Church of St Augustin, Ramsgate, Kent
Address
Church of St Augustine, St Augustine’s Road, Ramsgate CT11 9NYRecommended by
Highlight
Nave north window nearest entranceArtist, maker and date
Designs by A.W.N. Pugin (tracery lights) & John Harman Powell (main lights), all made by Hardman & Co., 1849 (tracery lights) & 1868 (main lights)Reason for highlighting
The tracery lights were designed by Pugin in 1849 and include two attractive scroll bearing angels, but what makes this an unforgettable window is the three main lights of 1868, designed by John Hardman Powell. Each light contains an extraordinary and mystical portrayal of a female Benedictine saint in a design that makes an immediate and unforgettable impression.
Artist/maker notes
John Hardman & Co. was founded in 1838 to manufacture ecclesiastical metal work to the designs of AWN Pugin (1812-52), who encouraged the firm’s expansion into stained glass in 1845. Pugin acted as its chief designer until his death, when he was succeeded by his nephew John Hardman Powell.
John Hardman Powell (1827-95) a deeply religious Roman Catholic, was trained as an apprentice by Pugin. A rare privilege given Pugin’s reluctance to employ clerks or take on pupils. The Hardman firm continued to flourish under his leadership, due in part to the individual attention given to commissions and the originality of each design, a contrast to other firms that would often reuse designs numerous times.
Sources:
Hardman of Birmingham, Goldsmith and Glasspainter by Michael Fisher (Landmark Publishing, 2008)
The Stained Glass of John Hardman and Company under the leadership of John Hardman Powell from 1867 to 1895 by Mathé Shepheard, which can be downloaded as a 3 volume PDF
Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812-52) was an architect, designer, artist and critic, and pioneer in the Gothic Revival. In stained glass that meant an emphatic rejection of the enamel-painted pictorial windows and a return to the medieval styles and methods.
Sources:
God’s Architect: Pugin and the Building of Romantic Britain by Rosemary Hill (Yale University Press, 200)
The Stained Glass of A W N Pugin by Stanley A Shepherd (Spire Books, 2009)
Other comments
There is a wealth of glass to be seen here including beautiful 16th century continental roundels.