OHCT Trustee Malcolm Airs reviews this illuminating book on the significance and beauty of stained glass.
Despite its brevity this is an illuminating account of the significance and beauty of the stained glass from all periods which adorn our cathedrals. Janet Gough was formerly Secretary of the Cathedrals Fabric Commission and her stated aim in writing the book was ‘to encourage people to go and seek out cathedral glass for themselves, and to enjoy engaging with it as our predecessors did in previous centuries’. There can be little doubt that it will do just that.
A helpful preface briefly outlines the history of ecclesiastical stained glass by explaining its composition, its association with Gothic architecture and the need for conservation. It is complemented by a useful glossary of the technical terms used in the descriptions. The text then explores fifty windows or glazing schemes to be found in the cathedrals of the Church of England together with the Royal Peculiars of Westminster Abbey and St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle and St German’s Cathedral on the Isle of Man. They are set out chronologically in three parts entitled The Middle Ages and the Reformation, The Long Nineteenth Century and The Modern Age with the significance of each period introduced by a succinct summary. Each entry is given a double page spread focussing on a single example which describes the theme and the method of manufacture and is illustrated by stunning photographs which emphasise their vibrant colours.
The entry for Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford is devoted to the window in the north aisle by the Dutch artist Abraham van Linge dating from 1631. It shows the prophet Jonah under a tree looking towards Nineveh and is the sole survivor of a whole set of windows by van Linge which were commissioned at the same time but were removed later in the century. It is a beautiful composition and an excellent example of the distinctive Flemish-style stained and painted glass that the van Linge brothers executed in a number of other Oxford college chapels in the early seventeenth century. Any visit to the cathedral inspired by this specific example would, of course, lead to the enjoyment of all the other windows from all periods that can be seen throughout the building some of which are briefly mentioned in the text.
Both publishers and the author deserve high praise for producing such an attractive publication in an easily portable format. The pleasure of dipping into each entry at home will act as an inspiration for countless journeys to experience at first hand the variety and beauty of the Divine Light which illuminates all our cathedrals.
Divine Light: The Stained Glass of England’s Cathedrals, Janet Gough, (Kulturalis, September 2025), 120 pages, ISBN-10: 1836360274; ISBN-13: 978-1836360278, paperback, £14.95.
