St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, Orkney
Address
St Magnus Cathedral, Broad Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1NXOverview
St Magnus is the most northerly cathedral in the United Kingdom and a fine example of Romanesque architecture. The nave is filled with an impressive scheme of stained glass by Oscar Paterson, with assistance from Alexander Walker, from the 1920s, with a strong Nordic theme e.g. Torf Einar and Sigurd the Stout.
The great east window of the Crucifixion and Ascension is by James Ballantine II (1918/19). His palette has predominant and lustrous blues illuminating the chancel and east end of the cathedral. A contrast to Crear McCartney’s strongly coloured west window.
Highlight
West window of the naveArtist, maker and date
Designed by Crear McCartney and made at Pluscarden Abbey, 1987Reason for highlighting
Created to celebrate the 850th anniversary of the cathedral, it fits perfectly in its location and expresses McCartney’s brilliant trademarks in its palette and iconography.
Artist/maker notes
Robert John Crear McCartney (1931-2016). McCartney’s career was set by a visit to Chartres Cathedral where he saw the stunning ‘La Belle Verrière’. He returned to Glasgow determined to study stained glass, and instigated the creation of a course at the Glasgow School of Art. After time as manager of the Stained Glass Studio at Pluscarden Priory and teaching, he became a freelance artist in 1988.
Source:
200 Scottish Stained Glass Artists by Rona H Moody in The Journal of Stained Glass, Scotland Issue, Volume XXX, 2006
Allison Robertson’s obituary of Crear McCartney in The Scottish Herald
Pluscarden Abbey
A stained glass workshop was established when the Priory was rebuilt after the World War II and lasted into the 1990s. Artists that worked there included Sadie McLellan and Crear McCartney.
Comments by
Iain Galbraith and Peter Hildebrand