Church of St Peter, Blaxhall, Suffolk
Address
Church of St Peter, Church Road, Blaxhall, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 2DWTheme
Overview
The cousins Margaret Agnes Rope (1882-1953) of Shrewsbury (professional name: Margaret Rope, later Sister Margaret of the Mother of God) and Margaret Edith Aldrich Rope (1891-1988) of Leiston (professional name M E A Rope or M E Aldrich Rope) were prominent international stained-glass artists in the Arts & Crafts idiom. Their work can be seen in many churches and other buildings in England, Scotland and Wales as well as in Australia, Italy, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and the USA.
Although their lives and styles diverged, they worked together at the start of their careers and again right at the end of the elder Margaret’s life.
Highlight
East windowArtist, maker and date
Margaret Agnes Rope, 1913Reason for highlighting
Margaret Rope’s work is rarely found in accessible Anglican churches and this East window is a memorial to her paternal grandfather and other family members – her usual exquisite portraiture and wealth of background detail and references.
Artist/maker notes
Margaret Agnes Rope (1882-1953) was born in Shrewsbury and studied at the Birmingham School of Art, where – within a range of disciplines – she studied stained glass under Henry Payne. After the death of her father she joined the Roman Catholic church, and her faith became an overwhelmingly important focus of her life and work.
She began working from home, before moving to work at Lowndes & Drury in London. Initially, she directly supervised the work, but in 1923 she became a Carmelite nun. She continued making windows at the Monastery, sending the glass by train to Lowndes & Drury to be cut, fired and leaded up.
Sources:
The Margaret Rope Stained glass website
Margaret Rope of Shrewsbury by Arthur Rope (Pangapilot Publications, 2016)
The Two Margaret Ropes: Arts and Crafts Stained Glass Artists by Arthur Rope (Blurb, 2017)
Margaret Rope of Leiston: Arts and Crafts Stained Glass Artist by Arthur Rope (Blurb, 2017)
Other comments
The charming porch window shows both Margaret Rope cousins and their contrasting styles, making a window to a design by their sculptor aunt, Ellen Mary Rope. The left light is by M. E. Aldrich Rope with rest by Margaret Rope.
The church also has two memorials by Ellen Mary Rope, the first to Alfred Aldrich Bates who died in 1904 aged 6, and second a war memorial. Margaret Rope’s cousin, Dorothy Rope, created a further memorial.
The church is usually open during daylight hours