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The stained glass
windows
The glass windows in St. Mary’s
are very different from each
other. The window arches are
much older than the stained
glass windows they now contain.
The original mediaeval glass was
lost when the church was re-ordered by Rev. Palin in 19th
century.
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Those above the alter are
pressed quarries - textured
mouldings that are stained.
Many of the other windows are
equally old.
The Colonel Laurie
memorial window in the south
aisle, was installed in 1929. It
was made by Leonard Walker, an
avant-garde artist whose work is
found in cathedrals in Canada
and Europe. Unlike other
stained glass the only piece of
painting is on the hands and
face. The colour and
layers of the glass and the
shape of the lead is all part of
the design.
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The best loved window is
undoubtedly ‘The Lamb Window’ in
the south aisle and many
generations of Sunday school
children have adored it, and
when damaged by thieves and
vandals it has always
been lovingly restored.
The ‘Healing
Window’ in the south aisle is
the one we know most about. It
was designed by Henry Holiday
for the company of Powell &
Sons. Henry Holiday was a very
famous designer of stained glass
and his work can be found in
Worcester College and St. Mary
Magdalene College, Oxford, and
the Brunel Window, Westminster
Abbey.
A very large part of his work is
to be found in Canada and the
USA. |
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Believed to have been
installed in the 1890’s, 'The
Healing Window' was later damaged by
a bomb in World War 2.
The window was eventually
replaced but some sections
were never accurately repaired because
by the time it was possible
to repair them no-one could
exactly remember what the
original had looked
like, so some broken
sections were filled in with
stained glass mosaic
patterns. In
1991, a visitor who had
lived abroad for forty years
brought in a water-colour
she had painted of the
window before the war, but
the Church Commissioners
said the war damage was part
of the history of the
church, and would not allow
the window to be restored to
its original state. |
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