Church of St John the Baptist, Stokesay, Shropshire
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Church of St John the Baptist, Stokesay, Craven Arms, Shropshire, SY7 9AHRecommended by
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Nave south aisle windowArtist, maker and date
Henry Payne, 1904Reason for highlighting
One of Henry Payne’s earlier windows, his colours at their most vivid, his drawing at it’s most clear. Payne’s work at Stokesay is stripped of all but the simplest decorative borders and is executed in pure, clear colours. It depicts the vision of the angels to the shepherds, with Jerusalem in the distance, although this is a very English Judea, lush and green with naturalistic flowers scattered in the foreground. Note the patterned robes of the angels, showing both wild roses and other angelic figures, including, prominently, the angel with the flaming sword that barred Adam and Eve from Paradise, echoing the fact that the angels have come to announce the birth of the one who will redeem their original sin. The sheep crop the grass, unconcerned. Payne would later say that it was the natural world and the little background scenes he painted that pleased him the most.
Artist/maker notes
Henry Albert Payne (1868-1940) was a key maker of Arts and Crafts stained glass. He is closely linked to Birmingham School of Art, both as a student and later as a teacher, training designers and makers such as Margaret Agnes Rope (1882-1953), A. J. Davies (1877-1953), Richard Stubington (1885-1966) and Florence Camm (1874-1960).
In 1901, in advance of launching its stained glass classes, Birmingham The School of Art paid for him to have three months training in stained-glass making from Christopher Whall. Despite Payne’s short tenure with him, Whall was clearly impressed by his work, and used one of Payne’s designs in his book, Stained Glass Work of 1905.
The following year saw the beginning of his association with William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp of Madresfield Court. Beauchamp’s commissions included both stained glass and murals for Madresfield Court Chapel, with the latter being one of Payne’s best known works as a painter.
In 1909 Payne left Birmingham and moved to Amberley, near Stroud in Gloucestershire, and created his own small craft guild, the St. Loe’s Guild, in the house adapted for him by local Arts and Crafts architect Sidney Barnsley. It was there he trained his son, Edward Payne.
Major later commissions include a war memorial window for the church of St. James, Chipping Campden in Gloucestershire, a mural for the Houses of Parliament, and memorial glass to the fallen of the British Empire at the French National War Memorial at Notre Dame de Lorette, 1929.
Payne’s grand-daughter is the artist, Caroline Swash.
Sources:
Stained Glass Window Makers of Birmingham School of Art by Roy Albutt, 2013
Henry Payne Stained Glass Work at Birmingham School of Art by Roy Albutt on Historywm.com
Other comments
Right next to the window by Payne is one by a much more familiar company, James Powell and Sons, designed by James Hogan. It’s later than the Payne window, 1913, and the design and colour range seems to have been chosen carefully to sit well beside the Payne. In this glass, too, you can see the influence of both Edward Burne-Jones and Christopher Whall.