Westminster Abbey's attics yield a treasure trove of stained glass

Archaeologists clearing attics to create new museum space find 30,000 stained glass shards, some dating back to 13th century

When the archaeologist Warwick Rodwell scooped up a handful of dust from the attics of Westminster Abbey and saw dozens of tiny fragments of glass glittering in the grime, he realised they were dealing with excavation, not house clearance.

The salvaged glass - some dating back to the 13th century, including stars, flowers and sun rays, fierce little mythical animals and beautiful medieval faces - is being recycled into dazzling new windows being made for the abbey at the stained glass studio at Canterbury Cathedral, where some of the original medieval glass artists may have worked.