The Stained Glass Tour |
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The Stained Glass Tour can be arranged by appointment and will normally incorporate a presentation on the history of the church.
Although the redevelopment of the building has resulted in some restricted access to some of the windows, not one has been lost, and many have been lovingly restored.
The Heritage Centre
"ENTER HIS GATES WITH THANKSGIVING"
For over 125 years, this window inscribed with these words from Psalm 100, has watched over all who have entered the church.
Situated behind the font, in what was the main entrance to the church, the Risen Jesus is designed to move all to praise: the nail-prints in his palms encouraging even the downcast to take comfort.
The Assembly Room
Originally the Lobby (Narthex) of the building, the three windows, given by the MaCandless family, draw our attention to the three Victorian qualities: Faith, Hope and Charity.
The All-age Training Suite
Once the North Aisle, the first window depicts Jesus the Light of the World bringing Temperance and Justice. These were the first of a series given in memory of Elias Fletcher, who served as churchwarden for 25 years.
The second window, once sited in a choir vestry, depicts King David playing a lyre, given in thanksgiving for the safe return of family from the Great War by Alice Hartley.
The third window commemorates Elizabeth Jeffrey, wife of the church’s longest-serving vicar: Canon Jeffrey. This illustrates the ‘Raising of Lazarus’.
The Old Gallery
Here remains the oldest of all the windows, retained from the first church of 1821 in memory of Henry Banks a key Trustee and benefactor. The centre light shows Christ the King and below is the Visit of the Wise men to the infant Jesus: ‘The word made flesh’ according to St.John. The other windows celebrate ‘the written word’: Holy Scripture; revealing Moses on the left and King David on the right; both escorted by gospel writers: St.Matthew and St.Mark on one side, St.Luke and St.John on the other.
The Old Clerestory
From the Old Gallery the only two stained clerestory windows can be viewed. The nearest shows Jesus the Good Shepherd and St.Paul with the ‘sword of the Spirit: the word of God’.The farthest, Saint Dorothy, said to have been martyred about 303AD, when, at her death, a basket of apples and roses miraculously appeared.
The Haven
The first window follows the theme of prayer: the way in which we speak to God and he speaks to us. Jesus is shown in the Garden of Gethsemane ‘not my will but thine’. Accompanying Jesus are, on one side, the boy Samuel (called by God in the Temple) and the old prophet Simeon, receiving the fulfilment of God’s promise of seeing the messiah.
The windows emphasise God’s willingness to speak to young or old. The second window follows the theme of much of the church’s carving: Jesus the Vine. Again, in the customary Victorian style, Prudence and Fortitude are personified as classical female figures.