Stained glass gleams again after 24 years

They were there to participate in a ceremony co-hosted by the provincial Justice Department and the Pictou County Roots Society to mark the first public display in 24 years of stained glass windows that were salvaged from a fire that destroyed the old Pictou County courthouse in 1987.



It was a long wait, said retired Judge Clyde Macdonald, a member of the Pictou Justice Complex Painted Windows Society, which was formed six years ago to restore the 150-year-old trio of arched windows to their former glory.



Halifax architect Paul Hebert incorporated the windows into his design for the justice centre’s $2-million renovation, placing them on a balcony high above the main lobby where natural light filters through them from a glass ceiling.



The windows were imported from England in the 1850s for placement in the original ornate courthouse.



They demonstrate a technique that few artists follow now, said stained glass specialist Walter Norris, who restored the windows.



Unlike other stained glass windows, no lead was used in the Pictou windows, said the Hubbards resident, who has 37 years of experience in the business.



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