This is the road which leads you to where we work: our stained glass studio is to the right of that 3-storey farm-house you see.
There are two of us here. David Williams and Stephen Byrne.
The studio used to be a barn, but now it’s a spacious light-filled workshop, surrounded by pastures and farmland, and overlooked by the hazy Shropshire hills.
Shropshire?”
If you imagine rural England at its most perfect and peaceful, then you’ll see Shropshire.
We’ve been here for 12 years now. We don’t compete for the design and painting work we do. For example, a tycoon once asked us to design and paint 16 stained glass skylights for his dining room ceiling. He didn’t ask anyone else. End of story.
Or rather, start of story, because it was a lot of work.
Also, it gives us more to share with you.
Like the story of how we won this tycoon’s trust (which you can read here).
And now let’s give you some information about us.
What we believe
The client’s interests come first; our own need for self-expression must find other outlets than design and glass painting.
Every building is different: so we will not design and paint stained glass in the same “house style” for different buildings.
Biographical information
We’ve worked together since 1999.
We set things up here in 2004.
You’re welcome to see examples of our work – these are some of the stained glass windows we’ve made these last 12 years, using the same techniques we write about and video here.
David Williams
David did his apprenticeship with Patrick Reyntiens at Mr. Reyntiens’ stained glass studios in Buckinghamshire and Somerset.
Under Mr. Reyntiens, David worked on the Britten memorial windows in Aldeburgh (for which he did a lot of acid-etching), and on Reyntiens’ new windows for Robinson College, Cambridge.
David also helped make various other windows designed by John Piper (such as the Evangelist windows at Saint John Without The Bars in the City of Lichfield) and Cecil Collins (for All Saints’ in Basingstoke).
In 1986 David took up the position of Studio Manager and Chief Designer at the John Hardman Studio of Birmingham.
At Hardman’s he designed, made and restored stained glass for fifteen years, working on a huge variety of projects. For example, a complete restoration of Saint Chad’s in Birmingham; two windows for Saint Mary’s, Uttoxeter; the restoration of glass in Inverness Cathedral; also in Winchester Great Hall ; and the Town Hall at Leamington Spa.
David left Hardman’s in 2004.
By way of early education, he studied Fine Art at the Laird School of Fine Art, and he has a degree in Fine Art from the Sunderland College of Art.
In 2011 and 2012, David worked with The Reytiens Glass Studio in London to help paint the Diamond Jubilee stained glass window for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Stephen Byrne
Stephen did his apprenticeship (under David) at the John Hardman Studio between 1999 and 2003.
At Hardman’s Stephen worked with David on eight windows for Saint Stephen’s Hall in the Palace of Westminster and on two enormous copies of Victorian windows. One of these was the magnificent east window from the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Farm Street, Mayfair. The other copy was of the equally glorious east window from Saint John the Divine, New York.
Stephen also worked on the restoration of a set of 14 French enamel stained glass doors which became a walk-in wardrobe in a pop star’s mansion.
Before stained glass, Stephen worked in the City of London for 13 years where he was a business analyst.
He has an Honours degree from the University of Saint Andrews and a doctorate from University College, Oxford.
And you?
And that’s enough about us. Except to say that David is an artist and Stephen is a copyist. (The craft of stained glass has separate niches for different kinds of skill provided they are done well and with respect.)
Now please busy yourself with all the techniques and ideas you’ll find here.
They are what this site is all about.
And how you use them – that is the really exciting thing.
So here’s where you’ll find the video blog.