Stained Glass of Percy Bacon

Snettisham, St Mary's

Norfolk

Approached from the west, St Mary's is a spectacular sight; more a surprise that such a large and cathedral-like structure should serve a small village in Norfolk. Indeed, St Mary's is so cathedral-like in stately proportion, that a copy was made for Fredericton Cathedral
Fredericton Cathedral, New Brunswick, Canada. Design copied from St Mary's, Snettisham.
Image courtesy of "Canada's Historic Places" Web site.

The cathedral at Fredericton was founded by John Medley in 1845. Medley. who had been a clergyman in Exeter became the diocese's first bishop. Before leaving England for Canada, Medley had engaged architect Frank Willis of Exeter to make detailed plans for a new cathedral based on St Mary's, Snettisham. The designs modified St Mary's in a number of respects, informed principally by the characteristics promoted by the Ecclesiological Society, such as ensuring the roof of the chancel was the same height as the nave. The designs for Fredericton Cathedral included a north transept and chancel, both of which had been demolished at Snettisham. The cathedral was built between 1845 and 1853, with additional design works for the choir and tower by William Butterfield, and the spire by Medley himself. Further information is available on the Wikipedia page. in New Brunswick, Canada, which boasted a population of nearly 60,000 in 2016, and for which the Bacon Studios provided a monumental stone tomb in 1897.^FN1 The church plan was originally cruciform, and much larger than the church we see today. The chancel was demolished in the 17th century and the north transept perhaps as early as 1597.¹ Only the north east corner of the chancel still remains as a reminder of the church's original 14th century plan.

The once central tower above the crossing has a slender stone spire, a rarity in Norfolk, only three others and Norwich Cathedral having one. Indeed, Snettisham's spire is not unlike that of Norwich Cathedral, and at 175 feet is one of the tallest in the county. That spire is made more beautiful for having flying buttresses linked to plain spirelets at the corner of the square tower which springs from the corner internal columns below and is embellished with lucarnes. This arrangement creates a grand space open from east to west and permits the great six-light west window, which is filled with glass by William Warrington depicting Old Testament types. Pevsner describes the church as the best decorated church in East Anglia. Who could argue? In 1855-6 Frederick Preedy arranged the space under the tower as a chancel. Barnes suggests that there was a "bare wall" which closed the east end so Preedy may well have inserted the east window we see today, as well as the original stained glass.² On the night of 18th January 1915 a German Zeppelin dropped a number of bombs around King's Lynn and Hunstanton. One of these landed 25 yards from the south east corner of the church blowing out the east window and all those in the Le Strange Chapel. It would not be until 1920 that the east window would again have painted glass, and this task fell to Percy Bacon. There is a lot of good glass in the church by William Warrington, Frederick Preedy, Michael O'Connor and Paul Jeffries (1969).

East Window: 1920.

The east window of five lights depicts the crucified Christ flanked by Mary and John. The outer lights depict St Peter and St Paul. In the tracery are putti, emblems of the four evangelists and angels holding shields with alpha and omega symbols. At the very top the figure of Christ enthroned and a white dove. Above Ss Peter and Paul float angels on plain quarries. It is a war memorial window, but unfortunately the dedication is obscured by the top of the reredos.

The cartoons for the centre three lights were reused in 1930 in the east window of nearby St Mary's, Wisbech St Mary, Cambridgeshire, as were the floating angels above Ss Peter and Paul. At Wisbech St Mary the two outer figures were replaced with Ss Michael and George.

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

1. Historic England Website: Church of St Mary, Snettisham
2. Barnes, G: Frederick Preedy, Architect and Glass Painter 1820-1898. p52.
   

Footnotes:

1. In 1897 Percy Bacon and Brothers was engaged by the Rev. Ernest Geldart (in collaboration with the architect William Butterfield) to execute his design for the tomb of Bishop John Medley at Fredricton Cathedral, New Brunswick, Canada. This was described in The Churchman, 9th January 1897 as follows: "The memorial consists of a monumental tomb...It is of Portland Stone, well fitted to stand the climate of New Brunswick. Upon the top of the tomb is a cross, extending its full length, with the crozier. Around the side an inscription marks the bishop's age and the date of his death, and the fact that it was erected in loving memory by the clergy of the diocese. A small enclosure around the monument is set off by a low granite coped stone wall, placed there by Mrs Medley. Late in the past autumn, the monument for the cathedral was forwarded from England, and put in the place assigned. The position is at the end of the south aisle, across the steps of the south transept.... There is a well designed screen of dark butternut wood behind. The figure rests on a slab of gray Devonshire marble, the top of the tomb. This [the figure] is of white marble, about 2 feet 6 inches high. Carved on the beveled edge of the gray slab is the following inscription: 'Johs. Medley, S. T. P. , episc. primus diocesis, aedisque hujus fundator, proviniae Canadae Metropolitae. Ob. Sept. 9, 1892.'
   Cut in Carrara white marble, the figure and features of the bishop are wonderfully life-like. The tome has three panels of pierced work, showing a background of highly polished red marble. In the centre of the panel, under the head, are the bishop's coat of arms; that under the feet shows the arms of the diocese, while the central panel has on it the sacred monogram crowned."