Stained glass

St Peter's Church, Shipley has several stained glass windows that I think are really beautiful. The 19th century in England saw a revival in the art of stained glass and by the time St Peter's Church was built there were many firms making richly coloured and highly decorative windows. Much of the fine detail - faces and pattern - is painted onto the glass. The window above is in the Hope Chapel (named after the first vicar of the church, Rev Frederick Beresford Hope) and depicts the Nativity scene, with the Wise men offering their gifts to the infant Jesus. There is also a large and splendid multi-panelled East Window showing Christ on the Cross, his Ascension to heaven and a centre panel of Christ the King (see yesterday's photo).

At the other end of the church are three smaller windows, one of which has two panels showing St Joseph and St Mary, Jesus' parents. Detail from the panels is shown below. St. Mary holds lilies, a symbol of purity and a flower often associated with the Virgin Mary and the Annunciation.


Don't they all have lovely faces? I haven't been able to find out who made the stained glass, but it seems that the windows were added to the church in stages, as people donated them in memory of loved ones. What a wonderful memorial to have.