A search for "stained glass" on the British Pathé website yields about a dozen or so film clips that are connected with stained glass. The stained glass studios depicted are mostly but not all British, with footage dating from the late 30's to the mid 60's. These seem to be all short clips, more newsreel footage than actual short films, but they vary a bit. No video embeds available so I will link to them - a few of the better older ones in this post and a few of the later dated ones in another post.
CLASS GLASS!, from 1939 (according to archive, no date in film clip). black & white, 1:36
Various shots of the making of a stained glass window, destined for a Tyrolean church. A man works on a drawing of the original design; pieces of cardboard serve as the templates for sections of glass...
The surprising thing here is the use of 'cardboard templates'. Almost all British studios now cut directly on a light table and this film is the first I've seen of a British stained glass firm using patterns for glass cutting. Assuming it's British as the firm's location is not mentioned, just that the window "is destined for a Tyrolese Church". Curious.
STAINED GLASS WINDOWS, 1955, Color, 2:40
The web page has a long description ending with...
...men appearing in this film may be Mr E. Liddall Armitage, Mr Harman, Fred White, Ernie Southwood and Bob Holloway. Stained Glass Window is destined for St. Hillary's Church, Wallasey, Cheshire according to paperwork.
This film definitely shows cutting glass "at the table", with no pattern pieces. (starting at 0:30)
Children's Television MEN OF ACTION - The Stained Glass Craftsman - reel 1, 1951, B&W, 7:32
Children's Television MEN OF ACTION - The Stained Glass Craftsman - reel 2, 1951, B&W, 4:27
Looks like these 2 parts were shot as an early children's TV program, since everything is done in a very small 'set', and not in an actual stained glass studio.
STAINED GLASS, 1940-1949, B&W, 9:48, used here as part 3 of the "The Stained Glass Craftsman" children's program.
This is just the beginning of the full description starting at part 1 -
A Kinescope of one of a series of 22 half-hour programmes broadcast by the B.B.C. Television Service in 1951. [British Broadcasting Corporation - BBC] The Stained Glass Craftsman. A man shows three boys pictures of stained glass windows. Church windows. He explains the significance of the stories featured in the windows...Posted by Tom at January 21, 2012 12:08 PM