Panestaking work renews Hall window! (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Panestaking work renews Hall window!

5:50am Friday 8th August 2008 in Local Video By Will Kilner

The magnificent stained glass window at Eastbrook Hall in Bradford has been re-installed following a painstaking restoration project.

The return of the distinctive window, which is located at the building’s main entrance on Leeds Road, marks another milestone in the restoration of the former Methodist Hall, which flanks Little Germany.

The £12 million mixed-use project to restore and develop the Edwardian building should be fully complete by the middle of next month.

The scheme will comprise three commercial units, totalling 10,000sq ft, and 73 new apartments.

One of the ground-floor shop units has been sold and will become a male grooming centre, while another ground-floor shop and an upstairs office remain on the market.

Aldersgate Estates, the London-based developer, admitted economic conditions meant the market for apartment sales was “dead”, but it said that it had still managed to sell 21 apartments within the complex .

Meanwhile, 15 apartments have been let out and eight residents have already moved in to their new homes.

The four-metre high window, featuring a blue ‘E’ and ‘H’, has been restored by Shona Mcinnes, of Leadline Studio, Halifax.

She said: “I have been working on the Eastbrook Hall window for several weeks, spending up to 40 hours per week, and feel privileged to be involved in the restoration of such a stunning building. “The hall is an important part of Bradford’s heritage and a significant building in the regeneration of the city, which, as a resident of Yorkshire, I am proud to a part of.

“It’s great crafting something with your hands. The windows are here for everyone to see. As a stained glass artist, I am really lucky my work is always on view.”

Restoring the stained glass window was a meticulous process. Firstly, rubbings of the original panel were made to record the position of the glass, then all the old glass was removed and anything worth keeping was cleaned. A master drawing was prepared and the old glass was placed back in its appropriate place. Tracing paper templates were taken from the master drawing, from which new glass was cut, then all the glass was joined together with individual sections of lead.

Alan McMahon, director of Aldersgate Estates, said: “At long last, things are looking good. We are just finishing off the work on Block A at the front where we have got 13 flats left to do and the shop fronts have got to go on. Everything else is done.

“Lettings on the apartments are going very well, but the market is dead in terms of sales because of all the uncertainty and the economic conditions. But we are finding that there is strong demand for lettings.”

Funding for the project has been provided through an innovative public-private sector funding agreement involving English Partnerships, Bradford Centre Regeneration, Bradford Council, Yorkshire Forward and Regen 2000 SRB Partnership.

The Prince’s Regeneration Trust also supports the scheme and has been closely involved since its conception.

Maud Marshall, chief executive of Bradford Centre Regeneration, said: “Part of Eastbrook Hall’s appeal is that it retains many of its historic features, which is why the restoration of the stained glass window is such a key feature, and will play a major part in making the hall a stunning and enviable place to live.”

e-mail: will.kilner @telegraphandargus.co.uk