the glazier spring 2015 - yeovil hospital

The Glazier • Spring 2015

Language church interpreter for deafpeople and currently works within theSheffield Diocese.

As Master’s Steward this year, she wouldlike to acquire a greater understanding andknowledge of the Glaziers’ Company, itsvarious committees and unique practices atsocial events. She would also like to make ameaningful contribution to the Company andhopefully put more names to faces!

She enjoys walking in the dales, cycling,theatre and film.

Steward BILL APEDAILE, apart from 13 yearsabroad in the US and Brussels, has alwayslived in the North East of England. He wasmarried to Mary for nearly 45 years untilshe died in 2001. After serving articles witha consulting engineer, National Service(Royal Air Force) and various design jobs,he spent the last 30 years of his careerwith Procter & Gamble. His majorresponsibility was essentially the design offactory buildings in the UK, US and acrossWestern Europe, finally retiring in 1996after designing a new companyheadquarters at Brooklands in Surrey.

Bill is a vice president of the Friends ofDurham Cathedral (chairman 2003-12) and afellow and college tutor of St. Chad’s Collegeat Durham University. His general interestsare singing (church choir and Newcastle BachChoir), art, antiques, architecture, music,railways (real and model) and travel. Hissporting interests are rugby and golf. He isalready enjoying his role as a Steward and,needless to say, he is looking forward inparticular to the first ever Master Glazier’svisit to Durham.

Reserve Steward and Prospective Master’sSteward for the next year NIGEL REESwas commissioned into the Army in 1973and served for 17 years leaving with therank of major. The last 10 years of hisservice, he specialised in ammunition andexplosives and bomb disposal. On leavingthe Army, he worked for a small plumbingand heating trade association for a coupleof years, and then had a further couple ofyears with the Confederation of BritishIndustry.

Nigel joined the Glass and GlazingFederation in October 1995, initially as thenational secretary, then deputy director andhe took over as chief executive in 2001. Asthe group of companies grew, he ultimatelybecame group chief executive.

Although the craft trade is onlyrepresented by a very small percentage of theGGF's membership, Nigel thinks it is vitallyimportant to maintain a close linkage betweenthe Glaziers’ Company and the flat glassindustry. This is certainly the area of hisinterest during his term of office as the futureMaster’s Steward. He hopes to build on thelinkage between the two organisations andseek new members for the Company from hismembership. It is a role he is thoroughlylooking forward to. �

Issue Number 45 Spring 2015

Introducing the new StewardsSteward ELAINE BURNS was educated inSt. Andrews and commissioned into theRoyal Air Force, serving in variouslocations including NATO headquarters inGermany, retiring on marriage as a flightlieutenant. Following marriage to John andthe birth of two sons, she studied law andjoined the legal team of Motorola Ltd.

After retirement as senior counsel, Elaineacted as a consultant to TransparencyInternational, a charity which fights briberyand corruption around the world, specificallyto develop business principles for small andmedium sized enterprises. Elaine now servesas a working friend and guide in St. Paul’sCathedral and as grandmother to threegranddaughters and one grandson.

Master’s Steward PAULINE DUNN, duringher career in business administration, alsoworked as a voluntary advocate for deafpeople in the Sheffield/Doncaster deafcommunities. Some 15 years ago, whichwas when her interest in stained glassbegan, she became a British Sign

If you thought stained glass could haveabsolutely nothing to do with Americanbasketball, then you are wrong. See inside.

The Installation Court Dinner held at Glaziers’ Hall in November with its traditional Scottish orientation.Apart from the piper accompanying the haggis, the Master addressed the haggis in the words ofRobert Burns, while the Chaplain reflected all this in his grace. Above are the Stewards and Wardensmaking their debut for their terms of office as follows, left to right: Steward Giles Willson, StewardElaine Burns, Upper Warden Duncan Gee, Master Alex Galloway, Renter Warden Alderman Sir DavidWootton, Master’s Steward Pauline Dunn, and Steward Bill Apedaile.

The new team steps out

In the second of an occasional seriesexploring ways in which artists establishedin other media have used stained glassskills to realise their ideas, we talk toVictor Solomon, California-based filmmaker, multi-media artist and video jockey.

Last summer, Victor secretly apprenticedhimself to a San Francisco stained glassmaker, cutting and soldering for severalmonths. The novice was intent on becomingskilled enough to bring a passing vision tofruition with his own hands. The result wasLiterally Balling.

