmanship of this wonderful building. It is yet another way of preserving the legacy of our beloved town hall and allows people to own a tangible and wearable piece of the city’s history.
“As well as being an exciting and innovative way to reuse materials, the social value offer is a key element of Lin's jewellery project. With all of the jewellery profits going to the Lord Mayor's Charity, the benefit will be felt directly by those in need throughout the city.
“The artist has created some stunning individual pieces which I know will be incredibly popular. There will only be a finite amount of glass so when they are gone there will not be another chance to pick up one of these unique pieces.”
Lin Fletcher, stained glass artist said: “I realised very quickly that this ‘waste’ glass from the Town Hall could be beautifully repurposed, giving Mancunians everywhere a chance to have a souvenir of the much-loved icon. I wanted to make sure that the income from these items went back into the city, and passing on the profits to the Lord Mayor’s Charity seemed like the perfect way to do this.
Simon Wright, from the Lord Mayor’s Charity (known as the We Love MCR Charity) said: “This is a unique opportunity for the charity to be collaborating on and I am sure there is going to be real interest in this fascinating collection that has been developed. The donations from sales will support We Love MCR Charity to continue to empower young people and local communities across the city