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Corley Studio, also known as John Corley Stained Glass Studio, is a family-run conservation and glass-painting workshop based at 57 West Street, Deal, Kent. Founded by John Corley in 1978, the studio specialises in the examination, conservation, restoration and creation of stained, painted and leaded glass for historic churches, listed buildings, museums, institutional collections, private houses and contemporary architectural settings.
The studio combines traditional craftsmanship with established conservation principles. Its work ranges from the stabilisation of important medieval and later painted glass to the design and manufacture of new windows, including commemorative and ecclesiastical commissions. A central concern is to retain historic fabric, document its condition, and choose proportionate treatments suited to the age and significance of each window.
The studio conserves painted and unpainted stained glass from medieval to contemporary periods. Initial assessment identifies the condition of glass, paint, lead cames, solder joints, support systems and surrounding fabric, as well as environmental threats such as condensation, water penetration and previous unsympathetic repairs.
Following agreed specifications, stained glass can be carefully recorded, removed where necessary, treated in the Deal workshop and reinstated. Depending on the significance and condition of the window, treatments may involve stabilising vulnerable paint, cleaning with appropriate techniques, repairing fractures, introducing supporting glass or edge bonds, retaining existing leads where practicable, and releading where technically justified. The studio maintains detailed photographic and written conservation records.
Corley Studio works with parish representatives, diocesan advisers, conservation architects and heritage bodies responsible for churches and other historic religious buildings. Specialist services address ecclesiastical stained glass, decorative lancets, tracery lights, painted memorial windows, historic leaded glazing and associated metalwork.
Its conservation approach takes account of the building as a whole: the importance of the glazing to the architecture, the significance of original paint and glass, safe access, moisture and ventilation, relevant faculty or consent procedures, and the maintenance needs of the building custodians. The studio also designs new commissions intended to sit sympathetically within sacred architectural settings.
The workshop undertakes the repair and manufacture of leaded lights for historic domestic and secular buildings, including Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian, Art Nouveau and Art Deco interiors. Work includes decorative door panels, transoms, traditional casements, geometric glazing and coloured glass features.
Where panes are missing or severely damaged, the studio seeks suitable matching glass by considering colour, texture, historic manufacturing characteristics and the undulating qualities of period glass. Mouthblown, handmade and specialist restoration glass may be used to achieve a sympathetic result, rather than introducing visually inappropriate modern flat glass.
Corley Studio maintains traditional glass painting and fabrication skills, including hand cutting, painting, silver staining, kiln firing, leading and careful installation. Its design and fabrication process responds to the available daylight, architectural proportions, historic context and the intended use of the space.
The workshop works with mouthblown and other specialist sheet glass to create original designs with depth, texture and colour. New work may range from figurative and narrative windows to abstract, geometric and contemporary compositions for homes, churches and public buildings. Artistry is complemented by technical attention to leadwork, support, weathering and durable installation.
A significant area of expertise is the protection of historic stained glass from environmental deterioration. Moisture, condensation and weathering can accelerate the loss of delicate glass surfaces, historic painted decoration and leaded panel stability.
Where appropriate, the studio designs and installs environmental protective glazing, including ventilated or isothermal arrangements that reposition historic glazing into a protected environment while providing separate weather protection. Specialist frames may incorporate manganese bronze or other suitable materials. Design is determined by the individual window and the requirements of the building, with particular care for stone rebates, airflow, visual appearance and reversibility.
For exposed or vulnerable windows, the studio provides discreet protective solutions, including profiled stainless-steel wire guards and, where justified, ventilated polycarbonate protection. Guard shapes can be tailored to pointed Gothic openings, architectural tracery and other irregular window profiles.
These measures aim to limit accidental or deliberate damage while preserving the visibility and character of historic glass and adjacent carved stone. The appropriate protective system is chosen according to significance, exposure, maintenance requirements and heritage advice; the company does not assume that one method is suitable for every building.
Historic stained glass often depends on iron and bronze supports, saddle bars, ferramenta, casement frames, stays, opening mechanisms and other architectural ironmongery. Corley Studio investigates and repairs these elements alongside the glazing they support.
