Helen Whittaker, 'I am this Dark World's Light', north nave aisle window (2016), Church of St Aidan, Hartlepool.

Photo: Peter Hildebrand

Church of St Aidan, Hartlepool, County Durham

Address

Church of St Aidan, 1 Oxford St, Hartlepool TS25 1TB

Recommended by

Léonie Seliger ACR (10)

Highlight

North nave aisle second from the east

Artist, maker and date

Reason for highlighting

This is a vibrant contemporary window, full of beautifully executed details, which also harmonises well with its surroundings, to produce a fine example of the best of modern stained glass.

Other comments

Take note also of the window by John Hayward next to Helen’s in the north wall of the nave, and opposite in the south wall, a vigorous memorial window with St George and the Dragon by designed by Marion Grant and made at Lowndes & Drury in 1948.

The church is usually locked, but the congregation always gives a warm welcome to visitors after services.

Artist/maker notes

Helen Whittaker MBE FMGP is a renowned artist and designer, highly regarded for her new stained glass windows and architectural sculpture in glass and copper.

Helen studied art and design at both the University of Sunderland and the Prince of Wales’s Institute of Architecture, London, in both cases specialising in stained glass. For over 25 years since then Helen has been creating new stained glass to commission and overseeing restoration painting for a wide variety of stained glass conservation projects, latterly as the creative director of the highly acclaimed Barley Studio in York, heading the multi-skilled team alongside founder Keith Barley MBE.

Helen’s aim is to engage the viewer through good design and craftsmanship, creating energy and movement intertwining contemporary and traditional elements. Her designs are inspired by the client, the brief and the building, whether housed in historic or modern buildings, in ecclesiastical or secular contexts.

Helen Whittaker was been awarded an MBE for “services to the creation and conservation of stained and architectural glass art” in the King’s Birthday Honours in 2024.

Source: Barley Studio website

Barley Studio was established by Keith Barley MBE in 1973, and has an international reputation for excellence in stained glass creation and conservation for cathedrals, stately homes, parish churches and prestigious secular buildings across the UK and beyond.