Zitierlink:
https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/arbeitshefte_blfd_32/0049
a conversation that I had with Dr. Hannelore Marschner about
five years ago, but I had not previously experienced it in Britain.
Now my colleague Dr. D.G. Holloway at the University of Keele
has sent me Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 3 shows many corrosion dises
which exist below the surface of the glass, and Fig. 4 shows a
large corrosion dise, with a much smaller one lying on top of
it, and also below the surface! How does such corrosion occur
beneath an apparently undamaged surface?
All these 22 worse-than-average windows are on the north side
of the Minster (except No. 10 which is in the east end, and No.
16 which is not an original window). Four of the windows that
are in a particularly bad State (Nos. 49, 50, 62, and 64) are both
sheltered from rain-wash and near the Minister chimney where
fumes from the coke-fired boiler could have affected them du-
ring the first 65 years of the 20th century. Two of these windows
(Nos. 50 and 62) were stored in the same cellar during the war.
Fig. 3 (Foto: D.G. Holloway, Keele).
Fig. 4 (Foto: D.G. Holloway, Keele).
3. Finally, we find many reports of damage to stained glass in
the last 50 years that was «worse than before»; this damage
seems to be attributed (always?) to the effects of «air pollu-
tion». But are there other phenomena which also need to be ta-
ken into account? Peter Gibson and I carried out a careful study
of the windows of York Minster, and attempted to list possible
reasons for any deterioration. Of 64 main windows (not clere-
story windows) which have glass that is earlier than the 19th
century, 42 were either in «good» or in «average» condition.
Those windows which had not suffered undue corrosion consi-
sted of (a) all windows later than the 14th century and (b) 15
of the 37 windows of 13th or 14th century date; the remaining
22 windows are discussed below.
During the war, the windows were removed as protection against
bomb damage and stored in 11 different «cellars» of varions
kinds, such as those of large houses. Three of these cellars are
known to have been very wet (but at the time it was not realised
that wet conditions could damage the glass). The 12 windows
stored in them are now in bad condition. The wetness of the ot-
her storage places is not known, but some windows stored in
them are better than average and some worse than average! The-
re were thus many reasons for deterioration without needing to
consider any effects of air pollution. My question, therefore, is
whether some of the «air-pollution explanations» might also re-
veal other complications, if a comprehensive enquiry had been
carried out?
Footnotes
1 CV-News Letters 31/32, 1980, p. 20-21.
2 CV-News Letters 35/36, 1983, p. 15.
3 Silicates Industriels, 43, 1978, p. 89-99.
4 Glastechnische Berichte 29, 1956, p. 145-168.
43
five years ago, but I had not previously experienced it in Britain.
Now my colleague Dr. D.G. Holloway at the University of Keele
has sent me Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 3 shows many corrosion dises
which exist below the surface of the glass, and Fig. 4 shows a
large corrosion dise, with a much smaller one lying on top of
it, and also below the surface! How does such corrosion occur
beneath an apparently undamaged surface?
All these 22 worse-than-average windows are on the north side
of the Minster (except No. 10 which is in the east end, and No.
16 which is not an original window). Four of the windows that
are in a particularly bad State (Nos. 49, 50, 62, and 64) are both
sheltered from rain-wash and near the Minister chimney where
fumes from the coke-fired boiler could have affected them du-
ring the first 65 years of the 20th century. Two of these windows
(Nos. 50 and 62) were stored in the same cellar during the war.
Fig. 3 (Foto: D.G. Holloway, Keele).
Fig. 4 (Foto: D.G. Holloway, Keele).
3. Finally, we find many reports of damage to stained glass in
the last 50 years that was «worse than before»; this damage
seems to be attributed (always?) to the effects of «air pollu-
tion». But are there other phenomena which also need to be ta-
ken into account? Peter Gibson and I carried out a careful study
of the windows of York Minster, and attempted to list possible
reasons for any deterioration. Of 64 main windows (not clere-
story windows) which have glass that is earlier than the 19th
century, 42 were either in «good» or in «average» condition.
Those windows which had not suffered undue corrosion consi-
sted of (a) all windows later than the 14th century and (b) 15
of the 37 windows of 13th or 14th century date; the remaining
22 windows are discussed below.
During the war, the windows were removed as protection against
bomb damage and stored in 11 different «cellars» of varions
kinds, such as those of large houses. Three of these cellars are
known to have been very wet (but at the time it was not realised
that wet conditions could damage the glass). The 12 windows
stored in them are now in bad condition. The wetness of the ot-
her storage places is not known, but some windows stored in
them are better than average and some worse than average! The-
re were thus many reasons for deterioration without needing to
consider any effects of air pollution. My question, therefore, is
whether some of the «air-pollution explanations» might also re-
veal other complications, if a comprehensive enquiry had been
carried out?
Footnotes
1 CV-News Letters 31/32, 1980, p. 20-21.
2 CV-News Letters 35/36, 1983, p. 15.
3 Silicates Industriels, 43, 1978, p. 89-99.
4 Glastechnische Berichte 29, 1956, p. 145-168.
43