“It started as off an offhanded joke,”Victor explains, “a play on the word ‘glass’in basketball terminology.”

Sporting jargonUnderstanding a little bit of US sporting

jargon, and the place of basketball in USculture, is key to an appreciation of theconcept behind Literally Balling. “Using theglass” means scoring by bouncing the ballagainst the backboard into the basket.Traditionally, backboards for professional andcollege games are made of toughened glassso as not to obstruct the spectators’ view.

“Shattering the backboard” became anelite tradition started by professionalbasketball players in the late 1970s. TheHarlem Globetrotters hold the world recordfor shattering backboards. The traditionpeaked in the 1990s with superstars likeMichael Jordan.

Literally Balling comprises a series ofsculptures representing ostensiblyfunctioning but wholly impractical stainedglass basketball backboards ornamentedwith “nets” woven from gold chains andchandelier strands, gold-plated rims, andbasketballs sheathed in jewel-toned lizardand ostrich skins.

Philosophical convergenceVictor rejected the idea of asking another

glass artist make the work from his designs.“Where’s the fun in just hiring the work out?I really enjoyed learning a new craft andhaving the experience of gaining a new skill.”He says that the more he applied himself toworking with stained glass, “the more I found


PHILIP BROADLEY reports: If it were notfor my wife Gillian’s enthusiasm for, andinterest in, the work of the Victorianarchitect Samuel Teulon, a champion ofthe Gothic Revival style, I would not havefound myself accompanying her to alocation far beyond Canary Wharf on aFriday evening in January.

St. Mark’s Church, Silvertown, one of hisdesigns from the 1860s, is now the home ofthe Brick Lane Music Hall, a paradox I shallnot try to explain. Vincent Hayes MBE and aregular troupe of energetic enthusiasts for theMusic Hall age perform unashamedlytraditional shows there all year round. TheMaster’s novel idea was that a company ofGlaziers, some 19 strong, should enjoy theannual pantomime, Babes in the Wood.

Frankly, I have no idea if we saw Babes in

the Wood or Cinderella, and I doubt any of thecast knew better. The script, with which theyhad varying degrees of familiarity, seemed atbest an approximate guide to the running order.What we did see, having first enjoyed anexcellent dinner, was a rollicking performancein the variety tradition with a dozen or soperformers on a tiny stage, heartily indulging insinging, dancing, slapstick and bawdy humour.

I have not laughed so much for a long timebut, as is typical of such shows, I could not tellyou why in the cold light of day. Mr Hayes’smarketing is clearly effective: the full houseincluded two Ward clubs and the Constructors’Company but, to coin a phrase, “chieflyourselves”!

Alex and Suzanne are to be congratulatedon beginning their social programme with abang. �

Installation Dinner graceThe Honorary Chaplain Revd CHRISTOPHER KEVILL-DAVIES offeredgrace for the Installation Dinner at “this St. Andrew’s tide” as follows:

There’s a country north of England that tonight provides our themeAnd it’s given us some saints whom we can hold in high esteem;There’s Columba of Iona, and there’s Margaret their QueenAnd there’s Ninian and Kessog, and St. Andrew who has beenTheir patron saint who has his day when every Scotsman yearnsFor the bagpipes and the Haggis and the verse of Robert Burns.But remember it was Andrew who brought Peter to the LordAnd pray we too may listen, as those brothers, to his word.We see the Scottish saints in glass, each image is a signTo make us look beyond the glass and see the light divine.For we think tonight of Scotland, where the pipes skirl, shrill and clear,Of Walter Scott and highland games, and Whisky, grouse and deer.And are thankful for the heritage which we enjoy tonightAnd ask our God to bless us, and as Glaziers, give us light.

Babes in the Wood or was it?

A rollicking performance of Babes in the Wood in the Brick Lane Music Hall was met by greatlyappreciative applause from an audience largely of Glaziers.

Stainedglass debutsfor AmericanbasketballSUZANNE GALLOWAYinterviews American artistVictor Solomon who learnt howto make stained glass and thenrelated his work to the world ofbasketball, which isn’t so far-fetched as it might seem.


