Carlotta Cammelli

Profile

I am a part-time PhD researcher at the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies at the University of Leeds. My research explores the introduction of stained glass windows in British synagogues between 1840 and 1914, focusing on Jewish communities in the industrial cities of Northern England. Through case studies in Leeds, Manchester, and Liverpool, I investigate how stained glass became an accepted feature of synagogue interiors and how it contributed to expressions of Jewish identity, communal memory, and belonging during a period of rapid social and cultural change.

Alongside my doctoral research, I work as a stained glass conservator and heritage consultant. I trained during my MA in Stained Glass Conservation and Heritage Management at the University of York, including a four-month placement with the York Glaziers Trust. Over the course of my professional career, I have developed specialist expertise in the conservation of twentieth-century stained glass, with experience of complex and unconventional conservation projects. My practice combines technical conservation skills with a broader interest in the historical, social, and cultural significance of stained glass within heritage contexts.

Alongside my research and conservation practice, I contribute to a number of professional organisations dedicated to the study and preservation of stained glass. I currently serve as Chair of the Stained Glass Committee at the Institute of Conservation (ICON), act as Technical Assistant for the online journal Vidimus, and am a member of the Italian Committee of the Corpus Vitrearum.

I am particularly interested in how buildings shape cultural identity, and how heritage research can support the conservation and interpretation of endangered historic sites.

Research interests

- Stained glass history and conservation
- Jewish art, architecture and material culture
- Anglo-Jewish history
- Synagogue architecture
- Heritage conservation and interpretation
- Decorative arts and visual culture
- Religious buildings and community identity
- Memory and heritage studies

Qualifications

• MA Stained Glass Conservation and Heritage Management, University of York
• MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies, University of Leeds
• BA(Hons) Cultural Heritage, University of Trento, Italy