Lambton Musings LAMBTON’S HISTORY AND HERITAGE NEWSLETTER – FALL 2025 www.heritagelambton.ca
Restoring a Stained Glass Window Genevieve Buchanan, Forest Museum
The Forest Sands Tavern (also known as the Victorian Hotel), formerly located immediately south of our museum, was built in 1897 after the previous building at that location burned down. It was originally named Johnson House but had many name changes throughout the years due to its various owners. These names were Roche House (1905), Crinnian Hotel (1925), Bossenberry Hotel (1937), Fraser Hotel (1948), Forest The hotel just before its Hotel (1959), Forest Sands Hotel (1964), Forest Sands demolition. The arrow points Tavern (1980s), and the Victorian Hotel (1995). For well to our stained glass window. over a century it served as a popular establishment in Forest. Sadly, in 2021, the building was demolished after being neglected for many years. It was unfortunate to lose such an iconic building that was filled with so many memories. Fortunately, however, we were able to save one of its stained glass windows thanks to the demolition crew! The window was damaged during its salvage and has been in need of significant restoration. A few of the glass pieces were cracked while others are missing entirely. The frame had been partially sanded, showing layers of different colours of paint applied over the years. Whoever painted the frame wasn’t the most meticulous in their craft, and had accidentally painted the pieces of glass along the edge of the window as well. To begin the process of restoration, we decided that it was best to remove the lead “came” (strip) and clean every piece of glass. In doing so, the colours became much brighter and