Overview

The stained-glass windows of England's cathedrals illuminate interior spaces, communicate religious and other messages, and – perhaps – offer us a glimpse of heaven. This book tells the remarkable story of these much-loved works of art. Divine Light features glass from every Church of England cathedral. It spans nearly 850 years, beginning with the windows installed at Canterbury Cathedral following the murder of Thomas Becket in 1170 and representing every subsequent century in the history of English stained glass. Divine Light encompasses the Middle Ages, the Reformation, the hugely productive 'long 19th century', the Pre-Raphaelites, the Arts and Crafts movement, the creative commissions of the 20th century, and the innovative glass being commissioned by cathedrals today. The book establishes the connections between the artistic beauty of stained glass, its effectiveness as a narrative medium, and the various technical developments that have shaped the work of practitioners over the centuries. The refraction of light through coloured glass emerges as an early form of mass communications that retains its power to move and inspire today. AUTHOR: For eight years the Church of England's Director of Church Buildings and Secretary of the Church Buildings Council and Cathedrals Fabric Commission, Canon Janet Gough OBE has written three illustrated paperbacks to encourage wider enjoyment of these extraordinary buildings, Director's Choice: Churches of the Church of England, Director's Choice: Cathedrals of the Church of England and most recently (2022) Deans' Choice: Cathedral Treasures of England and Wales. A Cambridge graduate in History and History of Art, Janet worked at Sotheby's for nine years, was a trustee at the Churches Conservation Trust, the Museum of Fulham Palace and the Friends of the V&A and guided and lectured at the V&A. Janet advised Royal Mail on the special Christmas 2024 stamps, which featured five cathedrals from across the UK. Janet received an OBE for services to heritage in 2017, and in 2021 was made one of the first lay Canons of Bangor cathedral. SELLING POINTS: . Comprehensive treatment of the role of stained glass as a means of communication and source of divine inspiration in England, covering nine centuries of history . Covers all of the cathedrals of England and as such acts as a gazetteer as well as a history of the art form in the country: a compact and practical travel companion . Richly illustrated in full colour, with special attention to the accurate representation of light through coloured glass . The finest examples of stained glass from each of England's cathedrals, in most cases selected by the Dean of the cathedral . Janet Gough is author of the successful titles Cathedrals of the Churches of England, Churches of the Church of England and Deans' Choice: Cathedral Treasures of England and Wales

Full Product Details

Author:   Janet Gough
Publisher:   Kulturalis
Imprint:   Kulturalis
Weight:   0.320kg
ISBN:  

