Medieval stained glass returns to church

Hundreds of fragments of a medieval stained glass window have been returned to a Lincolnshire church after nearly 80 years.

The 14th Century window from St Andrew's Church in Heckington was removed in 1946 to make way for a more modern one.

In the early 1960s, the shards were sent away for restoration and, after a 79-year absence, have returned to the church thanks to fundraising efforts.

Church warden Margaret Ingham, 73, said she was thrilled the 500 pieces of glass were back home. "It's been a long time coming," she said.

The pieces of glass originate from the west window of St Andrew's Church which was believed to have been built between 1310 and 1330.

According to Ms Ingham, the pieces were boxed up in 1960 and sent to a company in Norwich with the hope of repairing them.

However, she said the fragments were "all too expensive to repair," so the idea was temporarily scrapped.

The pieces were offered to Lincoln Cathedral in 1967 but were rejected and returned back to Norwich, according to Ms Ingham.

They were then sent to glass conservator Barley Studio in York and remained with the company until it approached the church about bringing the pieces back in 2015.

After 10 years of discussion and planning and a year raising more than £10,000, the pieces have been cleaned and restored into three panels measuring 450mm x 950mm (18in x 37in).

The panels will be installed on top of an existing window in the south transept area of the church to protect the pieces.

"They've fitted it like a jigsaw," Ms Ingham said.

"They are part of the original artwork of this church, it's our heritage."

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