Where
In the south triforium - the first level above the nave - of Ely Cathedral, Cambridgeshire. Visitors' experiences are often enhanced by listening to organ practice in the cathedral.
What Britain's only museum dedicated to stained glass, with examples that go back to 1110. The museum trust was founded in the 1970s by Canon Peter Moore as a response to the closure of many Anglican churches all over England. Its mission is to rescue windows that might otherwise be lost. Run by a charitable trust, it has always been independent of the cathedral.
Opened
1979.
Collection
"We do have a wonderful collection of Victorian stained glass," says curator Susan Mathews. "Most of it would have been lost had not the first curator, Martin Harrison, actually gone to newly closed churches in some cases, and removed and transported glasses himself."
The museum also has examples of stained glass from France, Germany and the US, as well as secular works from artists such as Edward Burne-Jones, John Piper and William Morris. It holds about 300 pieces in its collection, with about 100 on display at any one time.
Help at hand
Susan Mathews is the only full-time salaried member of staff. There are also four invigilators who run the shop and take tickets, a treasurer and education officer, who are all part-time. "And then there are five volunteers, who are like gold," says Mathews. "One is an ex-tax inspector and others include a former county archivist and some retired teachers. Our webmaster, another volunteer, works for two of the Cambridge colleges."
Budget
£80,000 per annum, excluding grants. The museum is self-financing, with revenue coming from visitors, events and the shop. The Friends' society has about 220 members.
Annual visits
17,000 in 2008.
Highlights
"We have a stunning panel with the head of a king from 1210 from Soissons Cathedral in France. We got that in 2003 with help from the V&A Purchase Grant Fund and the Cork Street gallerist Sam Fogg," says Mathews.
Survival tip
"The fact that we are pretty much on the knife edge all the time makes us look at unusual ways to survive," says Mathews. "Stained glass is a very small world, a bit of a Cinderella art, but the people within it can be very supportive."
Sticky moment
"In 1995, the health and safety people said we had to move from the cathedral's north triforium and so we launched a £635,000 appeal to build a bridge across the nave to the south side," Mathews says. The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) came up with a grant for the building works and in 1997 everything was in readiness for the collection to be reinstalled.
"The museum is accessed by a 42-step spiral staircase and one of our loan pieces, an 8-feet by 5-feet portrait of George III from 1793 - on loan from the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle - had to be hoisted up 30 feet and over the barrier. It was nerve-wracking."
Current project
The museum is raising money for a DVD project called Capturing Magic, which will focus on endangered crafts associated with stained-glass making. A Channel 4 director and a cameraman have already volunteered their services. The films will be made under the HLF's Young Roots programme in collaboration with media students from Anglia Ruskin University.
In the south triforium - the first level above the nave - of Ely Cathedral, Cambridgeshire. Visitors' experiences are often enhanced by listening to organ practice in the cathedral.
What Britain's only museum dedicated to stained glass, with examples that go back to 1110. The museum trust was founded in the 1970s by Canon Peter Moore as a response to the closure of many Anglican churches all over England. Its mission is to rescue windows that might otherwise be lost. Run by a charitable trust, it has always been independent of the cathedral.
Opened
1979.
Collection
"We do have a wonderful collection of Victorian stained glass," says curator Susan Mathews. "Most of it would have been lost had not the first curator, Martin Harrison, actually gone to newly closed churches in some cases, and removed and transported glasses himself."
The museum also has examples of stained glass from France, Germany and the US, as well as secular works from artists such as Edward Burne-Jones, John Piper and William Morris. It holds about 300 pieces in its collection, with about 100 on display at any one time.
Help at hand
Susan Mathews is the only full-time salaried member of staff. There are also four invigilators who run the shop and take tickets, a treasurer and education officer, who are all part-time. "And then there are five volunteers, who are like gold," says Mathews. "One is an ex-tax inspector and others include a former county archivist and some retired teachers. Our webmaster, another volunteer, works for two of the Cambridge colleges."
Budget
£80,000 per annum, excluding grants. The museum is self-financing, with revenue coming from visitors, events and the shop. The Friends' society has about 220 members.
Annual visits
17,000 in 2008.
Highlights
"We have a stunning panel with the head of a king from 1210 from Soissons Cathedral in France. We got that in 2003 with help from the V&A Purchase Grant Fund and the Cork Street gallerist Sam Fogg," says Mathews.
Survival tip
"The fact that we are pretty much on the knife edge all the time makes us look at unusual ways to survive," says Mathews. "Stained glass is a very small world, a bit of a Cinderella art, but the people within it can be very supportive."
Sticky moment
"In 1995, the health and safety people said we had to move from the cathedral's north triforium and so we launched a £635,000 appeal to build a bridge across the nave to the south side," Mathews says. The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) came up with a grant for the building works and in 1997 everything was in readiness for the collection to be reinstalled.
"The museum is accessed by a 42-step spiral staircase and one of our loan pieces, an 8-feet by 5-feet portrait of George III from 1793 - on loan from the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle - had to be hoisted up 30 feet and over the barrier. It was nerve-wracking."
Current project
The museum is raising money for a DVD project called Capturing Magic, which will focus on endangered crafts associated with stained-glass making. A Channel 4 director and a cameraman have already volunteered their services. The films will be made under the HLF's Young Roots programme in collaboration with media students from Anglia Ruskin University.