Stained Glass Tours in EnglandSherrill, Charles Hitchcock
History
Stained Glass Tours in England
Sherrill, Charles Hitchcock
Cathedrals -- England; England -- Description and travel; Glass painting and staining -- England
The chapel, which was built by Archbishop Cranmer, has an unpleasantly
smeared east window, but upon its surface high up are a series of
Apostles done in grey and stain which, if brought down to the level for
which they were originally intended, would show themselves to be very
attractive. At the south end of the little gallery used as the "Family
Pew" are a group of about a dozen scenes in grey and stain of excellent
execution, and so placed as to permit of a satisfactory examination of
this agreeable form of Renaissance glass-painting.
* * * * *
If one be travelling by bicycle or automobile, a pleasant addition to
this trip may be made, on the way back to London, by taking one small
_détour_ of about ten miles to visit Nettlestead, and another of about
three to West Wickham Church. The glass at both these places is
Perpendicular, but not of sufficient importance to have made them
stations on that tour. However, they can be so conveniently seen at this
stage of our rambles that they are here duly mentioned. It is only
recently that, thanks to the skilful heraldic researches of W. E. Ball,
LL.D., the date of the Nettlestead windows has been discovered, as well
as the significance of the many coats of arms scattered over them.
Recent restoration has made complete the glazing of the entire north
side and also of the east window. Note the narrow one at the north of
the small chancel--quarry background with a large figure standing on a
bracket, very reminiscent of sundry prototypes at St. Neot in Cornwall.
The other windows on this side (except the westmost) are rich, almost
florid examples of the elaborated canopy style. Indeed, so deep are the
tones that one is tempted to suspect that some Frenchman had a hand in
their manufacture. The smaller chancel light just noted is much lower
in colour and therefore more typical of the then prevailing English
taste. This is also true of the westmost or "Becket window," as it is
called, because it shows scenes from that martyr's life. The south
windows retain their original glass only in the tracery lights, but it
is planned to reglaze them as nearly as possible like those on the north
side. Nettlestead Church is not easily noticed from the road because of
some farm buildings and an orchard which mask it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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