Percy Bacon Stained Glass; Emmer Green, Berkshire.

Emmer Green, St Barnabas

Berkshire

St Barnabas Emmer Green: Christ the King and angelic host

East Window 1929: Christ the King with angelic host.
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East window: Christ the King flanked by Angels Gabriel and Michael and surrounded by the angelic host.

East Window, 1929. Christ the King & Angelic Host

Posted 09 November 2022.

Percy and Clara Bacon were congregants at St Barnabas, and Percy a churchwarden until his death in 1935, but when they moved to Caversham in the summer of 1923 Emmer Green was without a permanent church building. Although St Barnabas's parish had been formed, all services were conducted in the unconsecrated village hall, a corrugated iron hut which still lies just to the east of the present church. The village hall was refurbished in 1925, and at the opening ceremony in November of that year Percy Bacon who had performed the opening ceremony was pictured along with a group of helpers and the incumbent of St Barnabas. Three designs for the new church were commissioned and the parishioners voted for their preference¹. Eschewing the grandeur of the gothic revival structures of the last century which were no longer affordable or desirable, this design was for a simple, rectangular, brick building consisting of nave, chancel and west porch but without a tower. The design chosen reflected a good deal of modern thinking on ecclesiastical architecture, particularly in the lightness of the interior, the nave having 4 large plain glass windows along each of the north and south walls, freeing it from gloom even on an overcast day. Another pressing factor for choosing a simple design was that money was tight. The First World War was still fresh in people's minds, and doubtless played a part in depleting the coffers of potential wealthy donors. Although the Great Depression of the late 20s and early 30s was still a few years off, people's perception of the appropriateness of spending exorbitant sums after such a cataclysmic event may have dented their enthusiasm for such excess.

Notice of Grand Fete to be held at Springfield.
Advert from reading Standard 23 April 1927.

The contract was awarded to local architect J H Willett, and construction began in late 1924 after sufficient funds had been raised, mostly from a bequest of the late Mrs Saunder (£1,000),²
fund-raising events such as fetes, and contributions from the growing congregation of the area. In the first phase of the building only the nave was completed, but even then there was an outstanding debt of £800.³ The chancel would have to wait. From 1925 annual fund raising fetes were organised, and Percy and Clara Bacon would often host the events at their home "Springfield" in Surly Row where they had a meadow of sufficient size. This probably lay to the south or north east of their house as a map of the area from 1935 might suggest. These areas are now occupied by new housing developments and a care home. The fund raising efforts of the congregation enabled the outstanding debt to be settled by 1927⁴ and sufficient funds were raised by 1929 to complete the chancel. The church was consecrated in that year on the festival of St Peter (29th June).

Berkshire Sheet XXIX.SE Revised: 1922, Published ca 1935. Image courtesy of National Library of Scotland reproduced under CC-BY-NC-SA (OS) license.

The east window is a later work of Percy Bacon and perhaps one of his best. It was gifted by Percy and Clara, and installed in time for the full opening of the church.⁵ The subject is Christ the King flanked by the figures of Archangels Gabriel and Michael, and surrounded by an angelic host playing instruments. Many of the cartoons used were borrowed from the 1921 Te Deum east window at All Saints, Bournemouth, or the 1924 east window at Canewdon, Essex. In the tracery angels hold scrolls with the words: "Alleluia", "Salvation", "Glory", "King of Kings", "Lord of Lords", "Honour and Power". At the base of the window on a scroll quoting from Revelation: "I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last". The inscription reads:

This window is given by Percy Haydon-Bacon and his wife Claire of Springfield
to commemorate the Consecration of this church S. Peter's Day MCMXXIX

Some of Bacon's work is characterised by cramming as many faces into a window as possible, perhaps reflecting the style of 15th century artist Martin Schongauer, and his windows in St Barnabas are no exception. Perhaps the most striking examples of his occasional dalliance with crowded scenes can be found in the already mentioned Te Deum east window in All Saints, Bournemouth, Dorset, which, including the angels boasts over sixty figures, all jostling for position in a window with seven narrow lights (See Flickr). The east and west windows in St Barnabas are not quite as crowded as that in Bournemouth, but they are nowhere near as large.. That is not to say the windows in St Barnabas are bad. Far from it. The art work in the east window is exquisite, and the workmanship superlative. Each of the characters exudes a dynamism often lacking in stained glass. The east window alone shows a dignified refinement normally reserved for much larger (and wealthier) edifices. It is perhaps fortunate for St Barnabas that Percy and Clara Bacon were such significant congregants. The east window would be the last of the three windows by Percy Bacon in St Barnabas.

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

Reading Observer - Saturday 09 February 1924, p8. "A New Church for Emmer Green". Caversham Parish Vestry Meeting: Designs for the new church were posted on the notice board at nearby St Peter's with a voting box.
Ibid: Mrs Saunders bequest was caveated. The £1,000 would only be released if the building works were put in hand before 4h December 1924.
Reading Standard - Saturday 25 May 1929, p17.
Ibid.
Reading Standard - Friday 11 January 1935, p17.

Location Map:

NGR: SU 71614 76461
Sat Nav Post Code: RG4 8LN