The Stained Glass Museum

The Stained Glass Museum The Stained Glass Museum is the only museum dedicated to the art of stained glass in the UK. Located in the heights of Ely Cathedral, Ely, Cambridgshire.
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The Stained Glass Museum is the only museum in the UK dedicated to displaying and interpreting the art of stained glass to the public. The Stained Glass Museum is an independent museum and registered charity (no. 1169842) in the UK. The museum was founded in 1972 initially to rescue windows from redundant churches. The Museum first opened to the public in the north triforium of Ely Cathedral in 19

79. In 1997 an Appeal was set up to rebuild the Museum in the south triforium of Ely Cathedral. Our collection spans an enormous chronological range, showing the development of stained glass from the thirteenth to the twenty-first century. The Museum also has a growing collection of tools, and stained glass designs and cartoons related to the design and making of stained glass windows. A specialist library is available to researchers by appointment.

Although Ely Cathedral is closed to the public all day today whilst they prepare for the upcoming Home and Garden Show, ...
18/06/2026

Although Ely Cathedral is closed to the public all day today whilst they prepare for the upcoming Home and Garden Show, which starts tomorrow, The Stained Glass Museum is open from 10am - 5pm

🌟 Explore over 800 years of stained glass history, from medieval to modern, secular to sacred

🌟 We are a nationally Designated Collection - this means we hold the nations most significant collection of stained glass!

🌟 Enjoy spectacular views of Ely Cathedral from the museum gallery - the views from the South Triforium offer a beautiful, unique perspective

🌟 Enjoy our hands on children's activities throughout the gallery, from designing your own window to dressing up as a dragon!

🌟 You do not need a Cathedral ticket to visit the museum - you can always visit us independently.

🌟 Accompanied children get FREE ENTRY to the museum. Adult tickets, priced at £6.50 are valid for a whole year too!

🌟 Enjoy one of our self-guided tours with our Bloomberg Connects Guide, including an "Ely Cathedral as seen from the Museum" tour

With the FIFA World Cup in full swing, and the England football team's first match is this evening against Croatia, we'r...
17/06/2026

With the FIFA World Cup in full swing, and the England football team's first match is this evening against Croatia, we're thrilled to see these stained glass inspired tops from this England football team x Palace Skateboards x Nike Football collection!

Whilst typically it's best to keep flying footballs away from stained glass, we think we can make an exception for this!

The image on the shirt is of St George, Patron Saint of England, and is thought to be from a Willet Studios stained glass window in a church in Washington, DC, however we'd love to verify this if anybody knows?

Did you know that along with being the patron saint of England, St George is also the patron saint of a number of other countries who are participating in the 2026 World Cup, including Bulgaria, Greece, and Portugal? Saint George was a soldier who rose through the ranks of the Roman army, eventually becoming a personal guard to the Emperor Diocletian. According to legend, Saint George slayed a dragon in the town of Silene and in turn, saved the life of a Princess!

📸 Palace Skateboards

Henry Holiday was born in 1839. He was a British historical genre and landscape painter, stained-glass designer, illus...
17/06/2026

Henry Holiday was born in 1839. He was a British historical genre and landscape painter, stained-glass designer, illustrator and sculptor. He was also a member of the Pre-Raphaelite school of art.

At the age of just 15, he was admitted to the Royal Academy of Arts in 1855. It was through his friendship with Albert Moore and Simeon Solomon he was introduced to the artists Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a movement that was to be pivotal in his future artistic and political life.

Henry Holiday is best known today as the illustrator of Lewis Carroll's nonsense poem The Hunting of the Snark (1876), but he was one of the leading stained-glass artists of his time. He was a superb figure draughtsman and in 1862 became chief designer for James Powell and Sons.

Inspired by his travels in Italy in 1867, his style became increasingly classical. His involvement with the Arts and Crafts movement led him to experiment with making his own glass. He was particularly partial to using slab glass, its uneven surface creating a jewel-like effect.

