- Launch of British Corpus Vitrearum Volume at Merton College, Oxford
- CVMA Publication Offer from Oxford University Press
- Middleton Archers Window Conserved
- Petition to stop the Government reclassifying craft as non-creative!
- Friday 7 June: Study Day and Picnic: Stained Glass along the Norfolk and Suffolk border
- Vale Abbey Glass Displayed at Chester
- The Cloisters Museum, New York: Videos
- Stained Glass Summer Workshops at St Martin-cum-Gregory, York
- Guided Tours of York Churches
- Plea for Information about Stained Glass in Wales
- The Church of St Nicholas and the Village of Radford Semele: Film Project
- Society of Glass Technology Glass Training Day and Furnace Solutions
Launch of British Corpus Vitrearum Volume at Merton College, Oxford
Fig. 1. Dr Ayers presents his two-part work to invited guests.
The most recent monograph in the British Corpus Vitrearum series, The Medieval Stained Glass of Merton College, Oxford, by Tim Ayers of the University of York, was launched last month on a beautiful spring day at Merton College, Oxford [Fig. 1]. A number of individuals who work for the British CVMA attended [Figs 2–4].
Fig. 2. Dr Penny Hebgin-Barnes, author of no fewer than three Summary Catalogues in the British CVMA series, and Brigid Hamilton-Jones, Publications Officer of the British Academy.
Fig. 3. Three British CVMA stalwarts: Brian Sprakes, author of ‘The Medieval Stained Glass of South Yorkshire’; Roger Rosewell, Features Editor of ‘Vidimus’; and the Revd Gordon Plumb, a long-time photographer for the Corpus.
Fig. 4. Anna Eavis, Project Director for the British CVMA, and Christopher Parkinson, photographer working on the county of Essex.
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Dr Ayers presented his important work to invited guests, who were able to peruse advance copies, and there were celebratory drinks afterwards. Warms thanks were offered for this important contribution to scholarship on the college by the current warden, Professor Sir Martin Taylor, and the former warden, Dame Jessica Rawson, whose support for the project over a number of years was indispensable.
Fig. 6. St Christopher in the west window.
Fig. 5. The west window.
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Guests subsequently admired the chapel’s rightly famous glazing, and were able to take advantage of the temporary absence of the organ to view the figures in the tracery of the west window [Figs 5–6].
CVMA Publication Offer from Oxford University Press
Fig. 1. ‘The Medieval Stained Glass of Merton College, Oxford’.
To mark the publication of The Medieval Stained Glass of Merton College, Oxford [Fig. 1], Oxford University Press is offering a 20% discount on books in the British CVMA series. In addition to the Merton volume, Vidimus readers will be able to use the discount on the county surveys of Lancashire and Cheshire by Penny Hebgin-Barnes, and the monograph on the church of St Peter Mancroft in Norwich by David King.
To view the books in the series, go to the Oxford University Press website and use the special discount code AAFLY4 in your shopping basket.
Middleton Archers Window Conserved
Fig. 1. The Middleton Archers. © Barley Studio
Barley Studio has recently completed the conservation and environmental protection of a famous early sixteenth-century window in the parish church of St Leonard, Middleton. The window, known variously as the Middleton Archers or the Flodden Window, was donated by Sir Richard Ashton in 1505 and depicts Sir Richard and his family, together with other donor figures, as well as his company of seventeen archers with their chaplain. The Middleton Archers were among those who helped to win a famous victory over the Scots in the bloody battle at Flodden Field in 1513. Each archer is armed with his quiver and bow, and individually identified with his name inscribed along the bowstave.
Fig. 2. The Flodden Window. © Barley Studio
Further Reading
‘Middleton, Parish Church of St Leonard’, in P. Hebgin-Barnes, The Medieval Stained Glass of Lancashire, CVMA (GB), Summary Catalogue 8, Oxford, 2009, pp. 251–62
Petition to stop the Government reclassifying craft as non-creative!
A British government proposal will see craft no longer classed as part of the creative industries. Removing craftspeople from the category of creative industries could have potentially huge implications for funding of the crafts, as well as an impact on small craft businesses and creative individuals trying to make a living from their skills in the United Kingdom.
The views of the Crafts Council and thousands of individuals, mostly sole traders, are being ignored. You can sign the e-petition here.
Friday 7 June: Study Day and Picnic: Stained Glass along the Norfolk and Suffolk border
The Stained Glass Museum is holding a Study Day and Picnic on Friday 7 June. Departing from Ely at 9.30am, the visit will include four churches along the Norfolk and Suffolk border, all of which have splendid stained glass windows, and return to Ely approximately 6pm.