One of the sculptures in the Literally Balling series from Victor Solomon – literally “using the glass”,an American basketball term.

a convergence of philosophy between thisgame and this craft: both require exquisiteprecision in execution and devotion. Thesculptures evoke the pop catharsis ofbackboard shattering, the dazzling rain ofglass that caps off only the most forcefulslam dunks!”

The sculptures, he believes, “celebratethe pomp of unbridled athleticism: altars tothe church of basketball, sacred in their ownright yet archly courting the very spectacle ofdesecration that inspired them.”

Victor Solomon is part of the Los AngelesArt Collective (LAAC), working at the Big ArtsLab in Downtown, Los Angeles. Aftergraduating from California State University indigital and fine arts, he specialised in videoprojection-based projects in live eventsaround the world. He’s a member of VisualSymphony, a team of video artists whocreated live imagery for the official InauguralBall for President Obama in 2009. The LAACis a collective that represents the intricacyand diversity of the Los Angeles culture.http://www.laartcollective.com/ �

Some of ournew LiverymenAs always, it is a pleasure to welcome newLiverymen, having served their time asFreemen. Here are brief details aboutsome of them and why they wanted tobecome Liverymen.

NIGEL BULPITT was originally a charteredaccountant with Price Waterhouse, workedin the computer industry, then brewing and,lastly, the tobacco industry – eventuallybecoming director of strategic planning atGallaher, with responsibility for retail

companies such as the opticians Dollond &Aitchison and the newsagents Forbuoys, andfinally company secretary of Gallaher Group Plc.He retired in 2002 but remains chairman ofthe board of trustees for pension schemes.His ancestor was Master of the ClothworkersCompany in 1707. Nigel was attracted by thefriendliness of the Company and fascinatedby the art and craft of stained glass.

VIVIENNE LESTER was a specialistperiodontist in the dental practices inHertfordshire owned in partnership withher husband David, and taughtundergraduates at Guys Dental School formany years until retirement five years ago.They down-sized to the South DownsNational Park where sheep are their

neighbours and the walking is “tremendous”.Both couldn’t resist the friendly welcome they

met at the Glaziers; the solemnity of thetraditions; the charitable functions and thewonderful social programme.

THOMAS BRENNAN was born and broughtup in Hampshire and educated at CardiffUniversity. He is a chartered marketer,previously working in banking and insurance,but today is a global marketing director for

Unilever. His main hobbies are sailing(preferably offshore racing), cycling, rugby,reading and the theatre. John Dallimoreinvited him to one of the Court Dinners andthen it all happened.

TIM McNALLY has worked in IT sincegraduating in the mid 1980s. He is chiefexecutive of a computer consultancy whichassists charities and other non profitorganisations with their IT. He is vice chair

of Southwark’s oldest charity, UnitedSt. Saviours – and was introduced to thecompany by Philip Sturrock who chaired the

charity. Tim’s love of cathedrals – theirstained glass and their organs – is whatparticularly attracted him to the Company.

DAVID WILSON is a native of CountyDurham and he is sure that the city with itscathedral, castle and unique geographicalfeatures will not disappoint attendees of theMaster’s Visit. After graduating fromManchester University he joined the energyindustry and worked in a wide variety of rolesin both the UK and overseas for over 25 years

before establishing his own consultancybusiness in 2000. Almost three years ago hedecided to retire and has become involvedwith the boards of a number of charitableorganisations based in Bedford. After a Courtdinner, a subsequent comprehensive briefingon all that the Company does in support ofthe arts and also its charitable activitiesmotivated him to join. �

Nigel Bulpitt – former company secretary.

Vivienne Lester – formerly a specialist dentist.

Thomas Brennan – currently a global marketingdirector.

Tim McNally – currently chief executive of acomputer consultancy.

David Wilson – formerly in the energy business.


Yeovil District Hospital has enjoyed astable and successful history – trusted andrespected by our patients, staff andcommissioners, and well-rated by the CareQuality Commission and Monitor.

We have been repeatedly rated as oneof the top 10 healthcare employers in thecountry, a leading light in global strokeresearch and development, and haveattracted national interest in our iCAREmodel, which has established theprinciples of exemplary patient careexperience within our hospital.

A significant part of the care experience isconcerned with our environment – how thehospital looks and feels, from the pictures onthe walls to the lighting, signage and outdoorspaces. Opened in 1973 the hospital isconfigured around a 10-story tower with lateradditions of connected wings and units.

