Tasmania's master stained glass craftsman retires after 50 years of restoration

After nearly five decades repairing stained glass in heritage buildings across Tasmania, Gavin Merrington, 64, is preparing to step back from major restoration work. His final large-scale project has been the careful restoration of the former Brickhill Memorial Church in Campbell Town, a 146-year-old building in Tasmania's midlands.

The project brought together a solid plasterer, a stained glass worker and a heritage building specialist, all working inside the historic church. For Mr Merrington, it marks the end of an era defined by intricate craftsmanship and a deep connection to the state's architectural past.

What was involved in restoring the church's original windows?

The church's main High Street-facing window had never been replaced. After almost 150 years, the soft lead holding the glass together had deteriorated significantly.

“The putty under the lead starts to wash out and then the water gets in and they just degenerate,” Mr Merrington said.

Mr Merrington tracked down the exact type of glass used in the original windows. Intricate pieces were hand-painted and fired in a kiln, with the process repeated many times to achieve the desired colour and effect. This was done for roughly 90 pieces.

Working from his studio in South Hobart, the main windows took ten weeks to complete. The glass was then transported to Campbell Town in a wooden crate, secured with screws, and levered five metres off the ground to its fitting position.

“If you touch it on the scaffold you're likely to break something, and they're very heavy too, so it's a matter of being careful and having lots of hands on the windows to get them up,” he said.

How did Gavin Merrington start his career in leadlighting?

A newspaper advertisement inspired Mr Merrington to take up leadlighting at age 16. He has spent much of his career working on church windows, a passion that took him around the world.

After receiving a Churchill Fellowship in 2014, he travelled to Europe to learn from global experts in glazing and glass preservation, bringing those skills back to Tasmania.

“Australia is quite up with world trends as far as conservation,” he said.

Among his favourite projects are Launceston's Holy Trinity Church and Hobart's St Mary's Cathedral and All Saints Church.

What is the heritage trades community like in Tasmania?

Heritage building specialist Peter Evans, who also worked on the Brickhill project, first met Mr Merrington 20 years ago on a different church restoration. He said that was typical of Tasmania's heritage trades, with many practitioners having known each other for decades.

“It's quite a community; we all rely heavily on each other,” he said.

A fifth-generation Campbell Town local, Mr Evans noted the region was dotted with Victorian farmhouses and churches that kept his team of six busy.

“[There was] such a flurry of buildings in the 1830s, so this area here through to I suppose, Hobart, but particularly the Midlands,” he said.

Who owns the Brickhill Memorial Church now?

Ohio-born Matt Collins always wanted to buy a church. After moving to Australia in 2017, he set his sights on Brickhill.

Built in 1880 with money left by former convict-turned-merchant Joseph Brickhill, the church was deconsecrated in 1964. Since then, it has served as a wool museum, a co-working space and now operates as short-stay accommodation.

“I'm really, really honoured that I've had Gavin and his team come and work on this building, with all the years of experience and knowledge that they have,” Mr Collins said.

What is the future of heritage crafts in Tasmania?

After Brickhill, Mr Merrington is stepping back from major restoration work but will continue with smaller jobs and consultancy. He said he was confident the heritage trade was in safe hands.

While it was a “shame so many churches are being sold”, having people like Mr Collins committed to restoring them was “better than it could have ever been expected”, he said.

After almost 50 years of travelling around the state, Mr Merrington said he was looking forward to his break.

“A few holidays, spend some time with the wife and the grandkids, that kind of thing.”