AN urgent appeal has been launched to save some of the finest and rarest medieval stained glass in England.

The imperiled glass fragments at the Church of St Thomas of Canterbury at Birtsmorton, near Malvern, are recognised by experts as being of national historic importance.

But the church needs £27,000 to restore and conserve the glass, which has been damaged by acid secretions from lichens which have colonised the glass over the centuries.

Most of the glass is in the sanctuary window near the altar but other pieces are dotted around the church. Some of the pieces can be restored in situ but others will have to be temporarily removed.

The cost of the work would include the price of secondary glazing to protect the glass for posterity, preserving it for the enjoyment of future generations.

The glass would be vented internally to allow it to breathe with the work carried out by specialists, Holy Well Glass, a leading independent conservation studio based in Somerset.

The glass is linked to the International Style, examples of which survive in Malvern Priory, Oxford and Gloucester.

The fragments at Birtsmorton feature unusual iconography including the 15th century depiction of the Christ Child baptising St Christopher.

Fragments shows knights kneeling in full armour which date back to the late 14th or early 15th centuries.

It may have been the widow of a prominent Worcestershire lawyer, Richard Ruyhale, who donated the glass.

He served Thomas Beauchamp, earl of Warwick, and held the Manor of Birtsmorton until he died in 1408.

Before his death it seems he fell out of favour with the crown, possibly due to his association with Despenser who rebelled against Henry IV.

Tobias Capwell, curator of Arms and Armour at the Wallace Collection in London, wrote of the stained glass: “The Birtsmorton figures are unique in that they illustrate helmet visors of the Italo-German 'klappvisier' form, wherein the visor opens and closes on a single hinge located centrally over the brow.

"This appears to be the only appearance of this style of continental helmet in English art.”

So far a grant of around £4,000 has been awarded by the parochial church council and church leaders are hopeful of a £2,000 grant from the Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass.

Rev Anthea Elston estimates the work would take around six months to complete once the funds are raised.

Rev Elston said: “I think the glass is beautiful and the workmanship is truly stunning. In a church context, it shows something of the beauty and holiness of the way people used images to enhance worship 600 years ago.”

Jill Channer, an independent historic building and architectural glass consultant, has produced a statement on the significance of the glass.

She refers to its superb quality ‘rarely found in provincial parish churches’ and says that, despite this, the glass has 'received minimal attention from scholars of medieval iconography'.

If you can help the church raise funds to conserve the glass, call 01684 833278.