9781836360278

ISBN 10:   1836360274
Pages:   120
Publication Date:   19 August 2025
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Preface Glossary Acknowledgements The Middle Ages and the Reformation 1180 Canterbury Cathedral: The Sower, Second Bible Window 1260 York Minster: The Five Sisters Window 1330s Lincoln Cathedral: Bishop’s Eye Rose Window 1340 Wells Cathedral: The Jesse Window 1359 Carlisle Cathedral: East Window 1360 Gloucester Cathedral: The Great East Window 1405–8 York Minster: The Great East Window (John Thornton of Coventry) 1400s Hereford Cathedral: Patchwork Window 1500 St Edmundsbury Cathedral: The Susanna Window 1509 St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle: The West Window 1631 Oxford Cathedral: The Jonah Window (Abraham van Linge) 1665 Winchester Cathedral: The Great West Window 1675–1710 St Paul’s Cathedral, London: Sir Christopher Wren Windows 1735 Westminster Abbey: The Great West Window (Sir James Thornhill) 1770 Ely Cathedral: St Peter Window (James Pearson) 1781 Salisbury Cathedral: The Moses Window (James Pearson) The Long Nineteenth Century 1804 Lichfield Cathedral: The Herkenrode Glass, created 1532 1840–61 St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle: Thomas Willement Stained Glass 1864 Bradford Cathedral: Women of the Bible West Window (Heaton, Butler & Bayne) 1866 Newcastle Cathedral: The Chemist’s Window (William Wailes) 1878 St German’s Cathedral, Isle of Man: Jacob’s Ladder Window (Alexander Gibbs & Co.) 1875 Worcester Cathedral: Creation and Fall West Window (John Hardman Powell) 1887 Truro Cathedral: Victorian Glazing Scheme (Clayton & Bell) 1897 Birmingham Cathedral: Last Judgement Window (Sir Edward Burne-Jones) 1901–2 Gloucester Cathedral: Lady Chapel Windows (Christopher Whall) 1905 Chelmsford Cathedral: The Holderness Window (Henry Holiday) 1905 Southwark Cathedral: The Harvard Chapel Window (John La Farge) 1905 Wakefield Cathedral: The Children’s Window (C.E. Kempe) 1910–18 Rochester Cathedral: The Annunciation Window 1914 Peterborough Cathedral: Dean Barlow Memorial Window (James Powell & Sons) The Modern Age 1920s Chester Cathedral: The Cloister Windows (including Trena Cox) 1921 Exeter Cathedral: The Drake Memorial Window and Blessed James of Ulm, Patron of Glaziers 1939 Guildford Cathedral: Round East Window (Moira Forsyth) 1948 Sheffield Cathedral: The Te Deum Window (Christopher Webb) 1953 Bristol Cathedral: Windows in the East Walk of the Cloister 1956 Portsmouth Cathedral: Dunkirk and D-Day Windows 1962 Coventry Cathedral: The Baptistery Window (John Piper and Patrick Reyntiens) 1964 Norwich Cathedral: The Benedictines in England Window (Moira Forsyth) 1964 Derby Cathedral: All Souls and All Saints Window (Ceri Richards) 1972 Manchester Cathedral: The West Windows, including the St George Window (Antony Hollaway) 1975 Liverpool Cathedral: The Benedicite, Great West Window (Carl Edwards) 1977 Ripon Cathedral: St Wilfrid Window (Harry Harvey) 1978 Chichester Cathedral: The Chagall Window 1980 Salisbury Cathedral: Prisoners of Conscience Windows (Gabriel Loire) 1989 St Albans Cathedral: North Transept Rose Window (Alan Younger) 1996 Southwell Minster: The Angel Window (Patrick Reyntiens) 1999 Blackburn Cathedral: Cathedral Lantern Glass (Linda Walton) 2000 Ely Cathedral: Processional Way Windows (Helen Whittaker) 2016 Leicester Cathedral: Redemption Windows (Thomas Denny) 2019 Durham Cathedral: The Illumination Window (Mel Howse) Index

Reviews

""Divine Light encompasses the Middle Ages, the Reformation, the hugely productive ‘long nineteenth century’, the Arts and Crafts movement, the creative commissions of the twentieth century."" - Inspire Cheshire """"""Excellent new book on the stained glass of England's Anglican cathedrals"""" """"Divine Light is divided into three parts, all of them packed with superb colour photographs"""" """"This book is a wonderful companion to cathedral-crawling, not least in helping the crawlers work out what is, and what isn't, worth seeing"""""" - The Telegraph

""Divine Light encompasses the Middle Ages, the Reformation, the hugely productive 'long nineteenth century', the Arts and Crafts movement, the creative commissions of the twentieth century. It also establishes the connections between the artistic beauty of stained glass, its effectiveness as a narrative medium, and the various technical developments that have shaped the work of practitioners over the centuries. The refraction of light through coloured glass emerges as an early form of mass communication that retains its power to move and inspire today.""-- ""Inspire Chesire"" ""The book provides a comprehensive insight into stained glass from the Middle Ages to the innovative pieces being commissioned today. New photographs by Andy Marshall and Marcus Green grace the book, which also doubles as a travel guide for the millions exploring England's cathedrals a year.""-- ""Ely Standard ""

Author Information

For eight years the Church of England's Director of Church Buildings and Secretary of the Church Buildings Council and Cathedrals Fabric Commission, Canon Janet Gough OBE has written three illustrated paperbacks to encourage wider enjoyment of these extraordinary buildings, Director's Choice: Churches of the Church of England, Director's Choice: Cathedrals of the Church of England and most recently (2022) Deans' Choice: Cathedral Treasures of England and Wales. A Cambridge graduate in History and History of Art, Janet worked at Sotheby's for nine years, was a trustee at the Churches Conservation Trust, the Museum of Fulham Palace and the Friends of the V&A and guided and lectured at the V&A. Janet advised Royal Mail on the special Christmas 2024 stamps, which featured five cathedrals from across the UK. Janet received an OBE for services to heritage in 2017, and in 2021 was made one of the first lay Canons of Bangor cathedral.

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