Worcester Cathedral, Worcestershire
Address
Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, 8 College Yard, Worcester WR1 2LATheme
Overview
A wonderful range of windows from the 1850s to the 1950s by many of the leading practitioners of the period. Exploration is aided by a couple of exemplary guide books, from which the numbers below are taken.
In addition to the highlighted window it is particularly worth looking out for two dramatic windows by Hardman & Co. The east window (No.1), 1860, shows scenes from the Life of Christ, and the west window (No.18), 1875, which shows the Creation and Fall.
In the south wall of the nave there is an attractive window (No.12) by Christopher & Veronica Whall, 1923. While one of Worcester’s most famous sons, Edward Elgar, is commemorated in a window by AK Nicholson (No.20), 1935, in the north wall of the nave.
The cloisters also have an extensive collection of stained glass, including a fine series of history windows designed by James Edie Reid (15 windows from 1916 – c.1927), AJ Davies (5 windows from 1933-50) and Ernest Waldron West (one window of 1956-57). An elegant window (south walk No.2) to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the foundation of the Cathedral College & of the refoundation of The King’s School, Worcester. It was designed by Alfred Fisher and made by Chapel Studios in 1994.
Highlight
The Bennet window on the north side of the nave (No.24)Artist, maker and date
Designed by Nathaniel Westlake and made by Lavers and Barraud, 1864Reason for highlighting
The Bennet window focuses on the virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity. Made by Lavers & Barraud and thought to have been designed by Nathaniel Westlake, it was installed 1864. Probably the best Victorian glass in the cathedral, the impact of its rich colours is heightened if you are able to enter the nave via the Prior’s Door opposite, which leads from the north-east corner of the cloisters.
Artist/maker notes
Lavers & Barraud (1858-1868) & Lavers, Barraud and Westlake (1868-1921)
Nathaniel Wood Lavers (1828–1911) established the firm in 1855 and was joined by Francis Philip Barraud (1824–1900) in 1858. The firm employed a number of freelance artists, one of whom was Nathaniel Westlake who became a partner in 1868. Westlake eventually became the sole partner following the deaths of Lavers and Barraud.
Nathaniel Hubert John Westlake (1833–1921) was not only a fine painter, associated with the Gothic Revival and the Pre-Raphaelites, but also a fine scholar of the history of stained glass.
Sources:
Angels & Icons: Pre-Raphaelite Stained Glass 1850-1870 by William Waters (Seraphim Press Ltd 2012)
Stained Glass Marks and Monograms. Complied by Joyce little (London: National Association of Decorative and Fine Art Societies, 2002)
Comments by
Peter Hildebrand