Stained Glass of Percy Bacon

World War I memorial window: Ss George, Michael & Patrick.

World War I memorial window: Ss George, Michael & Patrick

Posted 07 September 2024: Updated 20 October 2024.

There is a single window by Percy Bacon in St Mary Magdalen RC Church. Although no firm corroboration of the provenance of the glass has yet been found for this project, Robert Eberhard gives it to Bacon with the comment "stylistic attribution".¹ However, there is no doubt that this is a Bacon. This is particularly evidenced by the standing figures' facial features which have striking similarities to other Bacon windows (e.g. compare the features of St Michael with that of David in St Pega, Peakirk, Cambridgeshire). Also St Michael holds a flaming sword, a common Bacon motif. The glass is unusually simple, lacking the elaboration usually associated with the studio's output. Also the colouration is remarkably bold.

The window is a memorial to the men of the congregation of St Mary Magdalen who lost their lives in World War One.² It depicts the standing figures of St George, St Michael and St Patrick set into plain orthogonal quarries. In the large tracery lights the arms of England and Ireland, and in the smaller ones the Rose of England and Shamrock of Ireland, reflecting the anglo-irish origin of this church. Beneath Michael the words, "Quis ut Deus" ("Who [is] like God?"). The simple dedication reads:

The dedication ceremony took place on 22nd November 1925 and was led by the RC Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Francis Bourne.^{2 3} Engraved on a brass plate below the window is the following inscription:-

The window is unsigned.

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1. Church Stained Glass Records, as recorded by Robert Eberhard.
2. See Imperial Warm Museum website for more details.
3. Report of dedication ceremony; Richmond Herald, 28 November 1925, p3.