The Stained Glass Museum

What The Stained Glass Museum does

The Stained Glass Museum is a UK registered charity (no. 1169842) and the only museum in the country dedicated exclusively to the art of stained glass. Founded in 1979 and located in the South Triforium of Ely Cathedral, Cambridgeshire (CB7 4DL), the museum houses a nationally-significant collection of stained glass, preparatory designs, materials, and tools spanning from the 13th century to the present day. In February 2026, the museum's entire collection was awarded Designated Status by Arts Council England, formally recognising it as the national collection of stained glass; the museum also retains Royal Patronage from King Charles III following a 2024 review.

The museum operates a physical gallery with admission priced at £6.50 for adults, £6.00 for students, and free for children under 16, supplemented by an extensive educational and events programme. Workshops span glass fusing, glass painting, leading and glazing, copper foiling, screenprinting, and dedicated children's workshops. Digital offerings include a public searchable collection database, a virtual tour, a free digital guide, and an augmented reality app launched in July 2023 in partnership with City XR, which lets visitors explore the architectural context of collection highlights via AR overlays. The museum also runs a schools programme aligned to the UK national curriculum from EYFS through Key Stage 3, a loan-box service, family programmes (SG Minis, Sunrise Stories), and community outreach projects including 'A Window into Coventry' and 'Window Wanderland' (the latter engaging 140 households and businesses in partnership with Babylon ARTS).

Revenue is generated through a diversified mix of paid admissions, recurring Friends memberships, fee-based workshops, a Shopify online retail shop, image licensing of collection works, donations via CAF Online, and grant funding from Arts Council England, the National Lottery Heritage Fund (£88,000 in 2018 for the 'Windows onto the future' project), the UK Government Culture Recovery Fund (£71,790 in 2020), The Julia Rausing Trust (December 2025), Art Fund, and other charitable foundations. A Collections Endowment Fund launched in November 2024 targets £500,000 by 2029. Distribution is principally physical (single-site, Ely Cathedral) but extends into UK-wide school outreach, e-commerce, and international loans to cultural institutions including the Clark Art Institute (Williamstown, MA) in 2025 and the National Gallery of Ireland (Dublin) in 2025.

Name

The Stained Glass Museum

Legal name

The Stained Glass Museum

Website

https://stainedglassmuseum.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Stained Glass Museum is a UK registered charity and the only museum dedicated to stained glass art, operating from Ely Cathedral since 1979. It serves visitors, school groups, families, and cultural institutions through exhibits, workshops, educational programmes, and collection loans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ely

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others

Revenue model

1. Admission Fees: Visitors pay admission fees to access the museum gallery. Adults £6.50, Students £6.00, Children under 16 free.
2. Friends Membership: Annual membership programme offering supporters benefits while providing recurring revenue for museum operations.
3. Workshops: The museum offers paid workshops including glass fusing, glass painting, leading and glazing, copper foiling, screenprinting on glass, two-day stained glass courses, and children's workshops.
4. Retail Shop: Operates an online shop selling stained glass-related merchandise through Shopify platform.
5. Donations: Accepts donations through CAF Online platform. Also operates a Collections Fund for supporting collection care and development.
6. Image Licensing: Provides image licensing services for reproductions of items in the collection.
7. Grants and Trusts: Receives funding from Arts Council England, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Julia Rausing Trust, Art Fund, and other charitable foundations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

No source content was provided in the input to describe the company's core offering.

Product overview

The Stained Glass Museum is the UK's only museum dedicated entirely to stained glass art, operating as a physical museum within Ely Cathedral with a comprehensive digital presence. The core offering centers on exhibiting and interpreting the museum's nationally-significant collection spanning 800+ years from the 13th century to present day. The museum offers an extensive educational programme including workshops (Glass Fusing, Glass Painting, Leading & Glazing, Copper Foiling, Screenprinting, Two Day Stained Glass, Children's Fusing), guided tours (Spotlight and Behind-the-Scenes), and structured schools programmes across all key stages. Digital services include online collection and library searches, virtual tours, a free digital guide, and an augmented reality app developed with City XR. Community engagement extends through outreach projects like A Window into Coventry and Window Wanderland. The museum operates a membership programme (Friends), collection endowment fund, and online shop. The museum received Arts Council England Designated Status in 2026, recognizing its collection as the national collection of stained glass.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

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Quantifiable outcome

• Spotlight and behind-the-scenes tours served 340 paying visitors within first few months of launch
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

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Has API

No

API docs

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Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered notable, innovation, community, major and core.

