Why offer support?
After four years in its new home, the LED lights that ensure the right quality of light to enjoy the Carnegie Tiffany Window have failed and need to be replaced.
All maintenance costs are met from church funds which are mainly given by church members but also include a small amount of donation from those who visit the church building. Like many charitable organisations, both the Covid pandemic and the current cost of living crisis have had an effect on funds that are available and 2023 will be a very challenging year for the congregation as expenditure will far outweigh income.
The LED lights were not expected to fail and so these costs are not included in the current budget.
One of the reasons the Tiffany Window is now within the Abbey Church of building was to allow more public access to view the artwork, and this access is currently free to all. The congregation are responsible for all associated costs with being open to the public, and receive no grants from government or local sources towards the running costs of a building that is of public interest.
We are grateful to Historic Environment Scotland who have most recently offered support in ensuring that the building is staffed while open, and there is a shared agreement that now ensures that visitors are able to access all parts of the building within the Historic Environment Scotland working hours.
The Story of the Window
The Carnegie Tiffany Window found its current home within the Abbey Church of Dunfermline in 2019, when it was gifted to the congregation.
The window was commissioned by Andrew Carnegie in 1913 in memory of his family, who had left Dunfermline for the USA in 1848. It was originally intended to be installed in the 12th century Abbey Nave but permission was refused by the authorities of the day as it was deemed to be “out of harmony with the existing stained-glass in the Nave.”
The window has had a number of homes in Dunfermline since its completion, but these have had problems with access and in preserving the window. Its placement in the Abbey Church was to allow the greatest opportunity for the public to be able to access and view the work of Agnes Fairchild Northrup, one of the artisans at the New York Studios (also known as the Tiffany Girls).
Depicting an evocative pastoral sunset, Carnegie said of the landscape scene, “God is in those rocks and rills. God is in the great outdoors.”
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