CAPTION: Rev'd Andrew Johnson has been making and restoring stained-glass windows since he was 15
Restoration hope for stained-glass window smashed in Ashburton church break-in
There are hopes that a stained-glass window that was smashed during a break-in at a 900-year-old Devon church can be restored.
The burglary happened at St Andrew’s church in Ashburton on the night of Tuesday 27 August.
It is one of several churches in the South West to be targeted in recent months.
The window depicting the infant Jesus being presented to Simeon and Anna in the temple was broken by the thieves in order to get into the church.
Thieves smashed the bottom left-hand window panel to enter the church
They took a silver processional cross, silver candlesticks and audio visual equipment including microphones and TV screens, which are all regularly used in church services.
An oak door and oak chest were also damaged.
The value of the stolen items is still being assessed, but is believed to be at least £8000.
Devon and Cornwall Police’s Heritage Crime Unit is investigating the break-in.
The Rector, the Rt. Rev’d Mark Rylands, said “Our prayers are with everyone who has been affected and we want to offer our support to the whole community.
The Rector, Mark Rylands, thanked the community for their help and support
“I am extremely grateful for the many people in Ashburton who have sent messages of support and offered help with clearing-up and repairing the damage.
“We are fortunate to have such kind and responsive parishioners. May St Andrew’s continue to be a beacon of hope and light in the community.”
Rev’d Andrew Johnson, a Master Glazier based in Exeter, said the broken window panel was Victorian and of the school of the artist, Sir Edward Burne-Jones.
He said “It is very decorative and highly well-painted and of a skilled nature, so to replace it is going to take some time to get it right and make sure it looks the same as the other windows.”
The fragments of the broken window pieced together in the workshop (Photo: Andrew Johnson)
Rev’d Johnson, who made his first stained glass window when he was just 15, begins the work of restoration by laying all the remaining glass fragments on a lightbox in his workshop.
“Initially we put all the colours together in separate areas and piecing it all together and slowly building up the picture and sellotaping it all together,” he said.
“By that we can copy, not only the original image, but also the exact colours, by firing the image onto new glass in the kiln.
“After that we re-lead the whole panel back together and seal it and waterproof it before refitting it.”
Rev’d Johnson has warned that restoring the damaged window won’t be straightforward and is likely to be costly.
The break-in at St Andrew’s church is being investigated by Devon and Cornwall Police’s Heritage Crime Unit
Working as a Self Supporting Minister alongside his career as a glazier, he said he understands why some people resort to burglary to meet their needs:
“We live in a society where people are struggling to live and they need various things, like money. Churches have always been vulnerable to people stealing from them.
“The sad thing is that they cause a huge amount of damage, and if people came to the church and said they were really struggling for money, the church would probably say ‘we’ll help you out,’ rather than come and steal things like they have here in Ashburton.”
The Diocese of Exeter Church Buildings Team is available to advise churches about security arrangements. Their advice is to lock away valuables, but to keep church buildings open during the daytime and welcome in as many visitors as possible.
They said a frequently-visited building would be less vulnerable to burglary.
