Truro Cathedral, Cornwall
Address
Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St Mary's St, Truro TR1 2AFTheme
Overview
J. L. Pearson’s UK masterpiece is famously glazed throughout by the firm of Clayton & Bell in a scheme conceived as a coherent whole. It was the largest and most ambitious window scheme of the 19th century.
By contrast the older parish church of St Mary, which was incorporated as an outer south aisle to the chancel, contains some medieval fragments and the work of other Victorian studios. These include six south wall windows by William Warrington, that are typical examples of his use of bold primary colours, strong leading, dramatic design, and heavy painted shading.
Further information: Cornish Stained Glass – The windows of Truro cathedral
Highlight
Upper and lower east windowsArtist, maker and date
Clayton & Bell, 1887Reason for highlighting
The lower east window is the only major windows in the whole building that is low enough for its artistic details to be appreciated from the cathedral floor. These panels contain some of the finest examples of design and glass painting in the whole building; a fitting tribute to the skills of the studio of Clayton and Bell, and their high status in the High Victorian Gothic Revival. The upper window has a Te Deum design which was used two years later at St Paul’s cathedral, Melbourne, Australia
Further information: Cornish Stained Glass – Truro cathedral east windows
Artist/maker notes
Clayton & Bell is one of the best known and most prolific studios of the Victorian Age. The original partners, John Richard Clayton (1827-1913) and Alfred Bell (1832-95), were encouraged into business by Sir George Gilbert Scott, who would go on to use the firm for numerous commissions, as did G E Street and J L Pearson.
While the output of the firm would become prodigious, it also affected the development of stained glass through the significant number of artists, who spent time with the firm, including Charles Eamer Kempe, John Burlison and Thomas Grylls, and Robert Bayne.
Source: Angels & Icons: Pre-Raphaelite Stained Glass 1850-1870 by William Waters (Seraphim Press Ltd 2012)
Comments by
Michael Swift and Peter Hildebrand