• Clark Art InstitutenotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 June 2025International loan partnership for exhibition 'A Room of Her Own: Women Artist-Activists in Britain, 1875–1945'. Museum loaned Mary Lowndes stained glass panel for transatlantic exhibition.
• National Gallery of IrelandnotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 April 2025Loaned Evie Hone stained glass panel for major exhibition 'Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone. The Art of Friendship' in Dublin.
• Two Temple PlacenotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 January 2024Museum contributed works to 'The Glass Heart Exhibition' at Two Temple Place, London, bringing together key UK glass collections.
• City XRinnovationTechnology or Integration · 5 July 2023Local firm partnered with museum to develop augmented reality app for gallery visitors to explore architectural context of collection highlights.
• Babylon ARTScommunityStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 October 2020Partnered with museum to deliver Window Wanderland community event in Ely, engaging 140 households and businesses.
• Canterbury CathedralmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 May 2020World-renowned stained glass studio gifted a contemporary panel by Hughie O'Donoghue RA designed for the Damson Window. Partnership supports conservation expertise sharing.
• Ely CathedralcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMuseum is housed within Ely Cathedral. The cathedral provides the physical location (South Triforium) and maintains an ongoing partnership that is fundamental to museum operations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Canterbury Cathedral: Major UK cathedral housing internationally significant medieval stained glass. Comparable as a partner institution that both conserves and displays stained glass, and has collaborated with The Stained Glass Museum via the Hughie O'Donoghue panel gift, but does not operate as a specialist stained glass museum.

Broad incumbents

• Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A): Major UK national museum of art, design and decorative arts. A broad incumbent covering stained glass and decorative arts within a much larger portfolio; also a direct funding partner through the V&A Purchase Grant Fund, which has supported The Stained Glass Museum's acquisitions.

Direct peers

• Watts Gallery - Artists' Village: UK specialist art museum in Surrey dedicated to the work of George Frederic Watts and Victorian-era art. Comparable in scale, heritage-setting, conservation focus, educational outreach and charity governance structure to The Stained Glass Museum.
• Museum of Glass (Tacoma): US-based contemporary glass art museum in Tacoma, Washington. Directly comparable as a glass-focused museum offering exhibitions, hands-on workshops, educational programmes and artist residencies with comparable visitor engagement model.
• The Burrell Collection: Glasgow-based specialist museum housing Sir William Burrell's decorative arts collection. Comparable as a UK specialist museum with major grant-aided renovation, multi-channel educational outreach, and focus on collecting rather than blockbuster temporary exhibitions.
• The Foundling Museum: London-based specialist museum telling the story of the Foundling Hospital and British charity heritage. Comparable as a small, specialist UK charity museum with educational programmes, collection-focused exhibitions, and grant funding model.
• The Bowes Museum: Major UK specialist art museum in County Durham with nationally significant collection of European fine and decorative arts. Comparable in terms of heritage-setting, charity governance, multi-revenue-stream model (admissions, exhibitions, retail) and Arts Council England accreditation.
• Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art: Florida-based museum holding the world's most comprehensive collection of Tiffany glass, alongside American decorative arts. Closely comparable niche focus on stained and decorative glass art with strong collection-development and visitor engagement programme.
• Corning Museum of Glass: US-based museum dedicated entirely to the art, history, and science of glass. Most directly comparable institution to The Stained Glass Museum in terms of specialist glass-art focus, educational programming, workshops, and collection-based exhibitions.

Regional players

• The Fitzwilliam Museum: Cambridge-based regional museum with extensive stained glass holdings including medieval panels. Comparable as a regional UK museum with stained glass collections, conservation expertise and educational outreach, though operating at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/stainedglassmus
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/thestainedglassmuseum
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• Instagraminstagram.com/stainedglassmuseum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-stained-glass-museum

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

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Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Stained Glass Museum