21 : Stained glass windows
The windows above the High Altar were given by Stanley and Rosa Burgess in 1916 in memory of Stanley’s mother. Stanley H Burgess was a surgeon who lived in Castlebar Hill. Each of the 5 two-light lancet windows has two tall figures in the centre, a smaller single emblem above and two small pictures below. Only 3 of the 5 windows are easily visible from the nave, and the details of the stained glass are difficult to see because of the height of the windows.
Here are details of the figures and scenes depicted in each lancet window, numbered from 1 (left) to 5 (right).
At the top of the window : 1 St Matthew 2 St John 3 The Paschal Lamb 4 St Mark 5 St Luke
The two full-length figures in each window are as follows : 1 St Andrew and St George, 2 St Peter and St James the Great, 3 Christ Condemned and Christ the King, 4 St Barnabas and St Paul, and 5 St Patrick and St David.
The smaller scenes depicted at the bottom of each window are :1 St Columba in Iona and St Augustine preaching in Kent, 2 ‘Lord not my feet only’ and ‘Thy will be done’, 3 Christ rejected by this world and Christ rules in the Kingdom of Heaven, 4 ‘Touch me not’ and ‘Feed my sheep’, and 5 St Bridget teaching in Ireland and the Alleluia victory. These various details are difficult to detect because of the height of the windows.
Here are photos of the upper part of each window, taken by John Salmon. Click to enlarge them.
1
2
3
4
5
Here are the lower parts of the windows
1
2
3
4
5
Lower down, behind the altar, there is a long thin window in the centre of the apse. This shows Christ holding a sheaf of corn and a depiction of the supper at Emmaus. The left hand photo below shows the whole window, and the other 3 images show enlarged details.
The two windows in the South Aisle were also given by Stanley Burgess and dedicated in 1922. The window depicting the Nativity was given in memory of his wife, Rosa Burgess, and that beside the door was given in memory of four nephews who died in the first world war. The latter portrays Archangel Michael at the centre, flanked by 4 warriors – David, Jonathan, Gideon and Joshua. Above them are the royal coat of arms and the shields of England, Scotland and France. Photos are by John Salmon.
All the stained glass windows were made by the leading manufacturers, Clayton and Bell