Corroding iron can expand and damage surrounding historic stone, particularly softer limestone. The studio describes conservation of ancient ironwork, bronze casements, window furniture and support bars, including considered use of non-ferrous replacement elements when compatible with the conservation specification. Historic metalwork is assessed as significant fabric in its own right, not simply as a disposable support system.
Before intervention, the studio can provide condition inspections, written reports, photographic records and specialist advice for conservation architects, churches, museums, owners and private collections. Surveys help identify the significance of glazing and its support systems, locate active deterioration, evaluate environmental risks and establish priorities for maintenance or more detailed investigation.
Reports may support conservation strategies, grant applications, project planning and the preparation of specifications, subject to the needs of each commission. Recommendations seek to differentiate necessary repairs from avoidable replacement and to make long-term care practical for those responsible for the building.
Alongside historic conservation, Corley Studio creates individually designed and fabricated stained glass commissions for churches, commemorative settings, public buildings and private homes. Designs are developed through consultation with clients and, where appropriate, architects or other advisers.
Each commission considers light, orientation, glazing size, architectural style, narrative and colour. The finished window or decorative panel is fabricated in the workshop, using suitable glass-painting, kiln-firing and leaded-glazing methods, then installed to agreed technical and conservation requirements. Contemporary design is treated as a continuation of a living craft rather than as a substitute for historic fabric.
The studio has worked on historic glass for major heritage and institutional clients, including the National Trust, English Heritage, The Crown Estate, The Churches Conservation Trust, Historic Royal Palaces, museums, diocesan bodies and private collectors. Its published project experience includes conservation and restoration work at Knole in Sevenoaks, and conservation cleaning of historic leaded glazing at the Natural History Museum in London.
John Corley also records early professional work in Canterbury Cathedral’s stained glass studio and experience with the York Glaziers Trust associated with the Rose Window at York Minster. Other published commissions include Cobham Dairy for the Landmark Trust and stained glass work associated with Ramsgate Library. These references illustrate a broad practice; individual project scopes should be checked with the studio before being used as case-study claims.
Corley Studio emphasises minimal intervention, the preservation of historic material, careful documentation and thoughtful planning for future maintenance. Treatments are developed to respect the historic glass, its painted decoration, original leadwork, supporting ironwork and the architectural setting.
The studio states that its work is informed by the guidance of the international Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi (CVMA) and relevant church conservation bodies. Decisions on cleaning, reinforcement, protective glazing or replacement are made according to the individual significance and condition of the object, not by routine adoption of a single restoration technique.
Founder John Corley Dip AD ACR AMGP trained at Canterbury College of Art and subsequently worked in the Canterbury Cathedral stained glass studio. He established his own studio in 1978 and developed a family-led workshop undertaking both conservation and new commissions.
John Corley received professional Accreditation of Conservator-Restorer (PACR) in 2000 and is identified by the Institute of Conservation as an Accredited Conservator-Restorer (ACR). He became an Associate of the British Society of Master Glass Painters in 2020 and was admitted to the Freedom of the Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass in the same year. These are personal professional credentials and should not be interpreted as accreditations held by all studio staff.
Located in Deal, Kent, the conservation workshop carries out specialist glass cutting, painting, kiln firing, leading, studio treatment and the preparation of new windows. The public-facing Corley Studio Shop at the same West Street address offers handmade and mouthblown glass objects and decorative pieces. The shop is a related activity but is distinct from the specialist stained glass conservation service described here.
Clients, conservation architects and church representatives can discuss project requirements and, where arranged, review work in progress. Written conservation documentation and appropriate communication with decision-makers form part of the studio’s established working approach.
Preserving original windows maintains the artistic, material and historic evidence embodied in glass, lead and metalwork. Conservation-led repair can retain irreplaceable craftsmanship, reduce the need for new materials and support the continued use of buildings whose windows form part of their architectural significance.
Corley Studio works within this framework by combining diagnosis, traditional repair, sensitive protective systems and accurate recording. Its services are relevant to conservation architects, heritage surveyors, ecclesiastical bodies, listed building owners, museums and others responsible for the long-term care of historic glazing.