Highly recognisedIt is now highly recognised that art, colour

and design can play an important role insupporting patient recovery in hospitals andother healthcare settings. They can act as adistraction when you are undergoing longprocedures or provide something to occupyyour mind when you are feeling anxious.

Strategically placed artworks can supportorientation around complex buildings orreconnect people with the outsideenvironment through landscapes andphotography. A bright, interesting and well-cared for building also plays an important partin maintaining staff morale and welcomingfamilies and other visitors to the hospital.

For the past ten years the hospital hasemployed a part time art coordinator to workacross teams and departments. The brief isdiverse and exciting from running a temporaryexhibition programme to liaising with projectteams and architects on capital developments.

Talented artistsBased in South Somerset, Yeovil has a

wealth of talented artists, craftspeople anddesigners to collaborate with and part of our

arts strategy is to support local and regionaltalent through the commissioning of new site-specific artworks.

Glass has been a particularly strongelement of our commissioning programme.In any medical setting – be that a ward orconsulting room, wall space is often limitedwith equipment, washbasins and signageobviously taking priority.

This often leaves very limited wall spacefor pictures or artworks beyond larger publicareas such as corridors. Windows and otherglazed areas offer potentially unrestrictedsurfaces to site artworks in patient rooms,wards or other clinical spaces.

In our Oncology Department patients areoften sitting for long periods of time receivingtheir treatment. With limited space nurses aremonitoring several patients at one time withtreatment spaces that need to respect patientprivacy but also enable staff to quickly seeacross the clinical area.

The important role of glass andartistry in a hospital environmentCAROLINE BARNES, hospital arts coordinator at Yeovil District Hospital, describes how two artists,Sasha Ward and Fabrizia Bazzo, have used their creativity to enhance the care experience of patients.

Yeovil District Hospital – Oncology screen open, by Sasha Ward.

Oncology screen closed, by Sasha Ward.

“A bright, interesting andwell-cared for building alsoplays an important part inmaintaining staff moraleand welcoming familiesand other visitors to thehospital.”


Using existing glazed partitions, artistSasha Ward produced for us a clever designthat is transferred onto the double-sidedunits. The design works equally well with thescreen either opened or closed. The designsare part of a wider brief to commissionflooring, textiles and wallpaper designs witha coastal theme for the department.

Each year 1,600 babies are born in theMaternity Unit and the current labour suiteshave just finished a major refurbishment with9 individual rooms being completelyrefreshed. The unit is themed and each roomis named after wild flowers.

One very special room is used for familieswho have unfortunately lost a baby and partof the refurbishment has been supported by

a local charity, the Snowdrop Group. Indesigning the space staff were mindful of thesensitivity needed for parents and wanted tosubtly incorporate the snowdrop motif, but atthe same time ensure that women having ahealthy delivery were not drawn to the motif.

Strong designWorking with Sasha Ward we were able to

commission a strong design that works forboth patient groups. Graduating from intenselime to a powdery blue the six windows forma graduated freeze across the length of theroom. In bright conditions the sun filtersthrough the colour and pattern to form a verysoft glow that radiates into the whole room.

The design is a high quality decal (picture

on specially prepared paper for transfer toglass) that adheres to the interior of thewindows and is relatively inexpensive toproduce and fit. The investment in this casewas in the design that met a very sensitivebrief. Staff and patients welcome the warmthand brightness as part of what can be adifficult stay in the unit.

Good quality design that is both beautifuland functional is important in areas wherepatients are at their most vulnerable. In thecase of a new ward we were able to useetched glass to decorate but also defineclinical and office areas. Dementia patientsoften find differentiating between spaces,colours and materials challenging. A clearglass door can present a genuine hazardwhilst providing a very necessary sight line forstaff.

As a hospital built in the 1970s thepresent chapel space largely catered for aChristian community, but it now responds tothe needs of all and no faiths. It is a beautifulspace that acts as a quiet reflective space.

The commissioning of “The River” byFabrizia Bazzo for the chapel in 2009 aimedto visually embrace and celebrate all faithsand none. Through a complex process of acidetching and painted flashed antique glasslaminated on toughened float glass, the panelstands a few centimeters proud of an existingpanel.

