News and Events

Find out what is happening at the Turner Museum of Glass. We have regular news updates and associated events at the Museum.

Below you will find details of any events taking place which we believe will be of interest to you. Please come back regularly to check.

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Doors Open Day at the National Library of Scotland:

National Library Scotland 2 — The windows engraved by Helen Munro Turner. Photograph courtesy of The National Library of Scotland

In September, The National Library of Scotland hosted its Doors Open Day, providing wider access to their library collections and building. There was a special display of Helen Monro Turner's illustrations which looked directly to the notable interior features of a large set of windows overlooking the main staircase that were engraved by Helen and two of her apprentices from the Edinburgh College of Art.

The windows are a prominent feature of the library and are highlighted as part of the Doors Open Day tours, along with illustrations of Helen's work in some of the library books published by Thomas Nelson & Son and Collins. They showcase Helen’s skill as a book illustrator and demonstrate how she could illustrate using different techniques – from simple line drawings, to colour lithographs, to monochrome woodcuts.

National Library Scotland 3 — Examples of Helen Munro Turner's illustrations. Photograph courtesy of The National Library of Scotland

Display of books containing illustrations by Helen Monro Turner. Photograph courtesy of The National Library Scotland

Here is a blog written about the importance of Helen's work creating the windows for the library building.

Helen was Professor Turner's second wife whom he married in 1943. Helen wore the specially designed glass wedding dress which was made and gifted to Helen for her wedding day by Glass Fibres Ltd. The wedding dress and accessories are on permanent display in the museum.

Temporary display of glass fragments from Louth Park Abbey, C13-15:

We are fortunate to have six fragments of window glass which were found during a late C19 excavation of the monastic church of Louth Park Abbey, a Cistercian monastery founded in 1139 in Lincolnshire. They were deposited during or soon after the dissolution of the abbey in 1536.

These glass fragments are currently being researched by PhD candidate, Bronwen Stone from the Department of Archaeology at the university. Louth Park Abbey is one of the sites Bronwen is using towards her PhD research. The glass fragments are being displayed during September 2023 and for the Heritage Open Days. The pieces are good examples of C13-15 decoration for stained glass.

Top row l-r

C15 - silver stain flower border

C15 - figurative, monk’s tonsure

C13 - stiff leaf grisaille

Bottom row l-r

C15 - complete quarry, shield (similar composition to datable, decorated C15 glasses

C14/15 - flashed red (terminus post quem 1385)

C15 - similar composition to datable decorated C15 glasses. Has a fire rounded edge indicative of broad/cylinder production

Image Recognition Mobile Application:

Some of our collections on display have more information available which you can discover through the mobile image recognition application called Lingar. Here, you can learn more about selected exhibits.

Lingar has now changed to Go MATR which can still be downloaded onto your mobile device (details below).

Download the Go MATR app before you visit the museum. As soon as you enter the museum, open the app which will identify where you are and link to the Turner Museum Sheffield.

Look out for the numbered labels with the Lingar logo (below) in the cases which you can also select from the list. This allows you to preview key items in the collection or see a record of what you have seen when visiting the Turner Museum of Glass in Sheffield.