Christopher Whall and J & W Guthrie, detail of Noah window (1892-93), Clark Memorial Church, Largs, N Ayrshire.

Photo: Andrew Loutit

Christopher Whall and J & W Guthrie, detail of Abraham and Isaac window (1892-93), Clark Memorial Church, Largs, N Ayrshire.

Photo: Andrew Loutit

Clark Memorial Church, Largs, North Ayrshire

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Clark Memorial Church, Bath Street, Largs KA30 8BL

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Four two-light south aisle windows

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Reason for highlighting

A product of the relatively short lived collaboration between the great English Arts and Crafts artist designer, Christopher Whall, and John Guthrie. The Abraham window is particularly successful.

Other comments

The church was completed in 1892 in Early English Gothic style and is well-known for its glass. Particular attention should be paid to the five-light east window by William Meikle & Sons, 1892, and the five-light west window, 1892, which is a fine example of the mature work of the Glasgow studio of Stephen Adam. It illustrates the text ‘Of Such is the Kingdom of Heaven’, and is one of a number of windows by the studio in the church.

Artist/maker notes

Christopher Whitworth Whall (1849-1924) was one of the most prominent artists in the Arts & Crafts Movement, not only through his own work, but also through the influence he had on other artists as a teacher and writer. He taught at both the Central School of Arts and Crafts and the Royal College of Arts, and his 1905 book ‘Stained Glass Works’ is still widely regarded as the most inspirational work of its type.

Sources:
Arts & Craft Stained Glass by Peter Cormack (Yale University Press, 2015)
The Stained Glass Work of Christopher Whall by Peter Cormack (The Charles J Connick Stained Glass Foundation, 1999)

J & W Guthrie was the most important and prolific of the new studios to emerge in Glasgow in the 1880s. The brothers, John (1849-1915) and William (1850-1897), both trained at the Glasgow School of Art and form a partnership c.1874, following on from the firm of painters and decorators founded by their father John Guthrie Sr. (1823-1875) in 1850. They began making stained glass c.1884, using a variety of designers.

Source:
Scotland’s Stained Glass Making the colours sing by Michael Donnelly (Historic Scotland, 1977)

Clark Memorial Church, Largs, North Ayrshire

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