The panel was commissioned to reflectthe important themes in spiritual care throughthe metaphor of a river flowing from source tosea through a variety of landscapes –peaceful valleys, dangerous contours, aridtracts above subterranean streams. It speaksto visitors who may come to the chapel inhope, gratitude, fear or sadness.

Numerous scriptsFabrizia responded to wording in

numerous scriptures including Hebrewscriptures, where the prophet Ezekiel

Detail from “The River” by Fabrizia Bazzo in the Yeovil District Hospital chapel.

Glazing between the Lydford Ward and office spaces by Sasha Ward.

“Good quality design thatis both beautiful andfunctional is important inareas where patients areat their most vulnerable.”

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speaks of the water flowing from the temple,where the leaves of the trees on the riverbank bring healing. In the Christian scriptures,the Book of Revelation speaks of the river of

the water of life and the Noble Quran speaksof the creation of animals and man from water.

Moving forward the hospital is nowfundraising for the Special Care Baby Unit

where we want to create a space that cancomfort, stimulate and nurture some of theyoungest patients we look after – decorativeglazing will be a key feature of our designs! �

Detail from one of the labour rooms, Maternity and Women’s Health Unit, by Sasha Ward featuring the snowdrop motif.

Designs for labour rooms by Sasha Ward.

A dinner with theFirst Sea LordTo mark the beginning of what is hoped willbe an enduring relationship with the Guild ofPublic Relations Practitioners, which hasalready been providing pro bono advice to theLivery for a while, David Stringer-Lamarre (left)and Duncan Gee were official guests of theGuild at its annual Homecoming Banquet inappreciation of members of the armed forcesat Glaziers’ Hall, where the principal guest wasAdmiral Sir George Zambellas, the First SeaLord. Duncan made a speech of welcomebriefly describing the Company, while our ownClerk, Andrew Gordon-Lennox, appropriatelyex-Navy, was on hand to help with thearrangements.


I can’t say exactly why I started sayingI wanted to be a stained glass artist, butpartly it was because I thought it was anoriginal choice of career. I selected theCentral School of Art for my foundationcourse because it had a stained glassdepartment and, of course, there I metpeople just as committed to the mediumas I was.

As I continued on my path through threedifferent art schools and into what proved tobe my well-chosen career, I found glassenthusiasts everywhere. Some wanted tomake windows or investigate new glasstechniques, some wanted to tell me about awindow they had seen and loved, and somewanted to commission work from me.

The whole process of going forcommissions (as opposed to making work toshow and sell) led me to analyse my work and

to identify my particular strength to be paintingon glass to my own design in my own way.

Unexpected delightI knew that my work would be influenced

by the places that it was commissioned forand by the technical constraints of old andnew buildings. But it was an unexpecteddelight to find how the people who usedthese buildings were very interested in mywork and often wanted to get involved.

The popularity of glass itself, the way thateven the idea of stained glass draws peoplein with its promise of pools of coloured lightmade me remember the qualities – shiny,hard, colourful and precise – that made glassso appealing to me in the first place.

It gave me a way to start a dialogue aboutmy public projects, with ideas enthusiasticallyreceived and opinions or suggestions given in

return. At the same time I always have a trainof thought, expressed through sketchbookpatterns and drawings, that I want to weaveinto these site-specific designs.

For example, the full height window “Dawn”is an interpretation of that old favourite themeof the sunburst, suggested to me by the titleprovided by the commissioning body. It isalso based on an ink drawing from an earliersketchbook of mine exploring blocks of linesand specks.

Turning pointIt is one of my favourite pieces because it

marked a technical turning point when, afterthis commission, I decided that I wanted tostart making more of my work myself. I rebuiltmy studio and bought a large kiln thatallowed me to continue with experiments inthe use of enamel on glass and to realise thehandmade look I wanted to achieve.

I am in agreement with many people inthinking that a picture of a landscape is betterif it shows a particular place. Like “Dawn”,a “Sense of Place” may seem an obvioustheme, but I have embraced subject matterthat is all about the locality for many of mycommissions. The screen that you can seebeing made in the photo of my studio isinspired by the chalk landscape of MaidenCastle in Dorset.

I have been drawing in the chalky SouthWest for many years, but have struggled to finda way of turning my landscape sketches intoa design that works for glass and evokes thecharacteristics of the area. In this work, I usedsome new techniques that I had just developedwhile restoring the enamelling on a windowdesigned and made by Jan Juta in 1936 forthe Bristol Airplane Company (now Airbus).

