A CHURCH is celebrating the restoration of two stained glass windows - and brighter faces for two leading religious figures.
The windows, on the south side of the nave at St James' Church, in Albert Hill, Darlington, were installed in the 1890s.
They are inscribed in memory of Florence, the late Lady Backhouse, a member of the town's Quaker banking family, and were provided by her husband and children.
The cost of the work, which was carried out by Josie Kyme, of Kyme Stained Glass Studios, in Middlesbrough, was £35,000.
The windows depict Pope Gregory I and St Augustine.
The restoration has provided new faces for both figures, whose countenances had long since been damaged by vandals, only to be replaced with plain glass and painted features.
Stone masonry work near the windows has also been carried out by David France, of Darlington.
Father Ian Grieves said the completion of the work was a welcome sight at the Barton Street church.
"They look quite fantastic, so the congregation were delighted with them," he said.
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