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8 min read
The east window, pane by pane
Four hundred and twelve quarries, taken out, cleaned and set back in new lead.
Reading the window
Before anything comes out we draw every pane at full size on tracing paper and number it. Old glass is never flat, and each quarry has its own ripple. Put one back in the wrong place and the whole window looks slightly off, though nobody can say why.
About a third of the lead had failed. The glass was mostly sound, so we kept every piece we could and only replaced those that were already cracked through.
New lead, old glass
The cames are cast in the workshop to the original profile, which is narrower than modern stock. It is a small thing. From inside, on a winter morning, it is the difference between a window and a pattern.