Enamel appliedThere, the enamel was applied by

spraying, and for this project it gave me thelook I was searching for, where colours fadeinto each other and the land merges into thesky. I was particularly happy with the rangeof greens I achieved and with the balancebetween areas of transparency and opacitythat makes the screen work from both sides.

When I return to work on larger factorymade commissions, I feel my work has

Making stained glass formodern public buildingsSASHA WARD explains her work, particularly how it continues todevelop with hands on experimentation.

“Dawn”, Maternity Department, Frimley Park Hospital, 1998. 2.4m x 1.8m – one of Sasha Ward’sfavourite pieces.

“I am in agreement withmany people in thinkingthat a picture of alandscape is better if itshows a particular place.”

“I have come to theconclusion that often itis my working methods,developed from playingwith the properties ofglass, that engage thepublic rather than thematerial itself.”

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blossomed and loosened because of thesehands on experiments. I like running thetwo working methods together, for exampleusing computer cut stencils in my studiowork or rubbing paint on the factory panelsby hand. My panels for the Premier Inn inLiverpool used only two printed enamels,but these were layered to create texturesand tones.

Trying things out just to see whathappens has made my work interesting to do.

It is an approach that I have taken into theuse of other materials to make features forinteriors including screens, wallpapers, floorsand ceilings.

I have come to the conclusion that oftenit is my working methods, developed fromplaying with the properties of glass, thatengage the public rather than the materialitself. This view was reinforced by myexperience last summer spent as artist inresidence at Kelmscott Manor, William Morris’

Cotswold home. “Being” the artist inresidence, engaging with thousands ofmembers of the public and talking to themabout art, craft and design, was as valuableto me as the work I produced. �

Sasha Ward’s studio with work in progress for Dorset County Hospital, 2013 – inspired by the chalklandscape of Maiden Castle in Dorset.

Detail of corner window, Premier Inn, HanoverStreet, Liverpool, 2012. 80 sq.m total – just twoprinted enamels were layered to create texturesand tones.

On Friday 6th March, with InternationalWomen’s Day fast approaching, how betterto celebrate than by joining a gathering ofwomen at Glaziers’ Hall to learn about theWomen’s Library for the Glaziers’ LadiesLecture and Lunch?, writes guestAMANDA CLARKE.

Our hostess, Suzanne Galloway, hadenticed Elizabeth Chapman to speak. Liz hasrecently overseen the acquisition by theLondon School of Economics and PoliticalScience of the 38 truck loads of books,manuscripts, images and artefacts that makeup the rich and wonderful collection known asthe Women’s Library.

That this is a renowned and valuedcollection is evidenced by the six other bidsmade to acquire it. Liz’s success in securingits future in the run up to her retirement asdirector of library services at the LSE is atriumph.

How fitting that the collection should havecome to the LSE. Why so? In part, there is ahistorical coincidence. One of the images inthe collection is of a suffragette march besidethe railings of Clement’s Inn; those samerailings run beside the LSE library building today.

More importantly, the LSE library’scommitment to open access means that this

archive will be open to everyone and thischimes happily with the inclusive aspirationsof the Women’s Suffrage movement, recordsof which form a significant part (though farfrom all) of the collection.

It says everything of Liz’s carefullyselected slides and anecdotes that I

remember them vividly; her passion isinfectious. Did you know that Emily WildingDavidson’s purchase of a “return” railwayticket was made much of at her inquest asshowing that she had no intent to commitsuicide? Go to the library, see that ticket andread Emily’s mother’s letters – personalinsights that bring her to life.

Mary Lowndes, co-founder of Lowndesand Drury who established The Glass Housestudio in 1906, also established the Artists’Suffrage League. Liz showed us MaryLowndes’ designs for several banners madefor suffrage events; those designs and thefinished banners are part of the collection.Fascinating to see a stained glass artist’scolour and design sense brought to vividpolitical effect.

Katie Gliddon, imprisoned in Holloway aswere many suffragettes, took with her severalpencils and an edition of Shelley’s works.We were shown images of pages from thebook covered with Gliddon’s diary notes.Her drawing of her cell is atmospheric buta glimpse of that Shelley made us curious toread more.

