Ayr Roman Catholic Cathedral, Ayrshire
Address
The Cathedral Church of Saint Margaret, 27 John St, Ayr KA8 0BSOverview
St Margaret’s was only elevated to cathedral status in 2007. There are a number of early windows, such as those in the Sanctuary from 1827, but the highlight is the exceptional range of contemporary windows by Susan Bradbury. The nave windows are commented on below, but all her windows deserve attention.
Highlight
Nave windowsArtist, maker and date
Susan Bradbury, Glencairn Studio, 2000Reason for highlighting
The nave scheme is an imaginative answer to the demands of the location. The first two windows, partly obscured by the gallery have a Celtic design that links the two halves. While the main body of the nave has two further windows on the theme of ‘Devine Light’ and ‘Water of Life’. Alongside the windows Susan Bradbury also designed 14 framed glass panels in a unique representation of the Stations of the Cross, which trace the story of the Passion using hands as the main symbolic image. (An image of thr ninth station is here).
Artist/maker notes
Susan Bradbury (b. 1960) and her partner Paul Lucky (1946-2015) met at Swansea School of Art (Stained Glass) in the 1970’s. They moved to Ayrshire and set up Glencairn Studio (Stained Glass Design Partnership), which became one of the finest studios in Scotland, for design, restoration, and conservation of stained glass.
Comments by
Iain Galbraith and Peter Hildebrand