St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh
Address
St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1REOverview
As a result of the iconoclasm of the Reformation only a few fragments of medieval stained glass survive and by 1575-6 the cathedral windows were filled with clear glass. Stained glass did not re-appear in St Giles until the 1870s when the new windows were often from Ballantine of Edinburgh, with advice from Robert Herdman, RSA RSW.
There are other notable 19th and early 20th century contributions from Daniel Cottier, Karl Parsons (four Scottish saints, 1915) and Oscar Paterson (the Argyll window, 1896). More recent additions are a striking Robert Burns Memorial window, 1985, from the Icelandic artist Leifur Breidfjörd, and a two-light window by Christian Shaw, 1991.
Finally, Thistle Chapel of 1910 is particularly noted for the fine heraldic stained glass by Louis Davis, to designs by the chapel architect, Robert Lorimer, and an east window by Douglas Strachan (1909-11).
Highlight
North transept windowArtist, maker and date
Douglas Strachan, 1922Reason for highlighting
The window shows Christ stilling the sea of Galilee. A particularly strong and inventive composition with good colour handling.
Artist/maker notes
Robert Douglas Strachan (1875-1950) was born in Aberdeen and initially trained as an artist. Indeed Strachan admitted later in life that he had been slow to realise that stained glass would be the best outlet for his artistic vision. It was a vision that enable him to become the foremost British stained glass artists of the generation after Christopher Whall. From 1909 to 1911 he was head of the School of Design and Crafts at the Edinburgh College of Art, before handing over to his brother, Alexander, due to pressure of work. His windows are found throughout Scotland and England, and are recognisable for their bold use of colour, and strong sculptural design and use of lead. Overseas he is renown for his windows at the Peace Palace in The Hague, The Netherlands.
Sources:
In Praise of Douglas Strachan by Peter Cormack, Journal of Stained Glass, Vol. XXX, 2006
Arts & Crafts Stained Glass by Peter Cormack (Yale University Press for The Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, 2015)
ECA Glass Alumni Exhibition Catalogue, pages 11-12
Comments by
Iain Galbraith and Peter Hildebrand