About

Glass examples

They are a husband and wife team- Ian & Elaine Lonsdale that have been in business for over 15 years and worked mainly in the South Manchester area. Elaine works on the designs and Ian concentrates on the production of the panels and repairs. Based in Timperley they are perfectly situated to cover most of the major towns as most are within a 30 mile radius of home.   Their stained glasswork is split into three main areas

• Commissions
•  Repairs
• Running classes for beginners and experienced students.

They have a very simple philosophy which is to exceed customer expectations. They not only provide a perfectly crafted stained glass panel but also combined with a very high standard of service.  For instance, when they are asked to do a repair or make a panel, they

• Always pay a visit to the customer premises to take a verbal brief whilst also assessing the issue of ease of removal and fitting after measuring up the job.
•  They provide a firm quote for the job which includes design work and the fitting of the panel as well as removing any old panels or glass. If a panel has to be removed, they will always fit a temporary replacement to provide security. In short, their quote covers everything – there are no hidden extras.
• They are also not registered for VAT so don’t have to add an additional VAT charge to the bill.
• Once they receive a brief for a commission, they will always provide a few design alternatives in order for the customer to make a choice. They then usually make a second visit with a more detailed drawing and glass samples so that the customer can choose the colours and textures they prefer. If the customer then decides to proceed, they would only at that stage ask for a 25% deposit to cover the cost of acquiring materials. The balance of 75% will be required on the day of fitting the panel which is usually with 4 weeks of receiving the order.
• They are very competitively priced and stained glass panels can be made for as little as £120. The price is determined by the size and complexity of the panel as well as the ease of fitting.

                                                        Examples of their work can be seen on the Commission Gallery page.

Ian at work in his studio

Repairs are dealt with by Ian and he will always visit even in an emergency situation.  Temporary repairs can be made in order to provide security and many of the repairs can be done without the need to remove the panel. His work is to the highest standard with competitive prices.

                                                         For more information on their repair work , please visit the Repairs page.

Stained glass classes are held fairly regularly – usually on a Thursday and held in hired premises. Many of their students have been with them for years whilst others are absolute beginners. Ian is a fully qualified teacher and was a Tutor in Stained Glass at Mid Cheshire College for 12 years before it closed this year and is now running private classes in St John’s Church Centre in Hartford, Northwich, Cheshire. More are planned for later in the year as well as in 2019.

                                                    For more details on current classes and prices , please visit the Classes page