Nativity

The nativity seen above can be found in the church of St Wulfram, Grantham, Lincolnshire. It is by the stained glass artist, Leonard Evetts (1909-1997). He was a prolific designer and his very attractive style - a mixture of tradition and modernity - is relatively easy to pick out among C20 artists. This is a detail of a larger work of 1969 called the Porter Window that commemorates a member of a shoe-making family.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

A window and a print

We were recently in the Italianate church of St Catherine, Hoarwithy in Herefordshire. As we walked through the relatively dark and narrow narthex we came upon this stained glass window near which someone had propped a framed print of a Renaissance "Adoration". The print benefitted from the window light and it made a nice, asymmetrical composition that prompted me to take this photograph.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Circular stained glass window

This circular Gothic window is in the east wall of the north transept of Tewkesbury Abbey, Gloucestershire. I recently posted a photograph of its "partner", a window on the east wall of the south transept, that is a spherical triangle. Today's window comprises a large circle within which are six smaller circles each containing a quatrefoil. In the centre is a smaller still circle containing a sexfoil. Unusually, I haven't been able to find out much about the designer or maker of the stained glass, nor do I know its date. It's not medieval and is probably from the late C19 or first half of the C20. The main, central subject is the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God). It is surrounded by angels, one in each quatrefoil swinging a censer. The text that runs around two circles is derived from Revelations 5:12 “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Trends in modern stained glass

The west window of the church of Lady St Mary, Wareham, Dorset, is a good example of one of the trends discernible in twenty first century stained glass. It is by the stained glass artist, Andrew Johnson, of Exeter and was installed in 2011. What do I mean by it exemplifying a trend? Well, the window is richly multicoloured, has a single composition spread across all the tracery, and exhibits some elements that are non-representational but a majority that depict recognisable (including local) subjects. So, at the bottom are town buildings including the other churches and the notable octagonal font of St Mary's. The shoals of fishes reference the two local rivers. In the centre is a large cross. The bird of prey and bull(?) are possibly two of the evangelists, though all four would be more usual. Like many windows of this period I think the details more interesting than the whole, and I find it a little odd that the focal point (the cross) has somewhat washed-out colours.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

A spherical triangle

I've read architectural historians who describe the shape of this kind of Gothic window as a "spherical triangle". It is a three-sided window with each side a part of a circle. The first example of the design that I recall seeing is in the south aisle of Gaddesby church in Leicestershire. This dates from the period c.1325-1350. Interestingly, the tracery of that particular window includes four "spherical quadrangles" i.e. squares, but with four curved sides all of the same circumference. The spherical triangle shown above can be seen at Tewkesbury Abbey, Gloucestershire. The subject depicted in the glass is a favourite of Victorian artists, the Three Graces" (Faith, Hope and Charity). Incidentally, I can understand the need for a word or phrase to describe the shape of this kind of window, but whether the chosen one makes sense is open to argument.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Light through stained glass

Stained glass windows in churches are designed to be seen from inside the building. The best conditions for viewing them is when the sky is coverd in white cloud - sunlight causes the colours to vary too much in intensity. However, when sunlight does flow through stained glass windows it often leads to interior stonework and furnishings being bathed in the colours of the glass.

On a recent visit to Gloucester Cathedral the new, modern seating and the floor tiles in the nave picked up the colours in a very striking way and the dark, seventeenth woodwork of the organ case was bathed in dappled red and blue light.