The first point of call will be the Church of St Mary, West Tofts, which is in the Norfolk Battle Training Area and normally closed to the public. This is a rare opportunity to see the medieval church, modified by A.W.N. Pugin. It is also a chance to celebrate the role that The Stained Glass Museum has played in the preservation of our stained glass heritage. In 1982 several nineteenth-century stained glass panels, designed by Pugin and made by Hardman & Co., were acquired by the Museum on long-term loan from the church, for safekeeping. Having formed part of the Museum’s main display for over twenty-five years, they were returned to West Tofts in 2010, where they have been recently reinstalled.
Fig. 1. Detail from a Hugh Easton RAF memorial window at Elveden.
The second stop will be St Andrew & St Patrick’s Church, Elveden, a medieval church considerably enlarged in the late-nineteenth-century by W.D. Caröe and paid for by Duleep Singh, the last Maharaja of the Sikh empire, who (despite his exile and the removal of his sovereignty) is famous for being friend to Queen Victoria. Both Duleep Singh and the church’s current patrons, the Iveagh’s, were keen patrons of stained glass artists in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century. The church contains spectacular windows by Charles Eamer Kempe, Frank Brangwyn, Hugh Easton, and Lawrence Lee.
Then a picnic will be had at West Stow Country Park. There are toilets and a café here too, if the weather is bad.
After lunch there will be a trip to All Saints’ Church, Icklingham, a beautiful Grade I listed fourteenth-century church with thatched roof, extant medieval tiles and some fourteenth-century stained glass panels.
The final visit is to the Church of St Ethelbert, Herringswell. This small village church was rebuilt in the 1870s by Arthur Blomfield. The highlights here are the Arts and Crafts stained glass windows, several by Christopher Whall and his pupils Paul Woodroffe, Selwyn Image, James Clarke (of Clarke & Dix), and Jasper Brett. Many commemorate members of the Davies family.
Joining Instructions
The coach will depart from Ely Cathedral at 9.30am (meet at west porch), and return approximately 6pm. Due to parking difficulties and security restrictions at West Tofts, transport will be by one coach and private cars will not be able to join separately.
Parking in Ely
Ely is accessible by train, but information about long stay car parks in the city can be found on this website. Free all day parking (after 08.30) is available at Barton Road, a short walk from the Cathedral.
Cost: £25 (£20 for Friends of the Museum) This price includes the coach fare and site notes. But bring your own picnic! The tour will be led by Jasmine Allen and Chloë Cockerill.
Tickets available from The Stained Glass Museum, The South Triforium, Ely Cathedral, Ely, Cambs, CB7 4DL. To book tickets by post, please make cheques payable to ‘The Stained Glass Museum’ and send email address or enclose SAE for confirmation of booking. For more information, or to pay by card, please phone 01353 660347, or email: friends@stainedglassmuseum.com
Vale Abbey Glass Displayed at Chester
Fig. 1. Panel from Vale Royal Abbey.
Fragments of fourteenth-century stained glass found during excavations in 1958 from Vale Royal Abbey (Cheshire), a Cistercian monastery built in 1277, are among the items on display in a new exhibition at the Grosvenor Museum in Chester. They may have been produced in the glassworks on the abbey’s land referred to in 1346/47, probably at Kingswood, a site that was excavated in 1935 and 1947.
Entitled ‘Discover a Medieval City: Places, Voices, Journeys’, the exhibition explores the role of religion, trade, identity and visitors on medieval life in Chester, through objects and documents. It runs until 22 September 2013. See the website for more information.
Vale Royal Abbey was suppressed in 1538 by Henry VIII as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Much of the abbey, including the church, was subsequently demolished, but some of the cloister buildings were incorporated into a mansion built by Thomas Holcroft, an important government official, during the 1540s. The building remains habitable and contains rooms from the medieval abbey, including the refectory and kitchen. During the mid- to late sixteenth century, Holcroft installed heraldic glass in the house. In 1947, Sir William Burrell purchased 38 of these post-Dissolution panels, which are now exhibited in the museum which bears his name in Glasgow.
To see additional panels from Vale Royal Abbey, visit the CVMA Picture Archive.
Further Reading
P. Hebgin-Barnes, The Medieval Stained Glass of Cheshire, CVMA (GB), Summary Catalogue 9, Oxford, 2010, pp. 243–47
The Cloisters Museum, New York: Videos
Home to an outstanding collection of medieval stained glass, The Cloisters Museum in New York has released a number of films as part of the celebration of its 75th anniversary. These films include clips of the construction of The Cloisters; the sources of the objects, artworks and materials; and a guide to the collection by the former director, Phillipe de Montebello. They also offer a behind-the-scenes look into The Cloisters, and explore recent updates at the museum, including the switch from candlelight to modern lighting, increasingly full galleries and updated displays, and improved windows and protection for the artworks.
The films have been posted online and can be viewed here.
