Category: Windows

It was the largest stained glass project ever executed and has some of the finest Victorian stained glass in the country, produced by the leading company of the time: Clayton and Bell. The scheme has three big themes: the Trinity, Biblical stories and the history of the English church. Alongside these are three lesser themes: Cornwall, baptism and St Mary’s aisle.

There is a recommended route, so that the interrelationships between the windows in each part of the Scheme can be explored, but of course I hadn’t realised that. Now that I do it may be a good reason to return to the cathedral and be more observant.

The rose windows

The greatest windows are the three great rose windows which reflect the Trinity;

God the Father/Creator appears in the great West window which is divided into seven sections for the seven days of creation

Jesus, the Son of God, is at the heart of the North transept rose surrounded by the prophets and his antecedents: Jacob, Isaac, Judah and Abraham, leading through to Mary and Joseph.

The Holy Spirit is at the centre of the South window with the twelve apostles around the edge.

The biblical stories

The biblical stories are told in and around the quire. The great east windows tell the story of Christ and his Passion.

The Deposition. The angels at the top hold the Crown of Thorns and the nails with which Jesus was fixed to the Cross

St Stephen holding, in his left hand, a Gospel Book and, in his right, a martyr’s palm frond

He makes a speech before the Sanhedrin

The stoning of St Stephen

The history of the church

The choices reflect the late Victorian sensibilities and the enthusiasms of the two creators, like, for instance, the execution of King Charles I which I didn’t see. There is a flow to the sequence that does make sense. The theme starts in the South transept through to the retro-quire and quire. This section begins with St Peter receiving the keys from Christ and ends with St Benedict though my photos are rather more random.

In the foreground are eight boys kneeling and looking at Colet. The scene refers to the end of the preface to the Latin grammar that he wrote for the school: “And lift up your little white hands for me, which prayest for you to God … ” There is a picture of the Child Jesus in the background. In the rear at the High Master’s desk is the celebrated scholar William Lily, the first High Master of the school.

Margaret Godolphin, née Blagge, of Godolphin House between Helston and Penzance was a Lady in Waiting to the Queen at the court of Charles II. She was a vigorous opponent of the lax moral tone of the court and resigned her position there in protest. She died in 1678 and is buried in Breage Church near Helston.

He is dressed in Masonic regalia and holds a maul. He is surrounded by a number of other figures associated with the occasion and the Cathedral, including the Princess of Wales, John Loughborough Pearson (Architect), Prince George and Prince Albert Victor. The background features scaffolding and other evidence of building work.

The other themes

Cornwall’s industry is included in the west nave windows, which feature mining and fishing through images of miners, fishermen, Newlyn harbour and Dolcoath mine.

And finally, there are the windows in St Mary’s aisle, which has some mid-Victorian windows from the original St Mary’s church on traditional biblical subjects, as well as some medieval fragments.

Each light shows a main figure above a related scene, and all are connected by the imagery and symbolism of water. This was, and still is, the baptistry area for the old parish church.

1. In the first light, Noah, holding a model of the Ark and a leaf to represent the one the dove brought back to the Ark, is placed above a scene with Noah, his wife and sons supervising the entry of the animals (including giraffe and lion) into the Ark. (I appear to have unfortunately cut this one in half).
2. In the second, Moses is shown carrying the two tablets of the Ten Commandments above a scene in which he leads the Israelites across the Red Sea.
3. St John the Baptist, holding in his left hand a staff to which is attached a banner on which is written Ecce agnus Dei (Behold the lamb of God) above the scene of the Baptism of Christ.
4. St Peter holding his keys and a clasped book above a scene of his baptism of Cornelius.
5. Finally, St Philip holding a scallop shell is shown above a scene of his baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch, whose chariot and horse are in the background.

The six south wall windows are all by William Warrington. They are typical examples of his use of bold primary colours, strong leading, dramatic design, and heavy painted shading.

It’s obvious that I need to return!