Church of St Lawrence Jewry, London EC2
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Church of St Lawrence Jewry, Gresham Street, London EC2 7HHRecommended by
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The Wren window in the VestibuleArtist, maker and date
Christopher Webb in conjunction with Cecil Brown, 1959Reason for highlighting
When visiting the church with some stained glass friends and my old tutor, Caroline Swash, I was not initially drawn to the light interior and bright, primary colours of Christopher Webb’s stained glass. To be sure, I admired the crisp and neat glass painting and the draftsmanship, which is impeccable. But when I saw the Christopher Wren window on the way out I began to change my mind. It was the depiction of the artist and craftsman who rebuilt the ruined church after the Blitz that caught my eye. With virtually no colour, the figures going about their creative work in the clothes of the day are utterly charming. Webb’s characteristic plant tendrils break up the arched window and support the tiny figures.
Having learnt more about Webb from reading John Edwards article in the 2018 Journal of Stained Glass I am a true convert.
Artist/maker notes
Christopher Rahere Webb (1886-1966) was born into a family of artists. After school he enrolled at the Slade School of Art, before a year in France where he determined his future would be in glass painting. On his return he took articles with Sir Ninian Comper, whose approach chimed with Webb’s outlook. After war service Webb set up a studio in Guildford, before moving to St Albans after his marriage in 1926.
Source:
The Stained Glass Windows of Christopher Webb by Henry Hinchcliffe, Mindelph Press. A PDF copy of the book is available here
Blurb.co.uk – The stained glass windows of Christopher Webb by Henry Hinchcliffe
Cecil Brown (1901 – 1983) architect and painter, worked on the restoration of St Lawrence Jewry in association with E B Glanfield.
Other comments
There is a complete scheme of 14 windows within the main church that Webb designed. The light, airy scheme is well suited to the architecture.