The artisans at Sunrise Stained Glass in London, Ont., have made the tough choice to shut down after many years of creating and restoring colored glass throughout Ontario.
For nearly fifty years, the Wharncliffe Road shop has been a hub where this age-old craft has been shared with hundreds of students eager to learn about stained glass, and where beautiful window panels have been revitalized.
But now, a ‘for sale’ sign hangs outside as the owner prepares to close by the end of the month.
What began as a simple pastime for Roger Chapman, who launched the store in 1979, turned into designing and crafting windows for private homes and undertaking significant restoration projects for numerous churches from Windsor to Kingston to Sudbury.
“I’ve loved it,” he said, describing the rewarding nature of repairing a damaged window.
Roger Chapman and his team are currently working on restoring a set of windows from a church in Hamilton, Ont. This particular one is the final piece out of 14 panels they were asked to restore. (Jack Sutton/CBC)
Local residents might recognize some of Chapman’s work around town. Since the late 1980s, Sunrise has restored almost every window in St. Peter’s Cathedral Basilica in London, including its three rose windows, along with most windows at St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church.
Sunrise was also involved in restoring the Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate in Guelph, Ont., which remains their largest project so far with over 550 stained glass panels that earned an award of excellence from the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals.
The restoration efforts by Chapman and his partners across Ontario include windows at St. Mary’s Pro Cathedral in Hamilton, Central Presbyterian Church in Cambridge, plus both Queen’s University and Royal Military College in Kingston.
The shop has also supported hobbyists by providing all necessary supplies while offering classes for newcomers since its inception, Chapman noted.
Chapman and his two partners felt they had reached an age where continuing with business was no longer feasible; thus they’re planning to wrap things up around December’s end.
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Sunrise has supplied hobbyists with essential items like sheets of colored glass. (Jack Sutton/CBC)
This quickly became more important than selling wicker furniture; it felt like a more exciting path forward for him.
He then brought on two new partners-one had deep experience restoring church windows while another had artistic talent-which helped broaden their focus into restoration projects throughout Ontario.
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Roger Chapman mentions he’s seen many homeowners commissioning new stained glass pieces aimed at recapturing their residences’ historic look.( Jack Sutton / CBC )
As additional works reach needing repairs , Chapman believes fresh talent will step up ready take on these tasks.
“There are still lots people interested getting into it just like I did , as hobby ” , he remarked. “I’m confident those fascinated restoration aspect this field will pursue careers here too.”
Looking ahead , while hoping keep crafting stain-glass occasionally , Chapman plans embrace retirement tending horses farm near Goderich.
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A Journey from Wicker to Stained Glass
The very first stained glass piece Chapman crafted was an ashtray he made for his wife; he still keeps it as a reminder of his early days-joking that it “haunts” him even now. His passion for stained glass ignited while running his wicker store back in the 1970s when an artist working above his shop suddenly vanished without taking any materials with him. “I thought, well, that looked easy from what I’ve watched,” he recalled. “So I read a book and I used his tools and I started making things myself. And that was the start of it.”The Appeal of Stained Glass in London
Lucky are those who love stained glass living in London, according to Chapman. Around the early 20th century, Hobbs Manufacturing-a local company known as “the Home Depot of their times,” he described-provided everything needed for home construction along with access to a stained glass studio where buyers could select their preferred windows. <p“That's why if you walk around London now you see so much stained glass in residential houses,” he explained. “Because it was so easy to add that bit when you were building.” Many older windows were replaced by clear glass during mid-century once they aged past usability; however over time Sunrise received numerous requests from homeowners wanting new stained glass as they aim to restore their houses’ original charm.Source link
