Churches and cathedrals hold much of the finest stained glass in Britain, and their windows are best understood one building at a time. This collection presents each church or cathedral as a feature of its own: the windows, a short history of the building and a note on the glass, with photographs taken on site. It covers ecclesiastical stained glass from the medieval period to the present day.
The collection grows as more buildings are researched and photographed. Each feature has a few key facts (town, county, listing and the period of the glass), and every photograph is also catalogued in the photograph gallery by place, period, motif and glass type, so it is possible to look across buildings as well as within one. For help with what the pictures show, see how to read a church window.
Latest church feature
All churches and cathedrals
Every feature published so far is listed here in alphabetical order. New buildings appear automatically as they are added.
Church featureCynthia Spencer Hospice Chapel, NorthamptonContemporary stained glass panels in the chapel at Cynthia Spencer Hospice, Northampton.Read the feature →
Church featureSt Andrew’s Church, ChippenhamVictorian stained glass in the Grade II* parish church on Chippenham Market Place.Read the feature →
Do you manage a cathedral or church?
Those responsible for a cathedral or church with notable glass are invited to ask StainedGlass.co.uk to cover the building in this section. Each feature combines a researched account of the windows with photographs, and is published only with the approval of the people who care for the building. Not every invitation can lead to a visit, but each one is considered.
Beyond this collection
UK Stained Glass TourA map of notable cathedrals, churches and museums, filtered by medieval, Victorian or modern glass.Open the map →
Masters of GlassThe designers and studios behind many church windows.Read the profiles →- How to Read a Church WindowSaints, symbols, colours and heraldry explained.Read the guide →
Ecclesiastical Stained GlassHow church glass was designed, painted, fired and leaded.Read the guide →