A fascinating hour was then perfected bygenerous hospitality. The Master offered usfizz as a pre-prandial delight, before wefloated into the magnificent River Room for adelicious lunch and convivial conversation –tremendous!

A heartfelt “thank you” to our hostess, theteam at the Glaziers’ Company and Glaziers’Hall for a thoroughly enjoyable occasion. �

All about women – the LadiesLecture and Lunch

Guest speaker at the Glaziers’ Ladies Lectureand Lunch Liz Chapman (left), in 2014 welcomingformer Irish President Mary Robinson at theopening of the Women’s Library at the LSEReading Room.


PAST MASTER ALFRED FISHER writes:The unique title conferred on Peter in 2013when he was no longer able to attend theCourt and other Glaziers’ activities was ademonstration of the very special esteemin which he was held by all who knew him.At the time he had been a Liveryman foralmost seventy years. His grandfather,Sir Edgar Stanford London, was Master in1930 while his brother, Kenneth, was a veryactive member of the Livery and wasMaster in 1975. Peter’s reign in thatposition came in 1983 when his truecharacter and personality became veryapparent for all to see.

Perhaps his appearance was slightlyaustere but this hid the greatest kindliness,efficiency and modesty. He was initiallybrought up in Chile where his father wasbuilding railways but he was not to follow anengineering career and excelled instead in themedical world, training at St. Thomas’ Hospital.

He spent two years in the RAF on generalmedical duties and subsequently becamesenior accident surgeon at the BirminghamAccident Hospital where for over twenty yearshe operated on serious casualties and savedcountless lives, much of his work involvingvictims of motorway accidents. Contemporarieswho worked with him during this period speakof the huge respect in which he was held.

Precarious positionIn 1951 he was awarded the MBE

following his actions when a tank broke loosefrom its moorings on a vehicle and ended upin precarious position, trapping and injuring aman beneath it. In spite of the risk, Petercrept under it to attend to the victim for aperilous 45 minutes, though fully aware that itcould fall further and crush them at any minute.

He was fastidious in everything hetackled and his impeccable appearancereflected this trait. Fastidiousness was alsoevident at meetings of the Court where hishabit of finding corrections to grammar andspelling in the previous minutes became asource of expectation and amusement. PastMaster Michael Broadway, during whosetenure as Master in 2013 his title of “Father ofthe Company” was conferred, tells of his ownnervousness when confronted by Peter whenhe was made a Freeman but was soon put atease by his charm and graciousness.

He remembers that his sense of humourwas razor sharp, and while seated next toPeter at a dinner Michael mentioned that hehad cycled to the event. Peter immediatelyasked if he “wore evening dress bicycle clips –diamante perhaps”. On another occasion theydiscussed the correct manner of wearingspats, i.e. whether the buttons should be onthe inside or outside but without coming to aconclusion. A day later a letter arrived citingShepard’s drawing of “Owl” in “Winnie-the-Pooh”, clearly showing the buttons on the inside.

He had a fascination for old post boxes,heraldry (for which I have cause to be grateful),wild life, traction engines and of coursechurches and stained glass. It is smallwonder that the family recall how a holidayjourney to the West Country could take aninordinately long time. He was a great familyman and adored by children andgrandchildren for whom his sense of fun andgreat humour were a constant delight.

Surprising twistPerhaps the most surprising twist was a

return to involvement with railways. As asteam engine driver on the Leighton BuzzardRailway in the late eighties I was one daypresented with a list of those who would beworking alongside me on the footplate. Inoticed that a new recruit due to perform themost menial duties was a certain Peter London,causing me to comment that while I alreadyknew a certain man of the same name, itcouldn’t possibly be him.

However, at 07.00 one cold Sundaymorning my trainee fireman alias enginecleaner appeared in the form of Past MasterLondon and was promptly delegated to cleanout the firebox, the steam tubes and to polishthe engine which he did with his traditionalfastidiousness. His usual immaculateappearance had been exchanged for a boilersuit, orange safety jacket, and a pork pie hatwith the front brim turned up.

In this guise, never without the hat, heworked for a few years in his late sixties andearly seventies with obvious completeenjoyment, carrying out the most humdrumduties with glee, including holding up thetraffic with a red flag at the many roadcrossings. Inevitably when my own year asMaster occurred, we were able to run aspecial train for Liverymen and guests withthe engine crew provided by the Glaziers inthe form of Master and Past Master completewith chains of office, an occasionremembered with great fondness by the 50 orso liverymen and guests who participated.

