Museum shows iconic chandeliers

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The chandelier gathered dust in storage for many years

A large Venetian glass chandelier regarded as an iconic piece of public art has found a new home in Merseyside.

The 10ft (3m) long chandelier weighing two tonnes is on permanent display at the St Helens World of Glass visitor attraction.

It comes from a set of four lead glass chandeliers specially created for Manchester Airport in the 1960s and seen by thousands of holidaymakers.

The artwork consists of 1,300 droplets of clear and coloured lead glass.

The famous glass chandeliers, which were designed by Royal architect Stefan Buzas and created at the renowned Venini factory, were commissioned by the airport.

They were unveiled by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1963, cost £3,000 and were sited in Manchester Airport's terminal one departure hall until 2003.

The chandeliers are a much loved part of Manchester Airport's heritage and it was important to us that they remained on permanent public display Jackie Neville, from Manchester Airport

Today it would be estimated to cost more than £250,000 to create just one of them.

Ron Helsby, executive director of The World of Glass, said: "This is a highly exciting acquisition for The World of Glass.

"The iconic piece of crystal is part of the North West's heritage so it has been great to work with our partners to restore it and put it on display to everyone in our foyer."

The World of Glass chandelier has been restored to its original design with the help of £50,000 of Heritage Lottery Funding and grants from the Pilgrim Trust, The Mersey Partnership and the Rainford Trust.

The World of Glass museum had to strengthen and modify its ceiling to support the weight of the chandelier which took two days to hang.

The chandelier was donated to The World of Glass by Manchester Airport to preserve the heritage of the region.

Jackie Neville, from Manchester Airport, said: "The chandeliers are a much loved part of Manchester Airport's heritage and it was important to us that they remained on permanent public display."