The story of stained glass in England is one of both loss and renewal. The medieval and Renaissance centuries had produced a luminous synthesis of theology, craft, and architecture, an art that translated divine light into visible doctrine. Yet, with the Reformation and subsequent waves of iconoclasm, much of this splendour was extinguished. For nearly three hundred years, the craft languished, its techniques fragmented and its spiritual vocabulary forgotten.

It was not until the 19th century, amid the moral earnestness of the Gothic Revival, that artists, architects, and antiquarians began to rediscover the aesthetic and devotional potential of stained glass. Drawing inspiration from surviving medieval fragments and cathedral cycles, this revival reawakened the union of art, architecture, and faith. From these renewed foundations, English stained glass evolved once more into a vital and expressive medium, capable of absorbing modern ideas while preserving its ancient dialogue with light, colour, and sacred space.