Conservation and new commission enquiries should be directed to the studio to discuss the work required, the location of the window and any associated listed-building or ecclesiastical permissions.
| Services & Expertise | |
|---|---|
| Principal Areas of Work: | Stained Glass Conservation, Historic Stained Glass Restoration, Traditional Glass Painting, Historic Leaded Light Repairs, Ecclesiastical Window Conservation, Bespoke Stained Glass Commissions, Architectural Glass Restoration, Historic Glazing Conservation, Environmental Protective Glazing, Isothermal Glazing Systems, Historic Window Ironwork Conservation, Ferramenta Repairs, Traditional Leaded Light Manufacture, Stained Glass Condition Surveys, Specialist Glass Conservation Reports, Museum and Collection Glass Conservation, Church Window Repairs, Protective Window Guards, Period Domestic Glazing, Decorative Glass Design, Contemporary Stained Glass, Heritage Glazing Consultancy, Stained Glass Installation |
| Capabilities and Specialisms: | Medieval Stained Glass Conservation, Victorian Stained Glass Restoration, Edwardian Leaded Glass Repairs, Art Nouveau Glazing, Art Deco Glass Restoration, Painted Glass Conservation, Traditional Glass Painting, Silver Staining, Kiln-Fired Glass Painting, Mouthblown Antique Glass Selection, Historic Glass Matching, Lead Came Repairs, Leaded Panel Releading, Fractured Glass Edge Bonding, Conservation Backing Plates, Historic Glass Surface Cleaning, Glass Corrosion Assessment, Stained Glass Condition Reporting, Photographic Conservation Recording, Glass Panel Removal and Reinstatement, Isothermal Protective Glazing, Environmental Protective Glazing, Manganese Bronze Glazing Frames, Stainless Steel Protective Guards, Ventilated Polycarbonate Protection, Historic Window Metalwork Repairs, Ferramenta Conservation, Saddle Bar Repairs, Bronze Casement Restoration, Iron Window Frame Conservation, Historic Glazing Research, Sympathetic Replacement Glass, Traditional Window Glazing, Bespoke Church Windows, Memorial Stained Glass, Heraldic Glass Panels, Contemporary Glass Design, Domestic Decorative Glazing, Traditional Glass Cutting, Stained Glass Studio Conservation, On-Site Glazing Restoration, Conservation Consultancy, Heritage Window Maintenance |
| Accreditations, Certifications & Memberships : | Institute of Conservation (Icon) Accredited Conservator-Restorer (ACR) – John Corley, British Society of Master Glass Painters Associate (AMGP) – John Corley, Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass – Freeman (John Corley), Conservation Register – Specialist Studio Listing, Canterbury Cathedral Stained Glass Studio Training – John Corley, York Glaziers Trust Conservation Training – John Corley |
| Accreditation & Membership Details: | John Corley Dip AD ACR AMGP is an accredited stained glass conservator and specialist glass artist. In 2000 he received Professional Accreditation of Conservator-Restorers (PACR), recognised through the professional conservation accreditation framework now associated with the Institute of Conservation (Icon). He is listed as an Accredited Conservator-Restorer (ACR) in Icon's conservation register. In 2020 John Corley was recognised as an Associate of the British Society of Master Glass Painters (AMGP) and admitted to the Freedom of the Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass. His early professional training included work at Canterbury Cathedral's stained glass studio and specialist conservation experience with the York Glaziers Trust. Corley Studio states that its conservation practice follows the recommendations of the Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi (CVMA) and relevant church conservation guidance. |
| Geographical Areas Covered: | United Kingdom, England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland by Arrangement, Kent, Deal, Canterbury, Dover, Sandwich, Ramsgate, Margate, South East England, London, Greater London, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, Nationwide Ecclesiastical and Heritage Projects, International Conservation Projects by Arrangement |
| Contact & Online Presence | |
| Contact(s): | John Corley Dip AD ACR AMGP |
| Email: | office@corleystudios.com |
| Business Details & Assurance | |
| Company Trading Name: | Corley Studio |
| Publication & Verification | |
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