Stained Glass of Percy Bacon & Brothers

East window: 1913. Crucifion, BVM & St John, with four attendent prophets.

Light 1: Isaiah.

Light 2: Jeremiah.

Light 3: Blessed Virgin Mary.

Light 4: Jesus on the cross.

Light 5: St John.

Light 6: Ezekiel.

Light 7: Daniel.

Light 1: Isaiah - detail.

Light 2: Jeremiah - detail.

Light 3: Blessed Virgin Mary - detail.

Light 4: Jesus on the cross - detail.

Light 5: St John - detail.

Light 6: Ezekiel - detail.

Light 7: Daniel - detail.

Lower tracery centre.

Lower tracery centr - detail of demi-angels holding shields with symbols of the passion.

Upper tracery centre.

Upper tracery centre - detail.

Lower tracery detail - Pelican in its piety.

Above Isaiah - Crown of thorns in garter.

Above Jeremiah - Hammer and scourge in garter.

Outer tracery left - Alpha symbol in octofoil light.

Outer tracery right - Omega symbol in octofoil light.

East Window, 1913. All Photos on this page by Plasmium.
Creative Commons License; CC BY-SA 4.0.

Posted 27 February 2026.

The church was built 1912-1913, with the stained glass east window being included as part of the build. The window was paid for by John Gardiner (d. 1929), a Bristol businessman who was a major benefactor to St Ambrose, and is credited with providing a substantial proportion of the funds to complete the church, ensuring it would be built as a single contiguous project, rather than in a piecemeal fashion.¹ The window is dedicated to John Gardiner's parents. The east window is large, consisting of seven lights with extensive tracery, with the principle lights representing a crucifixion scene centrally, and figures of four Old Testament prophets, two on each side. Rather than naming the prophets, their initials appear at the top of each light, and scrolls are provided with words from their respective books. From left to right the figures represent:

1: Isaiah: "Unto us a child is born".
2: Jeremiah: "I will raise unto David a righteous Branch".
3: Blessed Virgin Mary
4: Christ on the cross.
5: St John.
6: Ezekiel: "The time is come, the day draws near".
7: Daniel: "Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the days".

In the central lower row of small, regular tracery lights demi-angels hold shields with arma-christi. Above them, three larger lights depict (centre) a pelican in its piety, (left) IXS Christogram in garter, and (right) XPS Christogram in garter. The top row of central tracery contain flowers, palm fronds and fruiting plants, while to either side in elaborate (and rare) octofoil lights are Alpha and Omega symbols.

Beneath the prophets are further symbols in garter, while beneath the central figures are a pierced winged heart ("Sir Deus..."), the Lamb of God in a ring of thorns ("Behold the lamb of God"), and a golden chalice from which emerges a dragon ("...dilexit mundum").

The window is unsigned.

Thanks to Plasmium for providing a superb photo under a Creative Commons license.

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1. Wikipedia entry for St Ambrose, Bristol has a well written history of the church.