Princetown: A Window In Time

Church of St Michael & All Angels, Princetown, Devon

The east window at St Michael and All Angels Church holds stunning stained glass, with complex stone tracery, depicting the Life of Christ. It dates from 1910.

The glass commemorates the American Prisoners of War who were incarcerated in Dartmoor prison and who built the church itself. This is the only church in England with such an attribute. The glass was designed by family run company Mayer of Munich who were pioneering glassmakers of the early 19th century. The company is still going today and in its 5th generation.

Critical condition

Princetown is one of the highest towns in the country and over the past 100 years, the church has suffered extreme variations of temperature and humidity - damaging the painted surface of the glass. The panels were in very poor condition. Urgent conservation and glazing was needed to stop this window from getting beyond conserving and lost altogether.

Progress at Princetown

As the multi-stakeholder funded project to conserve and protect the east window at Princetown nears completion we are looking forward to celebrating its reinstatement.

The painted glass was conserved in the workshops of Holy Wells Glass in Wells, Somerset and will be protected by isothermal glazing from the worst that the Dartmoor weather can throw at it... and that's quite a lot. The project has been entirely funded from external sources and has involved a range of conservation professionals who have delivered the project on time and on budget. One thing is for sure, it will be the only double glazed painted window on Dartmoor.

Project funders

Our thanks go to the following funders for providing support that helped us to complete this project:

Heritage Lottery Fund
National Society United States Daughters of 1812 
The Pilgrim Trust
His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales Duke of Cornwall
Dr and Mrs Alfred Darlington Charitable Trust
Dame Violet Wills Will Trust
Princetown Community Fund