St Paul’s Cathedral, Dundee, Angus
Address
Cathedral Church of St Paul, 1 High Street, Dundee DD1 1TDOverview
A Victorian church in Decorated Gothic style by Sir George Gilbert Scott. The church opened for worship in late 1855, but it would be another ten years before the considerable debt incurred was cleared and the building was formally consecrated. Enhancements were made to the building as funds became available, including a splendid alabaster and marble Reredos by Clayton and Bell, to a design by George Gilbert Scott, in 1867.
The stained glass windows were also added over many years, with the earliest marking the first return to Dundee of schemes of religious glass, since the Reformation. Amongst the earliest are the two windows in the west wall by Scott & Drape of Carlisle. The southern window was temporarily displayed in Carlisle Cathedral in April 1856 ‘to judge of its effect’, prior to its installation at Dundee. In the previous year, a window by Alexander Gibbs & Co was installed in the north wall of the nave, along with five sanctuary windows by Hardman. The latter were the first of a series of windows made by Hardman in the years up to 1894, with the various windows providing insights into changing tastes and styles.
The church was elevated to cathedral status in 1905.
Highlight
Nativity window in the east wall of the Lady ChapelArtist, maker and date
Hardman & Co., c.1864Reason for highlighting
This is a good example of Hardman’s work from the 1860s and a window that can be enjoyed at close quarters. Note the elegant curve to the shape of the Virgin Mary, which has an unusual appeal.
The shield at the bottom of the window is that of Bishop Forbes (1817-75), the driving force in the construction of the church.
Artist/maker notes
Hardman & Co. was founded in 1838 to manufacture ecclesiastical metal work to the designs of AWN Pugin (1812-52), who encouraged the firm’s expansion into stained glass in 1845. Pugin acted as its chief designer until his death, when he was succeeded by his nephew John Hardman Powell.
John Hardman Powell (1827-95) a deeply religious Roman Catholic, was trained as an apprentice by Pugin. A rare privilege given Pugin’s reluctance to employ clerks or take on pupils. The Hardman firm continued to flourish under his leadership, due in part to the individual attention given to commissions and the originality of each design, a contrast to other firms that would often reuse designs numerous times.
Sources:
Hardman of Birmingham, Goldsmith and Glasspainter by Michael Fisher (Landmark Publishing, 2008)
The Stained Glass of John Hardman and Company under the leadership of John Hardman Powell from 1867 to 1895 by Mathé Shepheard, which can be downloaded as a 3 volume PDF Hardman Powell PDF
Comments by
Iain Galbraith and Peter Hildebrand