Angel and Shepherds

The stained glass window from which this detail is taken can be found in the church of St Michael, Ledbury, Herefordshire. It dates from 1913 and is by the celebrated firm of Morris & Co. These panels depict the part of the Christmas story where an angel visits the shepherds to tell them of the birth of Christ. It is based on a design by Edward Burne-Jones and was used elsewhere by the firm. It is a beautifully drawn and composed piece with sparing and subtle colour, refreshingly eschewing the detail upon detail that often overpowers religious stained glass.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Last Judgement, St Mary, Fairford

In the west window of the church of St Mary, Fairford, Gloucestershire (see previous post), the stained glass depicts The Last Judgement. In the bottom right is a portrayal of Hell and its denizens. Here the glazier seems to have indulged his imagination and as well as showing the usual horned creatures with pitchforks there is a fearsome two-headed Devil (?) swallowing the condemned souls. Against the dark red background of the glowing fires of hell it makes for an unforgettable image.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Crucifixion, St Mary, Fairford

The stained glass windows in the church of St Mary, Fairford, Gloucestershire, are unique. They fill all the windows of the building in a planned sequence of religious subjects, were made around the same date (c.1500-1505), and were probably designed and made by the same glazier - Barnard Flower, the King's Glazier. The people of the town managed to protect them from the puritanical iconoclasts of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and so we are able to appreciate them today. The crucifixion scene above (often called The Passion) is in the top of the east window above the altar.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Medieval stained glass, Tewkesbury Abbey

The medieval stained glass above can be seen in Tewkesbury Abbey, Gloucestershire, and is believed to date from 1340-4. It was sensitively restored by Kempe & Co in 1923-4. The full length figures depict: in the centre Christ displaying the stigmata, to his left Mary, to the right, St Michael, and in the left and right outer panels, the Apostles. At the bottom right corner of the photograph is the kneeling, naked, monochrome, figure of the donor of the window, Lady Eleanor de Clare, who died in 1337.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Restored medieval glass, Hereford Cathedral

In the east wall of the north transept of Hereford Cathedral is a window with medieval glass that was comprehensively restored by William Warrington (1796-1869), one of the earliest stained glass artists working as a medieval revivalist. It features four figures - Saints Katherine, Michael, Gregory and Thomas (of Canterbury) - under tall canopies set in a background of grisaille. The parts of the figures, canopies, and perhaps some of the grisaille, feature fourteenth century glass. For many years this was hidden away in old boxes, and was formerly fixed in some of the windows on the south side of the nave. Warrington comprehensively restored this window combining his own work with the ancient glass. I like what he did though I know some purists feel he should have done less.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

The Holy Grail in stained glass

In the early twentieth century the story of the Holy Grail became a subject for church stained glass. It usually features the Mallory telling of the tale in which Sir Galahad is the finder. This example can be seen in St Giles, Goodrich, Herefordshire. It is a commemmorative window made in 1928 by the stained glass artist Archibald John Davies (1877-1953). Davies studied at the Birmingham Municipal Central School of Art, set up his studio in Moseley c.1900 and moved to the premises of the Bromsgrove Guild in 1906. Here his work shows the influence of the Arts and Crafts movement. The glass in the panels at the top of this window (out of shot) show nearby Goodrich Castle and the River Wye.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Hawkshaw Memorial Window

It's not unusual to see memorials to long-serving vicars in churches. I've seen memorial tablets, lecterns, tablets and more. What I don't remember seeing before is a stained glass portrait window like this example (detail above) in the church of St Lawrence at Weston under Penyard, Herefordshire. It shows the Rev Edward Burdett Hawkshaw, rector of the parish from 1854 to 1912. He is dressed as St Paul, and his wife, Catherine Mary Jane, is depicted as Dorcas.The portrait likeness of the vicar is clearly based on a photograph held by the church, and I imagine his wife is also based on a contemporary image.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Flemish roundel, Llanwarne

Christ Church, Llanwarne, Herefordshire, a building of 1864, has two windows that include 27 medieval Flemish stained glass roundels. These are circles of white glass, each with a picture painted in black and yellow stain. Two tell the story of Sorghelos, a tale of carefree living. The remainder are scenes of various subjects. The photograph shows a roundel that depicts two bound men, one well-dressed, one in rags, being taken away after they have been judged. They carry crosses which suggests that they may be guilty of a religious crime. What I found particularly interesting is the figure of Justice. As usual it is shown as a blindfolded woman holding scales. However, instead of a double-edged sword that represents Reason and Justice, for or against, she wields one with two blades. I've never seen that anywhere else.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Sculpture trail, Forest of Dean

