Stained Glass of Percy Bacon; Hanslope, Buckinghamshire

Hanslope, St James the Great

Buckinghamshire

St James the Great, Hanslope, Buckinghamshire

St James is a fine, elegant church, its tall slender tower with crocketed spirelets and a graceful spire with pierced flying buttresses is the tallest in the county. The tower is some 20ft lower than the original which collapse after a lightning strike in 1804.¹ It is said that on a good day the hills of Worcestershire are visible from the tower. The chancel is 12th century with a fine archway from the nave and an external blind arcade on the south side with demi-columns in two stages up to the corbel table which has carved heads. In places the arcade is pierced by narrow round-headed windows with deep internal splays and to the west a fine priests door with dog-tooth carved semi-circular head, the door itself with a plain arch concentric with the hood and elaborate and unusual scalloped carvings on the door shafts. The chancel was restored by G E Street in 1865, and although a great deal of it was taken down and rebuilt, thankfully he preserved the south wall, and restored the high Norman windows. Prior to Street's restoration the church was clearly in considerable need of attention, as is attested by this drawing which appeared in the Builder of March 1847.² The inverted V moulding above the door was removed but the horizontal string course preserved. He also (as the Builder put it) "discovered" three sedilia which were preserved.³ These were actually known about a full six years prior to Street's intervention as is attested by a correspondent to The Builder in May 1859, signing themselves as "AMANUENSIS", who wrote:

"...I may mention that about sixty years since an oak dado was raised high above an ordinary man's head, and placed round the entire chancel, and behind this are sedilia, piscina, and a large quantity of Norman tracery, all of which , I am informed from one who remembers having seen a portion uncovered, are of superior workmanship, and fair preservation".⁴

In an earlier paragraph, the correspondent heaped scorn on the "restorers" who were at the time attending to some plaster work and in that process had uncovered some medieval wall paintings, only to our correspondent's horror to see such precious artwork being "pecked down bit by bit". All the plaster has now gone (removed by Prynne in the restoration of 1925) along with the artwork, and there is now only the feint remnant of a painting depicting a Bear and Ragged Staff on the wall of the stair turret leading to the now removed rood gallery, it being a memorial to the Earl of Warwick who owned the manor at one time. Whether Prynne was aware of such other treasures is moot.

Our correspondent writes;

"DESTRUCTION IN HANSLOPE CHURCH: As a non-professional reader of the Builder, I have often been deeply grateful to its columns for telling me of some work of Medieval design that was being carefully tended by those to whom the restoration of churches were en- trusted, and my antiquarian propensities have rejoiced at the good you have done in this cause. May I, on the present occasion, ask your powerful aid to stop one of the most wanton acts of vandalism I have ever heard of? The church of Hanslope in Buckinghamshire...is being repaired internally. The restorers, finding the surface of the walls uneven, and intending to plaster it and make it into stone-like compartments, discovered that there was an abundance of polychrome decoration on the walls: they wanted to see what they looked like, and uncovered about a square yard, which revealed a representation of Purgatory, and figures of saints, the Blessed Virgin Mary, devils, and grotesques of all sorts in an elaborate scroll-work, and of brilliant colour. Will it be believed, that men could now be found deliberately to have this picture pecked down bit by bit, in order that the wall should be granulated to receive the even coat of plaster! Such is the fact. One compartment has vanished, but by your aid, it is hoped such an outcry will be raised that the plastering process will not be allowed to be proceeded with".⁵

Much of the rest of the church is late 13th - 15th century. The tower is 15th century and later.

Further restoration works were carried out by G H Fellowes-Prynne between 1917 and 1925. He stripped the walls of the plaster and re-roofed the nave.⁶ It was during this time, in 1921, that the south aisle east war memorial window was installed by Percy Bacon and Brothers. As is discussed on the next page this window has some stylistic characteristics of Prynne's designs, so is likely to have been designed and commissioned by him.

Posted 30 May 2022.

East Window; 1893

St Jame the Great, Hanslope, Buckinghamshire, East Window

East window of 1893. Use the mouse wheel to zoom. Click/drag
to explore the window.

East window: 1893: Crucifixion.

East window: 1893: Nativity, Christ and the Elders.

East window: 1893: Nativity.

East window: 1893: Christ with the Elders in the temple.

East window: 1893: Christ before Pilate, Baptism of Christ.

East window: 1893: Christ before Pilate.

East window: 1893: Baptism of Christ.

East window: 1893: Tracery.

The east window is one of the earliest works of the Percy Bacon studios, and this window is one of only 11 commissions confirmed to have been completed in 1893. It is illustrative of the high standards which the firm had adopted right from the start. The detail is astonishing; The architectonic devices are more elaborate and effusive than ever, all but the central light canopies are topped by guardian angels, witnesses to the proceedings below them. In the lower tracery are the four evangelists with their emblems and higher still more angels holding scrolls which read, "Wonderful" & "Counsellor". At the very top a white dove.

The main lights cover scenes from the life of Christ, each in its own niche with wide columns and a pedestal below, conforming to Percy Bacons "manifesto". The central light is the Crucifixion with Mary and John, a Roman Soldier, and Mary Magdalene at the foot of the cross. The other lights (L-R) are; Nativity, Christ with the elders in the temple, Christ before Pontius Pilate, and Baptism of Christ.

Hanslope St James the Great East Window Tracery

Tracery: Note the angels on top of the canopies

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

The spire was again struck by lightning in April 1904 damaging one of the spirelets at the top of the tower. Each spirelet was topped with a revolving copper vane (as they are to this day). A subsequent report by the Lightning Research Committee (L.R.C) of 1905 concluded; "The failure of the tape conductor was mainly due to its being run inside the tower wall ; also, its utility was lessened by being let into a chase instead of being carried on holdfasts outside the structure as recommended by the L.R.C. Rule 3".
The Builder: Vol 23; 18 March 1865.
The Builder Volume 5 Issue 216 27 Mar 1847 p111.
The Builder Volume 17 Issue 848, 05 July 1859, p318.
Ibid.
Pevsner, N. & Williamson, E. The Buildings of England; Buckinghamshire, Penguin 1994; p369.
See also Lambeth Palace Library (Faculty Online); Alt ref No. ICBS 11351 ff 1-32 Faculty for re-roofing.

Location Map:

NGR: SP 80392 46717
Sat Nav Post Code: MK19 7LT