LOCAL artist Rachel Thresher’s vision of the rich heritage of her home town has been lovingly recreated in a beautifully-crafted stained-glass panel now on display for the summer in Watchet’s visitor centre.

A skilled worker in glass, Mrs Thresher decided this year, alongside her usual leadlight repairs and commissions, she would spend more time on the creative side of stained glass painting.

Mrs Thresher said: “I felt there was no better place to begin than in my childhood home of Watchet.”

As the intricate panel took shape, all the town favourites - the lighthouse, a steam train, the Ancient Mariner and Yankee Jack statues, and even one of the late Derek the Goose - emerged in the design.

Mrs Thresher said: “Watchet is rich in character, history and charm.

“With time, my appreciation for the town has deepened, shaped by memories of spending many a day exploring its beaches as a child, places I now return to with my own children.

“The Watchet Panel is my first large-scale painted panel and was created to capture what Watchet has to offer, bringing together personal memories with elements of the town’s identity and heritage.

“I had to include the iconic lighthouse overlooking the harbour and the East Quay, a contemporary hub for community and art.”

The glass images are contained in a rope border, a nod to Watchet’s maritime heritage, and an outer border featuring words from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’, which was inspired by the town.

Mrs Thresher, whose husband also runs a glazing business, said: “Together, these elements form a personal tribute to a place that continues to hold meaning for me, both as somewhere I grew up and somewhere I now share with my own family.

“I have already started my next panel, which depicts the National Trust village of Selworthy.