During his time at Powell & Sons, he fulfilled over 300 commissions, mostly for customers in the USA. He left in 1891 to set up his own glass works in Hampstead, producing stained glass, mosaics, enamels and sacerdotal objects.

One of the pieces he produced in his own studio was this large 3-light window which depicts incidents from the ministry of Christ, with the good works of saintly figures below.

Designed in 1892 & made in 1907 by Holiday, it was originally for the south window of the Essex Unitarian Church in Notting Hill Gate. This church became redundant in 1973 but is now home to the Kensington Unitarians.

The Unitarians had long suffered religious persecution, but in the course of the 19th century they emerged as a Nonconformist denomination that attracted some of the wealthiest, most successful and best-educated patrons of the arts. Their churches reflected their enlightened patronage of architecture and the decorative arts.

Visitor Services Assistant Vacancy - come and join our team!We are recruiting a part-time Visitor Services Assistant at ...
16/06/2026

Visitor Services Assistant Vacancy - come and join our team!

We are recruiting a part-time Visitor Services Assistant at The Stained Glass Museum. Working in the heights of Ely Cathedral you will welcome visitors to see an incredible collection of stained glass, spanning eight centuries.

If you are great with people, are interested in the museum and its collection, and would enjoy being part of our small friendly team, we'd love to hear from you!

Applications are due by the 3 July, and you can find the full job details and application information on our website: https://stainedglassmuseum.com/Vacancies

A reminder that today is our first 'Summer Sunday' opening - join us from 1-4pm today to enjoy our beautiful gallery!At ...
14/06/2026

A reminder that today is our first 'Summer Sunday' opening - join us from 1-4pm today to enjoy our beautiful gallery!

At The Stained Glass Museum you'll find

✨ A nationally Designated Collection - this means we are home to the UK's most important collection of stained glass!

✨ Over 140 illuminated stained glass windows, displayed at eye level. Explore over 9 centuries of history, from medieval to modern. Marvel at medieval masterpieces, and thought provoking contemporary works.

✨Our glass comes from a variety of secular and sacred buildings from across the UK, Europe and beyond

✨ There are activities for all ages to enjoy - whether you want to dress up as a figure in the window, explore your creativity as you design your own window, or simply practice pulling faces and recreate one of our grotesques - there is something for everyone

✨ Tickets for adults are just £6.50 and valid for a full year + accompanied children enjoy FREE entry

✨You do not need a Cathedral ticket to enjoy visiting the museum, and you can enjoy some spectacular views of the beautiful painted ceiling from our gallery too

Anthony the Great was a Christian monk from Egypt, and has been revered since his death as a saint.Anthony is said to ha...
13/06/2026

Anthony the Great was a Christian monk from Egypt, and has been revered since his death as a saint.

Anthony is said to have faced a series of preternatural temptations during his pilgrimage to the desert. Much of what is known about St Anthony comes from a 'Life of Anthony' written c.360 by Athanasius of Alexandria. It is said that the devil fought Anthony by afflicting him with boredom, laziness, and hallucinations in the form of demons and erotic visions, which he resisted with prayer.

St. Anthony died from a disease called 'ergotism' which is now often known as "Saint Anthony's Fire", which can cause convulsions and visions. As a result, St Anthony led a strict ascetic life as a hermit and he was greatly tormented by these hallucinations. These afflictions, faced by St Anthony, are often depicted in Christian art, as can be seen in this window designed by Patrick Reyntiens in 1985.

A variety of techniques have been used on this panel including acid etching and plating, in which two or more pieces of glass are sandwiched together to create a dramatic effect.

This panel was designed and made by Patrick Reyntiens in 1985. Well known as the interpreter of the stained-glass designs of John Piper, Reyntiens is one of Britain's most respected stained-glass artists, with windows in Southwell Cathedral and Washington, DC

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson was born in 1836. She was the first woman to qualify as a physician in Britain! Above the b...
09/06/2026

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson was born in 1836. She was the first woman to qualify as a physician in Britain!

Above the beds in the hospital named in her honour, which was created especially to treat women and specifically to enable poor women to obtain medical treatment, were these stained glass panels by Christopher Webb.

