Westminster Abbey, London
Address
Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, 20 Deans Yard, Westminster, London SW1P 3PATheme
Overview
The Abbey’s collection ranges from early 13th century panels beautifully displayed in the new Queen’s Gallery, to the contemporary, as highlighted below.
In the body of the Abbey look out for the great west window, the design for which was probably sketched out by Sir James Thornhill and made after his death by William Price. The work of Price’s father, Joshua, can be seen in the north rose window, 1722, although, unfortunately, some of his work was cut down when the north front was rebuilt by J L Pearson in the late 19th century.
Some of the best glass in the cathedral is to be found in Henry VII’s Lady Chapel. This includes one of Hugh Easton’s best known works, the Battle of Britain Memorial window, 1947, in the eastern most chapel. Above, the central east window by Alan Younger, 2000, is flanked by two windows by Hughie O’Donoghue RA, created in 2013 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation. Hughie O’Donoghue’s designs were translated into glass in collaboration with Helen Whittaker of Barley Studio.
The donors to the chapel restoration appeal are commemorated in the apsidal chapels in 21 windows designed by Alfred Fisher of Chapel Studio, 1995-97. They equated to modern heraldry and displayed achievements in the lives of those involved. There is an image of one of the panels on the artist page for Alfred Fisher.
Back in the main body of the Abbey also take note of two thirty foot lancets for Poets’ Corner by Graham Jones, 1992. The windows are striking for the mixture of traditional gothic forms with a fluid contemporary execution. It is a truly brilliant window, particularly if you study the actual execution. There is an image of a detail of one of the panels on the artist page for Graham Jones.
Any visit to the Abbey should be combined with a visit to the adjacent church of St Margaret. Highlights there include a dramatic early 16th century east window of Flemish glass, and stained glass of 1967 by John Piper and Patrick Reyntiens across 8 bays of the south aisle.
Highlight
West window in the north transept - The Queen's windowArtist, maker and date
David Hockney with Helen Whittaker of Barley Studio, 2018Reason for highlighting
Hockney’s breezily fresh and undogmatic approach to designing stained glass is an essential antidote to the great majority of church windows still being produced, which unfortunately appear to have been designed to satisfy people’s jaded expectations of a what a church window should look like, rather than to challenge or surprise them, educate them, or even just to make them think; too much holy wallpaper, too little good art. This may not be the greatest British window of recent years (although the colouring is magnificent and the glasses superb), but it is a necessary one.
Artist/maker notes
David Hockney OM, CH, RA (b.1937) is an English painter, draftsman, printmaker, stage designer, and photographer. As an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century.
Source: David Hockney on Wikipedia
Helen Whittaker MBE is a renowned artist and designer, highly regarded for her new stained glass windows and architectural sculpture in glass and copper. She is the Creative Director at Barley Studio, York
Source: Barley Studio website
Barley Studio was established by Keith Barley MBE in 1973 and has an international reputation for excellence in stained glass creation and conservation for cathedrals, stately homes, parish churches and prestigious secular buildings across the UK and beyond.
Source: Barley Studio website
Comments by
Peter Hildebrand, Andrew Moor and Phil Thomas