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

St David's Cathedral, Pembrokeshire

 

click photo to enlarge

St David is a small settlement in Pembrokeshire, Wales, that has the status of a city, largely because of the cathedral of St David that is located there. It is widely quoted to be the smallest city in Britain, though the City of London is smaller in area than the parish of St David. The cathedral itself looks more like a large church, and is similar to those medieval and later parish churches that were elevated in status as the population increased in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. St David's cathedral grew from a C6 monastic community and the current cathedral was begun about 1118. Repeated rebuildings due to bad workmanship, earthquakes and neglect were necessary, and major work was undertaken in 1862 -1870 by George Gilbert Scott. To this visitor the building was a remarkably interesting oddity, not least because the undulating ground in which it is set allows a photograph that shows the cathedral from above.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Robert of Normandy c.1054 -1134

Robert of Normandy (c.1054-1134) was the eldest son of King William I (The Conqueror). Being first-born, all things being equal, he should have succeeded his father as king. However, his relationship with him and with his brothers was so poor it never came to pass. When William I died in 1087 Robert became Duke of Normandy and busied himself helping to lead the First Crusade that captured Jerusalem in 1099. In 1106 he was seized by his youngest brother, King Henry I, and ended his life  in 1134, a prisoner incarcerated in Cardiff Castle. Robert was buried in the chancel of what is now Gloucester Cathedral but at the time was a Benedictine abbey.

This effigy of Robert of Normandy was carved out of Irish bog oak. Wood is not an unusual material for a figure on a tomb, but is less likely for a person of such standing. It dates from c.1240.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Alstroemeria

In the garden of the house before the one we currently live in we grew Alstroemerias. These colourful, quite showy flowers also go by the name of Peruvian Lily. The variety we grew produced flowers that tended towards cream and orange. One disadvantage of the plant was their attractiveness to the bright red lily beetle. On a recent evening walk along the promenade at Weymouth, Dorset, we came across a variety of Alstroemeria that I don't recall ever seeing before. It may have been the variety "Indian Summer". I particularly liked its red colours and especially the way they displayed against the darker than usual foliage. I wonder if it too attracts lily beetles.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Gainsborough Studios

Shoreditch Park, Hackney, is a London park near the Regent's Canal, which hereabouts is the boundary between the boroughs of Islington and Hackney. I imagine that many people using the park wonder why the word "Gainsborough" is spread along the top of a block of flats, and what the rusted metal sculptures in the park signify. The fact is that the block of flats incorporated parts of what was once Gainsborough Studios, a British film studio that produced movies from 1924 to 1951. The studio buildings were not purpose-built: prior to their use for films they were a power station for the Great Northern & City Railway. Alfred Hitchcock did his first work in movies at Gainsborough Studios. That large circular sculpture is, I imagine, based on a film reel.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

St Pancras Hotel, London

Which is the most notable Gothic Revival building in London? Most people might, not unreasonably, nominate the Houses of Parliament, even though A.W.N. Pugin, one of its two architects disparagingly described it to an acquaintance as "All Grecian, sir; Tudor details on a classic body." My vote would be split between Alfred Waterhouse's Natural History Museum (1881) and the St Pancras Hotel (1876). The latter was built by George Gilbert Scott after he was, surprisingly, declared winner in the competition for the project. Why surprisingly? Because his design was much bigger and much more expensive than was stipulated in the competition rules. This would usually have ruled him out of contention but here the judges were overpowered by the magnificence of Scott's vision. One can still feel that today.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Quayside, Wareham, Dorset

click photo to enlarge

The Dorset town of Wareham has a long history with prehistoric finds and evidence of a  Roman settlement. The current town dates from Saxon times and Alfred the Great, and is unusual in having clearly defined Saxon-era earth ramparts or walls. It sits on raised land between the River Piddle and  the River Frome that connects to the east with Poole Harbour. The Frome was an important artery until the end of the C13 when it became silted up. However, it continued to be used locally with the South Bridge  (from where I took this photograph) being the point beyond which larger boats could not travel upstream. Today the quayside, boats, the old granary, pubs, houses and the tower of one of the town's three old churches, make a pleasant location on a sunny day.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Bronze Norman door knockers

In 1986 I photographed the ornate, bronze sanctuary knocker on the door of Durham Cathedral (above). It was a replica in place of the original that had been there from 1172 until 1977. The purpose of the knocker, as described on the Durham World Heritage Site website was as follows - "Those who ‘had committed a great offence,’ such as murder in self-defence or breaking out of prison, could rap the knocker, and would be given 37 days of sanctuary within which they could try to reconcile with their enemies or plan their escape."

I was reminded of this well-known Norman metal work on a recent visit to the church of St Peter, Dormington in Herefordshire. It also has an ancient door knocker that dates from the 1100s and it too is a replica. The original is held in the Treasury at Hereford Cathedral.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OM 1n

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Dried hops

Herefordshire has long been a county where hops are grown. However, the old traditions of cultivating this essential ingredient in beer making have given way to more modern methods. Tall hop kilns no longer feature. Nor are migrant workers from cities employed on a seasonal basis. Where stilts were once used to allow the workers to reach the plants that grew up tall poles and strings, today low-growing plants that grow hedge-like are more easily harvested. One tradition that hasn't been lost, however, is the decoration of churches in hop growing areas with the leaves and flowers of the hops. The dried examples in the photograph were displayed round the chancel arch at St Peter, Dormington.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Cross country

The UK's transport system is focused on the capital - all roads lead to London, and so do the railway lines. Well, that's not strictly true because obviously the system allows travel across the country. But it is certainly easier and quicker to travel to London than to any of the regions and provinces, and the north-south routes are the obvious choice for speedy travel. Standing on platform 2 at Gloucester railway station recently, looking at an interestingly lit train, I was reminded that cross country routes have their own services and lines, one of which is called CrossCountry. We've never used it - Great Western Railways (GWR) take us to London and our train rolled in shortly after the one in the photo departed.

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