Each panel was sponsored by different group or society. These panels are an example of Webb's early work and are considered to be amongst his best. He had trained with the architect and stained glass artist J. Ninian Comper and shared with him a preference for late medieval and renaissance styles.

These panel, which are displayed at , were designed and created by Webb in the 1920s. Specifically, we know one was sponsored by the Swedish Physical Training Collage and that the other, the Winifred Everitt bed, was endowed by the women secretaries and clerks.

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson had many outstanding achievements to her name, including being a co-founder of the first hospital staffed entirely by women, the first Dean of a British medical school, the first female doctor of medicine in France, the first woman in Britain to be elected to a school board and, as Mayor of Aldeburgh, the first female mayor and magistrate in Britain! She was also a significant figure in the British Women's Suffrage Movement, alongside her sister, Millicent Garrett Fawcett.

Today we've been delighted to welcome Ellie and Nell from Ely College for a busy day of work shadowing here at The Stain...
03/06/2026

Today we've been delighted to welcome Ellie and Nell from Ely College for a busy day of work shadowing here at The Stained Glass Museum!

They learnt about lots of different aspects of the museum today and began with events. They joined in with our animal themed SGMinis: Fun for Under 5s at The Stained Glass Museum session where Ellie & Nell got stuck got stuck in with lots of fun crafts, stories, songs and more.

They then explored the museum, trialling our summer holiday trail and our digital guide. They also had a go at creating their own piece of fused stained glass which we're looking forward to seeing when they come out of the kiln!

Finally, both Nell and Ellie were a huge help in our gift shop this afternoon where they learnt all about our till systems and had a go at making some new retail displays in the shop too - do check them out on your next visit to our shop.

We'd like to thank Nell and Ellie, who were a both a huge help to the museum today and we hope they enjoyed their time with us too!

It's Volunteers' Week this week & our volunteers here at The Stained Glass Museum are such a wonderful support to the mu...
03/06/2026

It's Volunteers' Week this week & our volunteers here at The Stained Glass Museum are such a wonderful support to the museum, and we're so grateful to have such a lovely, talented group!

Our volunteers are involved in so many aspects of the museum, but you're most likely to find them inspiring children during their school visits, being creative during our school holiday activities, and sharing more about our wonderful museum during events at the museum and beyond!

Whether they are busy finger painting with our under 5 SG Minis, or accessioning enormous stained glass cartoons into the museums collection, our volunteers always rise to the challenge! We also like to make time for socialising and some fun visits out & about too.

They so generously share their skills, time and enthusiasm with us, and we'd like to say a huge thank you!

If you'd like to find out more about volunteering at the museum, please visit https://stainedglassmuseum.com/Volunteer

Opening on Tuesday 2 June, we're delighted to share our next exhibition: Alexa Kanarowski at The Stained Glass Museum!Li...
29/05/2026

Opening on Tuesday 2 June, we're delighted to share our next exhibition: Alexa Kanarowski at The Stained Glass Museum!

Light, glass, photography, and the overlooked details of everyday life come together in this exhibition of Alexa Kanarowski’s work. Blending traditional stained glass techniques with contemporary image making, Kanarowski transforms familiar landscapes. From front gardens to cityscapes, the domestic details are vividly reflected in these pieces.

Drawing on the rich visual language of stained glass alongside photography and sculptural processes, her work plays with transparency, reflection, pattern, and light.

Rooted in an acute sense of place and materiality, this exhibition invites viewers to slow down and look closer at the beauty, tension, and quiet quirks embedded in our daily lives.

Currently completing her MFA at Oxford University’s The Ruskin School of Art, Kanarowski brings together craft heritage and contemporary culture in a practice that feels intimate, playful, and sharply observant. This exhibition offers a fresh, immersive encounter with landscapes we think we know.

Included with your usual admission, this exhibition runs until 25 July 2026.

Visit: alexakanarowski.com

Our current exhibition, Goddard & Gibbs: To the East closes this weekend.

Address

Ely Cathedral
Ely
CB74DL

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm

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