Penrhyn Castle, Gwynedd

17th and 18th Century

Penrhyn Castle, north Wales.

The conservation and re-leading of 3 severely bowed and structurally compromised lunettes by Francis Eginton.

Originally a fortified manor house, founded in 1438, Penrhyn Castle is largely reconstructed, and the present building dates from 1822-1837.  The splendid lunettes from the Great Hall and Library, are by Francis Eginton (1787-1805), a significant artist the field of painting in glass paint and enamels at the time. His other projects include a large lunette at Stourhead House Library, and a window at St. Alkmund’s Church, Shrewsbury. The Penrhyn Castle lunettes are brightly coloured, with vivid patterns, and contain heraldic devices.  These windows are notable for the use of splendid red silver stain on kelp glass.  Before conservation the Penrhyn Castle panels were severely bowed and unstable, with resulting cracks to many pieces of glass.  Re-leading was necessary to provide support for these structurally compromised panels. This involved custom milling of very narrow leads to accommodate the very thin glass.