Church of St Matthew, Rushall, Wiltshire
Address
Church of St Matthew, Church Lane, Rushall, Wiltshire SN9 6EHRecommended by
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Four seasons windows in the north naveArtist, maker and date
Designed by A E Buss for Goddard & Gibbs, 1979Reason for highlighting
It is very traditional in style and technique, yet one of the most skilful designs I’ve seen. The Subject is the Four Seasons with four main cameo scenes, one for each season. The design shows a farmer working in each scene doing seasonal activities, but it is also teeming with an abundance of animals and birds; the detailed flora and fauna are brilliantly woven into a background of diamond quarries. Some leadlines are painted into the background pattern, but it is so cleverly done with much miniature etched and painted details.
On display, framed alongside is a) the design and b) a diagram showing all the listed creatures in the window.
Artist/maker notes
Arthur Edward Buss (1905-99) trained at Camberwell School of Art, before working for one of his tutors, William Aikman. He set up his own studio in 1937, before joining Goddard & Gibbs after the war.
Goddard & Gibbs was founded in 1868 as Walter Gibbs and Sons, a decorative glass firm in Blackfriars, London, the company went through some takeovers and mergers before becoming Goddard and Gibbs in 1938.
After the Second World War the company became a leader in the production of new stained glass windows, aided by excellent designers such as Arthur Edward Buss(1905-1999) and his successor John Lawson (1932-2009). It became the largest glass design and fabrication studio in the UK. A dedicated conservation department was founded in 1994 under the leadership of Drew Anderson.
The studio’s success was further enhanced by Charles Clark, who took over the company in 1978, when it was renamed Goddard & Gibbs Studios Ltd. Clark concentrated on developing an overseas market, and soon Goddards was regularly designing, making and exporting stained and decorative glass for palaces and mosques in the Middle East, cathedrals in Africa, cruise ships in Japan, and Mormon temples across the USA and worldwide. At this time the studios won the Queen’s Award for Industry.
Harry Cardross became senior designer in 1996 and was responsible for the design of Goddard’s contemporary architectural glass commissions, maintaining its worldwide export drive.
The company offered practical training for both graduates and apprentices to the highest standard. Many current independent glass artists owe their success to the opportunities offered by the dedicated staff at Goddard and Gibbs.
Source: Phillida Shaw