Church of St Peter, London Docks, London E1
Address
Church of St Peter, London Docks, Wapping Lane, London E1W 2RWTheme
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
Multiple windows including the Rose window and 7 Sacrament windowsArtist, maker and date
M.E. Aldrich Rope with Clare Dawson assisting, 1937-54Reason for highlighting
Diversity of subject gives an impression of this artist’s work in her middle period. The Sacrament windows were transferred from St Augustine’s, Haggerston. More windows from there (most of the Saints series) are in the crypt of St Mary Magdalene, Munster Square, Euston but access is a problem there.
Artist/maker notes
Margaret Edith Aldrich Rope (1891-1988) was born in Suffolk and studied at the Chelsea School of Art and the Central School of Arts & Crafts, where she specialised in stained glass under Karl Parsons and Alfred J Drury. More prolific but less intense than her cousin, her style evolved considerably during her career, from one somewhat similar to her cousin’s to something plainer and more impressionistic.
Further reading:
The Margaret Rope Stained glass website
Margaret Rope of Leiston: Arts and Crafts Stained Glass Artist by Arthur Rope (Blurb, 2017)
Clare Dawson (1891-1988) was a pupil of M. E. Aldrich Rope, and her work somewhat resembles that of her teacher. She attended the Central School of Arts & Crafts in the late 1920s. As a student she also learnt much from Wilhelmina Geddes, who rented a studio at the Glass House from 1926. She has many works recorded at the Glass House studios over a long period, between 1928 and 1965, and rented a studio there from 1953 to 1960.
Source: The Artists of the Glass House by Alan Brooks and Peter Cormack (The Journal of Stained Glass, Vol. XLI, 2017)
Other comments
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