As many will know the West Windows at church need significant work as there are holes around them in the stonework. Therefore some of the stonework around the Church West Windows needs replacing / repairing. To undertake the work all of the existing obscured glass must be removed.
Rather than just re-instate the existing glazing after the stone mason works have been completed, the PCC have commissioned 3 designs for potential new stained glass windows. The PCC would greatly value comments / observations from the congregation and the community before they make a final decision in mid- September 2019.
There are 3 potential designs on display here on the website and at the church. If you wish to comment by making Comments / Observations (positive and negative) then please complete a comment slip and post your Completed Comments Form in the Comments Box in Church. You may also like to include any questions that you believe the PCC should be asking before making their final decision.
Potential design 1 with designer comments
“Genesis 8:22 – “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.”
Genesis 1:14 – And God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.”
These are my inspiration for the design of the four lancet windows. Taking the theme of the four seasons, I have created a design for each of the opening lights.
Looking at the design across the windows as a whole, it is the intention to use a selection of subtle opal & translucent tints as well as vibrant transparent colours in a mixture of machine rolled but mostly, hand-made antique mouth blown glass.
Working with the theme of the seasons, the design for each window will be focussed on the central section allowing light to be let into the church & for the viewer to see out to the churchyard and beyond. Clear ‘reamy’ handmade glass will be used to give figure & movement to the glass surface. The designs show flowers, plants and colours associated with each season. Spring is represented by the uncurling of new leaves, with the addition of small yellow primroses often seen on the banks of streams in woodland areas, resonant of the church location. Winter shows the cool grey blues & opal translucent colours of the season, together with angular shapes to remind us of ice & snow. Summer shows sunflowers, poppies, cornflowers & ripening wheat. The colours in the autumn window show the rusts, browns, reds & ochres of falling leaves, fungi & fruit of the season.
Each window will have a handmade roundel or crown at the apex. These represent either the moon or the sun. Their inclusion is inspired by Genesis 1:14 and the creation of the sun and moon to divide day from night and for marking the time, through the seasons throughout the year.
There will also be a series of glass prisms incorporated into the design at the base of each of the four lights. When sun light hits the prisms at certain times of day or at particular times of the year, the prisms will refract the light, breaking it up into rainbows which will be reflected onto the architecture of the church.
Potential designs 2 & 3 with designer comments
The coloured in designs I’ve done with coloured pencils & no way do coloured pencils or paint emulate glass but gives you an idea of what I have in mind – to start with earthy colours at the bottom of the window, going up through greens, blues, purples, amethysts, reds, oranges, yellows & clear textured. This represents life, from earth to heaven. The background glass could be totally clear glass or slightly textured glass such as Waterglass which then lets in the maximum amount of light and lets the onlooker see the lovely greenery behind the church. Even the coloured glass will give a vibrancy that is missing with the current glazing. With a clear glass background it will almost give the impression that the coloured glass design is “floating”.
It would be nice to give the windows a title and as there are four of them, the four apostles, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John would be perhaps a thought. Also the fact that the symbolism of the colours is to do with life & they wrote about the life of Jesus. Obviously this is for the church to choose, not me, it’s a suggestion.
