Colchester Stained Glass

Founded in 1994, the Leadbitter Glass Studio has been supplying Overlay Stained Glass panels to homes and businesses across Colchester ever since. We also deliver to every other part of the UK. Colchester Castle, the largest Norman keep ever built in Britain, was raised on the foundations of a Roman temple — a reminder of the sheer depth of craftsmanship this town has always demanded, and stained glass remains one of the most requested styles for period properties across Colchester today.

Working from our own Decorative Glass Studio, we design and manufacture every panel ourselves — either from your own photos and ideas, or from one of the hundreds of designs in our gallery. Our Overlay Stained Glass is available as toughened single glazing or as a resilient double-glazed unit, and works just as well for a front door, a feature window, or any other glazed space in the home. Almost every panel we make qualifies for free delivery to Colchester addresses.

We’ve made Overlay Stained Glass for a Prime Minister’s home, for Hollywood film sets, and for well-known singers and billionaires — but the vast majority of our work is for homeowners just like you. We also make other styles of Decorative Glass for Colchester clients, including Bevelled Glass, Etched Glass, and Fused Glass.

See your glass before we create it!

Our Free Client Pages Design Service

Every order includes free access to our Client Pages design service. Within a few days of ordering, we’ll send you a computer-generated proof showing exactly how your chosen design will look, built to your own glass sizes and colours. You can request as many changes as you like at this stage — a different border, an adjusted colour, a resized element — until you’re completely happy. Production only begins once you’ve approved the final drawing.

Image above created using Minster Glass.

How Overlay Stained Glass Is Made

Traditional stained glass simply can’t match the energy efficiency of our modern approach. Every panel is built by hand on one continuous sheet of toughened safety glass, so there’s no seam anywhere for cold air to pass through.

We can also supply Pilkington K Glass on request, which is now required by building regulations for new window and door installations across Colchester and the rest of the UK.

Durability and security matter just as much as the design itself. By manufacturing with toughened or laminated safety glass, we produce panels built to last.

In the past, homeowners paid thousands of pounds for traditional leaded glass, only to find small coloured sections cracking within weeks — something that simply doesn’t happen with Overlay Stained Glass.

Our process

To start, lead strips are hand-shaped across a solid sheet of toughened glass, tracing out an uncoloured outline of your design. The glass is turned over next, and colourwork begins — each piece of stained glass overlay colour is cut and fitted carefully between the leaded lines.

Once that colourwork is done, matching lead strips are applied to the back to mirror the pattern exactly. What emerges is a panel that’s fully leaded and fully coloured on both sides, entirely made by hand.

We offer a range of different lead finishes, which you can see in our Leaded Glass section.

Planning to have Overlay Stained Glass or any other decorative glass made for your Colchester home or business? Get in touch today for an accurate quote and turnaround time.

Browse Our Leaded Glass Galleries

Our website holds one of the largest collections of decorative glass patterns anywhere. Browse hundreds of Leaded Glass designs in our main gallery, organised into themed collections and by door style, to help you find the perfect pattern — or simply for inspiration to create your own. Visit the Main Gallery to explore what’s possible.

Notable Stained Glass Commissions from the Colchester area…