Stained Glass Summer Workshops at St Martin-cum-Gregory, York
Fig. 1. Window nVI, St Martin-cum-Gregory
The stained glass centre at St Martin-cum-Gregory in Micklegate, York, is offering four workshop days, which will be led by designer Ann Sotheran, on 18 May, and 1, 2 and 22 June.
Two different workshops are available, and each workshop is self-contained:
Saturday, 18 May 2013 Glass-painting
Saturday, 1 June 2013 Glass-painting
Sunday, 2 June 2013 Leading and glazing
Saturday, 22 June 2013 Leading and glazing
Running from 10.30am to 4.30pm, the cost of attending each day is £50, which includes all materials and use of tools and equipment.
Glass-painting
In this one-day workshop you will be introduced to basic techniques of painting on glass, as used by artists from the medieval period to the present day. You will have the opportunity to practice using different brushes to produce different effects, and by the end of the day you will produce a painted piece to be fired. If you also attend a glazing day, you will have the opportunity to incorporate your painted piece into a leaded panel.
Leading and Glazing
In this one-day workshop you will learn the basic techniques of cutting coloured glass to shape, and leading and soldering pieces to produce a simple piece of stained glass. If you have previously attending a painting day you will also be able to incorporate your painted piece into a leaded panel.
The Tutor
Ann Sotheran is a Fellow of the British Society of Master Glass Painters, with over 25 years’ experience of designing and making stained glass for many different situations. She has taught evening classes in stained glass for nearly twenty years, as well as leading various workshops and taster sessions, covering all aspects of traditional stained-glass work, including glass-painting and acid etching. She also teaches the copper foil technique of glass assembly. Examples of her work can be found on her website.
Numbers are limited. To reserve a place, please email info@stainedglasscentre.org.uk or telephone 01904 611687.
Guided Tours of York Churches
The Stained Glass Centre will be running a series of guided tours of churches in the centre of York this summer, focusing on the wealth of medieval, Victorian and modern stained glass in the city. Each tour will be led by expert guides, beginning at 6pm and lasting for about one and a half hours. The cost of each your will be £6, and the tours will be as follows.
• 23 May: St Martin-cum-Gregory and Holy Trinity, Micklegate
• 20 June: All Saints, North Street
• 25 July: St Martin’s, Coney Street, York Guildhall, and St Helen’s, Stonegate (meeting at St Martin, Coney Street)
• 22 August: Holy Trinity, Goodramgate and All Saints, Pavement
Plea for Information about Stained Glass in Wales
Alun Adams of the Swansea School of Glass at Swansea Metropolitan University, is calling for help to record the stained glass of Wales.
A project to photograph and record Welsh stained glass has been under way for several years now, with efforts made to try and record examples of stained glass in chapels and churches across the country. Alun Adams is now looking to find examples of glass work – leaded, stained or architectural glass – from non-conformist chapels, examples of which have not been recorded as yet.
Anyone who can help should write to Alun Adams, Swansea School of Glass, Swansea Metropolitan University, Alexandra Road, Swansea SA1 5DU, or email chapelglass@smu.ac.uk.
The Church of St Nicholas and the Village of Radford Semele: Film Project
The church of St Nicholas, Radford Semele, was devastated by fire in 2008, as reported in Vidimus 17 and 20. The church’s windows were largely of nineteenth-century date, including glass probably by Hardmans of Birmingham and Powells of Whitefriars; it also contained however, modern glass and vestiges of a small window dating from the twelfth century . The outer shell of the building survived, but the windows were lost. Only very small fragments and shards of glass were recovered from the church after the fire, and new windows have now been inserted as part of the rebuilding of the church.
The restoration and rebuilding has been documented on line since 2008, and work is now drawing to a close. The exterior has been restored to its former state, but with the addition of extra rooms on the north side and a large glazed gable, part of the redesign of the interior. The new stained-glass windows are by Emma Blout. The church is set to reopen on 17 May 2013.
A local film maker, Alan Jones, has produced a film in response to the destruction, in order to record the heritage and history of the church, and to reaffirm its place in the community. The film also deals with how the community responded to the disaster and set about raising funds, as well as exploring the rebuilding and restoration. Photographs of the old, destroyed windows can be seen in the film, alongside designs for and images of the new glass. The film will be available shortly, to tie in with the re-opening of the church.
Society of Glass Technology Glass Training Day and Furnace Solutions
The Society of Glass Technology Glass Training Day and Furnace Solutions will be held on 5–6 June 2013.
The training day will take place on 5 June and should be of interest to anyone associated with furnace operation, maintenance and design. The Furnace Solutions 8 conference will be held on 6 June, and will deal entirely with practical glass-making issues. The conference is targeted at glass-makers and suppliers of furnace equipment and specialist materials.
Visit the website for more information and registration information.
