St Mary the Virgin, Plumtree, Nottinghamshire

The two-light window creates a quiet and beautiful incident in this part of Plumtree church. Four roundels depict the minsters of York, Lincoln and Southwell and the parish church of Plumtree, with the arms of the dioceses of York and Lincoln above (Nottinghamshire was transferred from the Diocese of York to the Diocese of Lincoln in 1837. Southwell Diocese was created in 1884). The leadwork framing the roundels is freely treated, swirling in places, with pale glass predominantly in blues. Beneath, lettering is contained within red, grey and blue panels which cut across the words, creating an abstract effect while remaining legible, an unusual and successful motif. The red resonates with the main colour of the York arms, the blue with the wells in those of Southwell. The combination of the lettering and leadwork with representations of relevant churches and cathedrals blends a sense of tradition with a feeling of modernity. The small number of identified windows by this talented artist makes the Plumtree window the more precious.