St Peter & St Paul, Ringwood

The Celebration Window at Ringwood Parish Church

Work is finally underway on a major repair and restoration project at the Parish Church after more than five years of planning.

The South Transept Window, on the south side by the tower is the focus of the work. In recent years, this window has become unsafe – 170 years of weathering has deteriorated the glass and surrounding stonework. For the last three years it had to be protected by netting in case glass should fall out. Left unrestored, the church would have had to close. The Ringwood Parish Church Project, thanks to the support of the Friends of Ringwood Parish Church, has begun the huge task of repairing the stonework and fitting an exciting coloured glass design to replace old plain glazing in a £110,000 project.

Salisbury Cathedral Stained Glass were commissioned to make the glass for the new window designed by Emma Mullen of St Ann’s Gate Architects in Salisbury. Emma said, ‘In designing the simple motifs and colour scheme for the window, I wanted to be outward looking, as the church is, and in Ringwood that means the New Forest. So, the design incorporates greens and yellows to replicate the natural tones of dappled sunlight through the trees’. Her design captures the colours of the New Forest, still leaving plenty of light to come through.

Sam Kelly, head craftsman at Salisbury Cathedral Stained Glass said, ‘The methods used to create the window would be familiar to medieval craftsmen and involve smelting and then milling of lead to create a framework to hold individual panes of glass. There are more than 1,500 panes of glass in the window which go to create the final design, and every one has been cut and finished by hand in our workshop.’

The Church still needs to raise £80,000 to complete the stonework repairs, install the new glass and redecorate the inside, all in time for when the church is at its busiest at Christmas. Churchwarden Jacqueline Brown said, ‘We’re really excited to finally have this major repair project underway. It’s been a very long time in the planning. The huge scaffold is very visible in the town and I’m sure people are wondering what’s happening. Our stonemason and the glaziers are working very hard to get the work done quickly whilst making sure all the repairs needed are done to the highest standard, so that this part of the church will be watertight for the next hundred years. It has been fascinating to visit the workshop and watch the window taking shape.’

The church is inviting sponsors to help fund the project. Sponsorship for a diamond or rectangular pane is £25 or a triangle for £10. Multiple panes can be sponsored together. Such a gift could celebrate a special anniversary or birthday, as thanksgiving for a child or grandchild, in memory of a loved one or just to be part of this unique opportunity. The names of all sponsors will be recorded in a Book to be kept in the church.

If you would like to give a donation or to sponsor one or more panes of glass, please contact the church treasurer, roger.dewar@ringwoodbenefice.org.uk, 01425 483622. Weekly photo and video updates on the works are posted on the church’s Facebook page – just search ‘Ringwood Benefice’ to see what’s happening and follow the work going on behind that huge scaffold.

Contacts: Project Chair Paul Gray paul.gray@omdia.com

Churchwarden Jacqueline Brown Jacqueline.brown@ringwoodbenefice.org.uk

Church Office office@ringwoodbenefice.org.uk

Sponsorship roger.dewar@ringwoodbenefice.org.uk