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The Great East Window of York Minster, featuring the Apocalypse in 77 scenes designed by John Thornton of Coventry, 1405-8, is the largest expanse of medieval glass in Britain and one of the world's great masterpieces of monumental painting. Uniquely for any conservation project of the kind, research by four art historians at the University of York has underpinned, shaped and enabled both its conservation and its interpretation. Their research guided the conservation method statement, central to the success of the £10.5 million Heritage Lottery Fund grant that is paying for the conservation work as part of the York Minster Revealed project. The research also continues to inform daily work on every panel through the East Window Advisory Group, of which the York art historians are members. Unprecedented in stained glass conservation, this partnership between scholars and conservators has established a new benchmark for best practice, recognized by national institutions. The York art historians' research has also enabled the display and interpretation of the window to the public, as a central feature of the tourist experience and economy in York, and in other media, including newspapers, television and the worldwide web.
Research at the Institute of International Research in Glass (IIRG), into the combination of water-jet cutting and print for glass has been influential in the offering of insights and new working methods for the international community of artists and designers within and beyond the creative glass community, which in turn has resulted in the production of innovative artworks, public commissions and exhibitions. Innovations in technique have influenced the commissioning and interpretation of artworks for the cultural sector.
Drawing upon her monograph and other (Wellcome Trust supported) publications on the Norwich Great Hospital, Rawcliffe provided the material for a website (www.thegreathospital.ac.uk) designed to bring this unique institution to the attention of a wider public and to enable the Hospital's Trustees to promote and preserve their Grade One listed buildings. Of the various English medieval hospital to have survived the Dissolution of the Monasteries, this is the only one that continues to discharge a charitable function to the present day with its archives and fabric almost intact. Through the AHRC Knowledge Catalyst Scheme, and in partnership with the Trustees of the Great Hospital and the Norwich Heritage and Regeneration Trust (HEART), over £26,800 was raised for the creation of an online resource, complete with video models, to interest and inform schools, tourists, local history groups and to bring the Hospital's unique attraction to the attention of the General public. The project has reached an international audience and has contributed significantly to UNESCO recognition for one of Norwich's iconic buildings.
The glass industry uses theoretical modelling to control, improve, and reduce the cost of designing and manufacturing novel glass products. Market-leaders [text removed for publication], Schott AG and Pilkington have developed modelling software which is underpinned by equations stemming from research at the University of Oxford.
[text removed for publication]. The same modelling approach is used in software developed by Schott which is now used in all of its modelling of drawing processes to reduce both development costs and the incidence of faults. Pilkington have implemented research performed at the University of Oxford to decrease the risk associated with manufacturing processes.
The work of the MTP research group can evidence significant impact upon the field of applied arts practice, industry, public audiences and education through material and process related innovations leading to formal and conceptual advances and their application in social contexts. Exemplary work by Cummings has brought the technique of glass casting into the main stream of studio glass practice; Heeney has reformed industrial working practices concerning traditional cutting boxes and soda-firing for use in architectural scale work; Brennand-Wood has reformed cultural perceptions of ornament through the reinterpretation of textile ornament in the context of cultural and political commentary.
Novel low-wear, high-strength glass-ceramics were developed at Queen Mary in 2000-2011 by Dr Cattell's team to prevent facture and wear of dental ceramic restorations. Over three million restorations have been provided for patients and sold in 46 countries. The product has won industry awards for clinical and cosmetic excellence from the Clinical Research Associates and Dental Advisor, who externally assess products for consumers. The product uses a 100% pain-free minimally invasive approach, saving as much as 20% enamel reduction per patient, as tooth preparation and anaesthesia are not required. We also estimate a substantial reduction in tooth enamel wear of 43-46% for this nano-scale product compared to commercial porcelain. It has high patient acceptance and satisfaction, and has received media coverage worldwide.
This case study is based on the pilot phase of the Corpus of Scottish Medieval Parish Churches project, which provides a detailed assessment of the medieval fabric of 105 of the c.1,136 parish churches of pre-Reformation foundation in Scotland. Carried out in 2008-09 with funding from AHRC, it focused on the dioceses of Dunkeld and Dunblane. The Corpus has been invaluable in broadening knowledge of the buildings, and hence informing the decision-making processes of a wide range of bodies and individuals involved in preserving Scotland's medieval architecture. These include, amongst others: the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland and Historic Scotland; national and local societies from the Royal Archaeological Institute to the Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust; and professionals called to work on the buildings.
Professor Bartlett has written and presented two television series on medieval subjects for the BBC: Inside the Medieval Mind (four one-hour episodes, BBC4, 2008) and The Normans (three one-hour episodes, BBC2, 2010). Already one of the world's leading medieval historians, he has taken his work to a much wider audience through these series. Impact in this case is primarily on cultural life, through the exposure of millions of viewers to a historical documentary about the Middle Ages. The BBC's estimate of their value is re-emphasized by the recent completion of a third series, The Plantagenets, to be screened in autumn 2013.
This case study describes the impact of physics research, carried out in the Department of Mathematics and Physics (DMAP), on the small business and social enterprise Ten Green Bottles through the development of specific commercial applications, transfers of technology, and the development of new products. Fundamental research on the atomistic origin of the structural and optical properties of recycled and synthetic coloured glass has provided an opportunity for Ten Green Bottles to gain an economic advantage. The collaboration between DMAP and Ten Green Bottles benefits the enterprise's workforce, whose educational ambitions have been extended through the interaction with DMAP research, and also benefits the local community, whose understanding of physics research has been enhanced through their interaction with Ten Green Bottles.