Monkseaton stained glass artwork restored by former student of original artist

Colourful stained glass artwork at a North Tyneside Metro station is back on public display after restoration work has been completed to bring back its former glory.

The ‘Beach and Shipyards’ art installation which is part of the historic canopy at Monkseaton Metro station has been fully restored, by being carefully cleaned and repaired by stained glass experts, Cate Watkinson and Rita Griskonyte.

The restoration work to the stained glass artwork was completed as part of a £575,000 scheme to refurbish the gable ends of the canopy, which dates back to 1915.

Watkinson and Griskonyte carried out the restoration work to the stained glass artwork at Sunderland’s National Glass Centre, preserving it for many years to come. 

Now back in the place it originally was, the stained glass artwork can be viewed by Metro customers once again at Monkseaton Metro station. 

Sarah McManus, Head of Renewals at Nexus (the public body which operates Tyne and Wear Metro, said: “The stained glass artwork at Monkseaton Metro station is one of the most striking pieces of public art on the network, so we are delighted to have it restored to its former glory.

“We’ve invested over £500,000 into the station’s historic canopy so the structure is strengthened here for many years to come, and the historic canopy is back to looking its best at a station which is a key gateway into our region’s amazing coastline.”

Artist Mike Davis first incorporated the artwork into the glazed canopy in 1983, and his former student is Watkinson, one of the two individuals who restored the artwork. 

McManus continued: “It’s amazing that Mike Davis’s former student Cate Watkinson has had the opportunity to restore his work and what an amazing job it is.

“‘Beaches and Shipyards’ played a big part in the first few years of our art on transport programme in the early 1980s, not long after Metro first opened. It’s truly fantastic to see this unique piece of art looking as good as new again.”

Receive a news round-up, as well as breaking news alerts, when you sign up to NewcastleWorld’s newsletters.

Davis said: “I was most grateful to Northern Arts and Nexus for the chance to make work for a public space  - this was my first large scale commission in the region, after moving to the north east. The imagery in my design related to industry, especially to engineering and shipbuilding.

“It was both celebratory and inevitably, something of an elegy for the great changes taking place and the decline of the heavy industries, particularly engineering.  We hoped that a local schools competition would be a celebration of the seaside nature of Monkseaton and I feel that we were lucky that Rosalind’s design had a simple charm. 

“The work was made partly at our studio in Durham and partly at Sunderland Polytechnic in Backhouse Park in Sunderland. 

“Our region was the first place in England where stained glass emerged, at Monkwearmouth in 674 AD, and later in Jarrow. The Venerable Bede describes how Benedict Biscop brought glaziers from Gaul ‘to teach the English their mystery”. So, there has been a long history in glass working in the region. The work features some fine coloured glass from Hartley Woods who manufactured handmade ‘antique’ sheet as it is known.

“I must thank Cate Watkinson and Rita Griskonyte for their skill and care. My hope is that they will be properly recognised and valued.”

Watkinson said: “It’s fantastic to see the completed piece restored back to its former glory. There’s no more broken bits, no more dirt, no more muck. It’s all as good as new again, and will be there for a very long time to come.

“A lot of work went into the restoration, from taking all the glass out, making sure that it didn’t get broken and pulling it apart, to ensuring it was all carefully cleaned and put back in the right place.

“It was great to see Mike Davis at the unveiling. As his former pupil I was enormously proud to be able to restore his original work from 1983.

“Congratulations to Nexus for supporting this project, ensuring that the stained art work was preserved and returned back to its former glory.”