Stained Glass of Percy Bacon; Sandy, Bedfordshire

Sandy, St Swithun's

Bedfordshire

Lady Chapel South 1: Nativity: 1922

St Swithun's Church, Sandy, Befordshire. Stained glass by Percy Bacon

Lady Chapel, South 1: The Nativity. 1922.

St Swithuns is one of only four churches in Bedfordshire with Percy Bacon windows. It is also a rare church in making available to visitors an extremely helpful glossy booklet documenting all the stained glass within, with high quality photographs¹. The south window of the Lady Chapel (e/most) of 1922 depicts (as described in the booklet) "The Nativity". It is a restrained interpretation. The Nativity is generally shown with the visitors, the shepherds and/or the Magi. The usual scene is normally a crowded place, both with people and animals. This window across 2-lights in a unified scene shows a single individual kneeling and paying homage before the BVM and Jesus, his hat and staff resting beside him on the ground. He is richly dressed and has the air of a man of some importance, but it is unclear who he represents. There is a similar window in Skirwith, Cumbria, installed in 1919 which also depicts the Holy Family welcoming the unnamed man.

The window dedicated to Sarah Ann Beston (d. 12 Sept 1922) and is discreetly signed, "Percy Bacon, London".

South Transept East: WWI Memorial: 1921

South Transept East; Courage and Victory. 1921.
Great War memorial to the fallen of Sandy.

South Transept East; Victory. 1921.

South Transept East; Courage. 1921.

In common with many of the stained glass studios, the intra-war and post 1914-18 war years were busy times for the Bacon Studio who were commissioned to produce numerous memorial windows as a fitting tribute to those who lost their lives in the Great War. Often Bacon's windows depicted nebulous, allegorical figures such as "Courage", "Valour" and "Victory", lavishly dressed in medieval armour and holding swords, lances and shields. Victory, as here, is often shown with a sword or lance in his left hand, with right arm raised aloft holding a laurel wreath, the symbol of triumph. This imagery of chivalric knights redolent of a bygone age of honourable chivalry was, of necessity overly romanticised, both to provide succour and comfort to those who had lost loved ones, and avoid the portrayal of the brutality and futility of modern warfare. Above the figures on a scroll, the words, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” echoing Revelation 2:10.

The two-light window of 1921 in the south transept of St Swithun's was erected by the parishioners of Sandy in memory of those who died in the Great War, 1914-1918. The plaque below the window gives thanks to God, "...the giver of victory and in affectionate memory of all who from this parish helped to secure to us the priceless heritage of liberty.." and lists the names of the fallen.

These particular cartoons depicting Courage and Victory were heavily recycled at other churches; e.g. in St Peter's Carmarthen (1918), Narberth, Pembrokeshire (1918), St Nicholas, Hornsea (1919) and St Laurence, Forres, Scotland amongst others, sometime renamed. Very similar cartoons were used at Dunchurch (Warks) and in the west window at Holy Trinity, Leamington Spa (Warks). The identical figurative cartoons and scrolls were also used for the Statham Memorial window of the same year in St Paul's Cathedral in Dunedin, New Zealand, but these were renamed, "Fortitude" and "Patriotism".² Also virtually identical cartoons and scrolls were used at St Bartholomew's, Quorndon, Leicestershire (c1920), and St John the Baptist, Bognor Regis, West Sussex (1916), the latter now installed at Ulverston Parish Church.

The window is unsigned.

This window was sub-contracted by G Maile & Son who were commissioned to complete an entire scheme which included a series of three alabaster and marble mural panels framing the window which contained the names of the fallen. Percy Bacon is reported to have personally designed the lights, drawn the figures and supervised the entire work.³

References: Use your browser's Back button to return to text.

Warrs, T. The Stained Glass Windows of St. Swithun's Church, Sandy, Bedfordshire.
https://jotarofootsteps.blogspot.com/2015/02/sites-st-pauls-cathedral-dunedin-nz.html
The Bedfordshire Times and Independent, 14th January 1921 (p10).

Location Map:

NGR: TL 17400 49078
Sat Nav Post Code: SG19 1AQ