~ Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester ~

In 2011, Rab MacInnes and myself were asked to remove a large, very heavy two-light window off display from the walls of the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester.

We were supplied with a tower scaffold, a ladder, and a mobile access platform. However, it became clear that other heavy lifting safety equipment was required: namely, a block and tackle chain, which was then suspended over the steel rafters of the museum roof-space.

The museum did not have one, so part of the day involved a drive past Old Trafford to a local Hire shop.

The block and tackle, along with the other equipment, allowed us to safely lift the wooden frame, and windows, off the wall, and gently onto the floor below, where it was dismantled before removing it to the stores, where it was given a full condition report.

Subsequently, I assisted with the conservation, and transportation and display of this window in Moscow in 2013.

Stained glass conservation is often about practical problem solving, to ensure safe outcomes for people and objects.