A number of years ago the Forestry Commission, who manage much of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, established a "sculpture trail" in the woodland. It is a footpath several miles long that is punctuated by art works. One of the most striking is "Cathedral" by Kevin Atherton. It was erected in 1986 and remarkably, considering how it must be affected by the weather, it still gives pleasure today. In autumn the colours of the piece compete with the natural beauty on show. In winter it glows, jewel-like, against the more sombre colours of that season.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Patientes igitur estote fratres

I am ambivalent about the work of the stained glass artist, Christopher Whall (1849-1924). At his best his work is admirable: the beautifully coloured, well-drawn and composed windows match those of the best of the Arts and Craft Movement. However, he too often descends into windows that have the maudlin characteristics of Victorian childrens' story book illustrators. A piece that is otherwise fine in every respect can be spoiled by a group of child-angels with "cute" faces. The example above, a detail from a 1905 window in St Michael's, Ledbury, is an example of his better work. The inscription translates as, "Be patient then Brothers and Sisters".

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Stained glass subjects

The subjects that are depicted in the stained glass of Britain's churches usually embrace familiar themes. Christ and his family, the apostles, saints, stories from the Bible, the Holy Ghost, instruments of the passion, decorative designs based on architecture and nature, coats of arms, donor's details etc will all be familiar to most regular visitors. Sometimes, however, a subject surprises the viewer. I've seen the coronation of Queen Victoria, graphic WW1 scenes, tributes to local inventors, and much else. But, the window in the medieval church of St Mary, Monmouth, showing, George Edward Street, one of the premier Victorian architects, the man responsible for one of its restorations, is most unusual. All the more so because when Street was asked to report on the building prior to working on it he called it "extremely unattractive and uninteresting." The glass shows him holding the plan he came up with that would have swept away the Georgian work and replaced it with his own cruciform design.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Victorian putti

In ancient classical civilizations putti - naked or winged cherubs - were associated with Eros and Cupid. When they re-appeared in the Renaissance their form was similar to the earlier manifestation but they were ascribed a very different character, becoming more akin to angels. In English church architecture they appear particularly in wood carving, stained glass, on funerary monuments and gravestones. The four depicted above are in the quatrefoil at the top of a Victorian stained glass window in the church of St Lawrence, Weston under Penyard, in Herefordshire.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Stained glass and May Hill

Some of Gloucester Cathedral's more recent stained glass is by the artist Tom Denny. In 2013 he made windows for the south ambulatory chapel in a semi-abstract style that I find difficult to like. More appealing, to me, is that commissioned in 2016 celebrating the life of Ivor Gurney, the famous Gloucester-born poet and composer. This is more representational, and though I wish there were more lead cames dividing up the panels, I do like the drawing, compositions and colour schemes of these works.

I also like the appearance of May Hill in the background of a couple of panels. This relatively low summit can be seen from many parts of western Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and eastern Wales. What makes it noticeable is the cluster of trees on the summit (itself an Iron Age hill fort) that were replenished in 1887 in celebration of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee and in 1977 for Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee.  I can see the summit and trees from my living room window 5.5 miles away. One recent morning I took this photograph at sunrise with what I call my bird-watching camera at maximum zoom (2000mm - 35mm equiv.) equivalent to a 40X telescope.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2 (top photograph)

Nativity

In the period of Christmas a nativity scene seems more than appropriate. I came across this one by accident as I scanned the five lancets that make the east window of the Lady Chapel at Hereford Cathedral. The stained glass dates from 1851-2 and was installed by the firm of C. A. Gibbs to the designs of Nockalls Johnson Cottingham (1823-1854). It is a very mosaic-like approach to stained glass that draws heavily on medieval precedents in terms of figures, overall composition and colours. The glass works very well in its location and is an example that was, regrettably, ignored by some of the glass designers in recent years at the cathedral.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2