Stained Glass

The windows in Christ Church were all originally filled with clear glass; the building was quite pure and unadorned originally. Significant embellishment came in the latter half of the nineteenth Century most notably with the introduction of stained glass, which would convey a greater religiosity to the character of the interior.

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The design of Christ Church was not always well received. Writing in 1888 L.F. Hereford describes the building as having "an entire absence of ornamentation and is today as bald and bare as when it was consecrated".

The Palladian tripartite East Window above the altar depicts 'The Ascension' of Jesus in the centre pane, where Christ departs from Earth into the presence of God in heaven.  It is flanked on the left by 'Christ and the Woman of Samaria'; Jesus met with the Samaritan woman to explain his mission on earth:

"whoever drinks from the well ‘shall thirst again... but the water that I shall give him shall be … water springing up into everlasting life."

On the right is depicted 'Christ with Nicodemus' where the latter is brought into the devotion of God through Jesus' teachings and miraculous acts.

The glass dates from 1854 and was designed by William Wailes and was paid for by the Roe family in memory of Roe’s son, daughter-in-law and grandson.  Wailes became well known for producing stained glass windows for religious buildings predominantly in the north of England.  The design is pictorial in style, s concession to the Georgian, but the palette is firmly Victorian.

The stained glass within the South Aisle is all of differing styles and dates (from east to west) as follows:

1     The Good Samaritan (1850), in memory of David Simpson;

2     The Crucifixion (1928), by Morris & Company;

3     The Return of the Prodigal Son (1855);

4     ‘Come unto me all Ye that Labour’ (1872), given in memory of a former Vicar, Charles O.Neill Pratt who died the same year;

5     The Baptism of Christ (1869).

Above the Western Doors the stained glass fanlights are replacements of the lost originals.

Either side of the North Door there was also stained glass designed by Powell and Whitefriars installed around 1908.  These were damaged beyond repair by vandalism and remain in the window sills either side.

The rest of the stained glass languishes in a box pew on the North Side of the church.