Ellerton Priory, East Yorkshire (east window)
Address
Ellerton Priory, Ellerton, East Yorkshire YO42 4PDTheme
Overview
The Stevens Competition is the premier competition for stained glass artists in the UK. It was founded in 1972 to provide an opportunity for aspiring architectural glass artists, designers, and craftsman to compete in a format which simulates the typical process to obtain a commercial commission. Entrants are required to develop a design to a specific client brief and provide Artistic and Technical Statements defining the concept behind their design and how the design would be realised.
In 1987 the Competition moved from theoretical locations to site specific locations, which allowed for the possibility, with the agreement of the sponsor, of a winning design to be realised.
Highlight
East window of the Chancel, winner of the 2002 Stevens Competition CommissionArtist, maker and date
Designed by Helen Whittaker and made with Barley Studio, 2003Reason for highlighting
The challenge for the 2002 Stevens Competition was to design a new east window for Ellerton Priory (the Priory Church of St. Mary and St. Lawrence, Ellerton). The brief called for a design which would respond to the landscape and ecology of Derwent Ings, celebrate the harmony of husbandry and nature and acknowledge the history and associations of this ancient religious site.
My design depicts the stone walls of the ruined mediaeval priory overgrown with ivy and bindweed. In the top of the right-hand light is St. Gilbert of Sempringham, founder of the Gilbertines who established Ellerton Priory in 1203. In the top left is Robert Aske of the neighbouring village of Aughton, leader of the 16th century Pilgrimage of Grace. His emblem of a newt – known locally as an ‘aske’ or ‘esker’ – adorns his cloak.
The traceries contain the coats of arms of families associated with Ellerton in the 14th century. These are exact copies of the originals and made using precisely the same mediaeval glazing techniques (the surviving 14th century Ellerton glass is now in Selby Abbey). The top tracery contains the ‘guardian spirit’ of the Priory; the barn owl, which has nested in and around this sacred place for centuries.
The large red quatrefoil running across the main lights of the window opens onto a vision of the restored church, viewed from across the Derwent Ings. There is the seasonal cycle of flooding, herb-rich grassland and Autumn grazing, together with examples of the rich fauna and flora of the river and the beautiful flood meadows. Salmon, burbot, lapwing, curlew, snipe and migrating swans, butterflies, moths, a bumble-bee, a dragonfly, orchids and great burnet can also be spotted by the sharp-eyed.
Other comments
The stained glass of Ellerton Priory has also been highlighted by Phil Thomas, who included the fine window in the nave by Andrew Anderson within his selection of 10 outstanding examples of the stained glass artist’s craft.
Artist/maker notes
Helen Whittaker MBE is a renowned artist and designer, highly regarded for her new stained glass windows and architectural sculpture in glass and copper.
Helen studied art and design at both the University of Sunderland and the Prince of Wales’s Institute of Architecture, London, in both cases specialising in stained glass. For over 25 years since then Helen has been creating new stained glass to commission and overseeing restoration painting for a wide variety of stained glass conservation projects, latterly as the creative director of the highly acclaimed Barley Studio in York, heading the multi-skilled team alongside founder Keith Barley MBE.
Helen’s aim is to engage the viewer through good design and craftsmanship, creating energy and movement intertwining contemporary and traditional elements. Her designs are inspired by the client, the brief and the building, whether housed in historic or modern buildings, in ecclesiastical or secular contexts.
Helen Whittaker was been awarded an MBE for “services to the creation and conservation of stained and architectural glass art” in the King’s Birthday Honours in 2024.
Source: Barley Studio website
Barley Studio was established by Keith Barley MBE in 1973, and has an international reputation for excellence in stained glass creation and conservation for cathedrals, stately homes, parish churches and prestigious secular buildings across the UK and beyond.
Source: Barley Studio website
Comments by
Peter Hildebrand and Helen Whittaker