Stained glass is the art of manipulating coloured light within an architectural context.
It is a technical art-form in which the expressive elements of design are combined with the disciplines of a craft. The history of the medium is one of continual innovation based on ancient tradition, exploring new approaches to the raw materials of coloured glass, lead and light. Britain has a rich heritage of stained glass from the Middle Ages to the present day, and British designers and craftsmen continue to make a distinctive contribution to its evolution. Stained glass is now as likely to be found in offices, banks, hotels, airports and private houses as in ecclesiastical settings. The British Society of Master Glass Painters, founded in 1921, is Britain's only organisation devoted exclusively to the art and craft of stained glass.