Patrick Comerford
I have spent some time in Saint Peter’s Church during my visits to Berkhamsted over the past month or so, and I was discussing the Cooper window by Nathaniel Westlake in a blog posting in my prayer diary about two weeks ago (30 November, see HERE), looking at its depiction of Christ the King and the images of angels, prophets, martyrs, priests and the church, inspired by the verses of the canticle Te Deum.
In one idle moment, as I was preparing that posting as part of a series this week on the theme of Christ the King, I amused myself by asking whether it might have been a more appropriate tribute to William Cooper, the chemist and vet who invented sheep dip, to have had a window with an image of Christ the Good Shepherd.
In fact, the next window along the north aisle in the church shows Christ as both the Good Shepherd and the Light of the World.
This window has perpendicular-style stone tracery, and possibly dates from the 15th century. The glass, however is Victorian, designed by Heaton, Butler and Bayne.
The left panel shows Christ as the Good Shepherd, a typical 19th century illustration of Christ. The right panel is based on the 1854 painting ‘The Light of the World’ by the Pre-Raphaelite artist William Holman Hunt. There are three versions of this painting – in Keble College, Oxford, Manchester Art Gallery and Saint Paul’s Cathedral, London – and it has been widely copied in stained glass in churches all over the world.
This enduring image of Christ is inspired by words in Revelation 3: 20 – ‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.’ The Risen Christ stands in a dark forest holding a lantern and knocking at a door, asking us to let Him into our hearts. It is significant that the door has no handle on the outside. Christ cannot enter unless we let him in.
The window is in memory of the publisher and author William Longman (1813-1877), who is buried in Berkhamsted. He was a member of the family that founded Longman publishers. William Longman was the author of books on mountaineering, a biography of Edward III and a history of the three cathedrals in London dedicated to Saint Paul.
The choice of Holman Hunt’s painting was inspired by Longman’s love of Saint Paul’s Cathedral. A sailing ship, the logo of Longman publishers, can be seen in the top of the window.
The stained-glass windows in Saint Peter’s Church are particularly interesting. Most of the original mediaeval stained glass has been lost, although two small examples of 13th century glass survive in the old chancel and the north aisle. The surviving Gothic stonework is significant because reveals much about the age of building.
The oldest part of Saint Peter’s was built in the Early English style, and there are three lancet windows from the early or mid 13th century in the Old Chancel, and traces of Early English window openings in the Lady Chapel.
The church was extended and altered between 1250 and 1400, and this is reflected in the changing style of the window openings and the patterns of the tracery. Straight lines and circular forms are prominent in the tracery of the east window, and the windows in the south transept and Saint John’s Chantry. This Geometric style is a typical of early Decorated Gothic and dates these parts of the church to ca 1270-1300.
Ornate reticulated tracery of the curvilinear style can be seen in the north transept windows and the windows in the Saint Catherine Chapel. The curvilinear style, with sinuous, S-shaped curves combined in complex, ornate net-like patterns, is a striking change of style in Gothic design and came into fashion ca 1315. It known as reticulated tracery, and suggests that these parts of the church were built in the early 14th century.
During the Civil War, Saint Peter’s Church was used as a prison to Royalist soldiers. The windows were taken out in 1648, losing most of the original medieval glass.
During the Victorian renovations, the original mediaeval tracery and the external reveals were replaced with faithful reproductions, while the original internal reveals were retained. New stained glass from renowned Victorian glassmakers was installed, including windows designed by Charles Eamer Kempe, Heaton, Butler and Bayne, Nathaniel Westlake, Powell, Clayton and Bell, and Curtis, Ward and Hughes.
The Curtis memorial window in the south transept depicts the Resurrection of the Dead described in the Book of Revelation. It was installed as a memorial to Sophia Curtis, who is depicted in the third light from the west.
It is the work of Clayton and Bell, one of Victorian Britain’s most prolific and proficient stained glass workshops, and it dates from 1873 when the firm was approaching its greatest renown. Among Clayton and Bell’s famous works are the west window in King’ s College Chapel, Cambridge and the mosaics on the Albert Memorial in London.
The Saint Catherine Chapel, south of the old chancel, dates from the 14th century and was restored ca 1890-1909. It has an alabaster reredos copied from the high altar screen of Winchester Cathedral and stained glass from the workshops of Heaton, Butler and Bayne and Curtis, Ward and Hughes.
The east window above the altar celebrates Holy Baptism, Holy Orders and Holy Eucharist. It is by Heaton, Butler and Bayne. The tracery of this window appears to be of a mediaeval origin, designed in a reticulated pattern that was fashionable in the Decorated period in the early 14th century. However it is uncertain whether the tracery is mediaeval or was inserted during Sir Jefrey Wyatville’s restoration of the church in the 1820s.
There are two additional examples of Victorian stained glass in recesses above two mediaeval tomb in Saint Catherine’s Chapel. The window closest to the altar depicts Saint Christopher, the Christ-bearer. It is signed by TF Curtis of Curtis, Ward and Hughes.
The next window along, by Heaton, Butler and Bayne, shows Saint Francis of Assisi. It was donated by the Sunday School teachers and children in 1901.
A three-light window in the south aisle dates from 1880 and is the work of the great Victorian masters Charles Eamer Kempe (1837-1907). It is a fine example of Gothic Revival design and it shows Saint Augustine of Canterbury, the Archangel Michael and Saint Alban, the patron saint of the diocese.
In the head of the window are shields bearing the heraldic arms of the Dorrien and Drake families. The Perpendicular-style stone tracery is probably late 14th/early 15th century.
The Great West Window is best seen from the High Altar or from the east end of the nave. It is from the workshop of Heaton, Butler and Bayne, and was exhibited at the International Exposition in Paris in 1867, when it won a Bronze Medal (Class XVI, Crystal, Fancy Glass and Stained Glass, British section).
The window shows a variety of saints and Biblical scenes. The uppermost light has an image of Saint Catherine with the wheel that is the symbol of her martyrdom. On the bottom row, the furthest light on the right, which portrays the martyrdom of Saint Andrew, whose feast day is tomorrow (30 November).
The images in this window draw on mediaeval illustrations to depict the clothes and architecture of the Holy Land. But this window is a departure from Victorian Gothic with its almost garish colours and the simple forms that look forward to the Arts and Crafts movement and Art Nouveau.
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