As a final tribute, the Leighton BuzzardRailway will stage a commemorative train

with lunch on a Saturday in June to which allGlaziers, family and friends are warmlyinvited, and it is hoped that those who wereunable to attend the funeral will join in andcelebrate his life in a way he would approve.Details will be circulated nearer the time.He was one of life’s great gentlemen

who will be sadly missed.

PAST MASTER PHILLIDA SHAW writes:I first encountered Peter London and hisolder brother Ken in 1981, a few years afterthe Company had acquired and refurbishedthe building that became Glaziers’ Hall.

I was engaged as a researcher to advisethe Glaziers’ Company on how it couldimprove its knowledge of the craft of stainedglass and become a better patron. Thisinvolved 18 months of research, attendingCraft and Competitions Committee meetingsand interviewing senior members of theCompany as well as craftspeople at all stagesof their careers.

Ken London was particularly active inpromoting the craft within the Livery duringthe 1980s, and it was only gradually that Irealised that the quiet and somewhat severelooking person who was always listening asdiscussions unfolded and plans developedwas Ken’s brother, Peter London.

Insightful observationsThis is how Peter remained for the next

30 years: always quietly in attendance atevery meeting, ready with an insightfulobservation or witty remark when calledupon. But more than that, when there waspractical work to be done, such as carryingpanels at the Stevens Competition judging,Peter would be striding back and forth,helping the regular workforce effectively andwithout fuss.

Peter was secretary of the LondonStained Glass Repository for many years, andcould regularly be found in the basement atGlaziers’ Hall, showing panels to prospectiverecipients, or quietly and methodically

OBITUARY FOR PETER LONDON Peter Stanford London, MBE, CStJ, FRCS. (1922 – 2015)“Father of the Company”.

Past Master Peter London – his MBE was for anact of courage.

Part-time steam engine railwayman Peter London –to be honoured by a commemorative train withlunch in June to which all Glaziers are invited.

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recording new acquisitions and keepingdetailed records.

Peter’s interest in stained glass did notstop with Glaziers’ events; he was frequentlyin attendance at events and weekends of theBSMGP. He was well known at the ArtWorkers’ Guild helping dispense glasses ofwine, always with a bon mot to the manycraftspeople who knew him.

To engage Peter in conversation was tofind not only his enthusiasm and knowledge

of the craft itself, but also his expertise inheraldry, history and ceremonial. In companyhe had a wealth of amusing anecdotes,together with comprehensive knowledge ofAlice in Wonderland, Winnie the Pooh andvarious doggerels which he would recite withaplomb in the most serious of circles!

Peter became a good friend and adviserto me, always wise and caring. At aparticularly difficult time in my life, it wasPeter whom I asked to give my apologies to

meetings if I simply failed to appear. I knewI could rely on his sympathy and respect, asdid all those in the Glaziers’ Company whoknew him.

When I became Master in 2004, Peterwrote to me of his great hopes for me as theCompany’s first Lady Master. I wasprivileged that this kind and modest manexpressed a wish to give me his PastMaster’s badge on his retirement from theCourt. I wear it with pride. �

The Worshipful Company of Glaziers’Annual Banquet at the Mansion House wasan outstanding success, mainly because ofthe warm, almost family, atmosphere,reports RICHARD BLAUSTEN. The principalguest was the Lord Mayor, Alderman AlanYarrow, a Glazier himself. While indeed itwas the Livery entertaining him in his ownhome, the way he committed himself tothe occasion throughout with informalityand friendliness, it appeared as if he wereactually the host!

Upper Warden Duncan Gee, in proposingthe Civic Toast, made reference to one ofAlan Yarrow's early predecessors as LordMayor who slew Wat Tyler. That kind ofhospitality was definitely not on the agenda,Duncan mentioning the current Lord Mayor’spromotion of the need for social responsibility,

of the need to give time, and of a culture ofsupporting people and volunteering.

Adding to the friendliness of the occasionwas the fact that so many of the guests

(some 70) were from the London branch ofthe Oxford University Society of which ourMaster, Alex Galloway, is the president. Theirpresence was an element of the Livery'soutreach programme currently being directedby the Master’s Lady, Suzanne Galloway.

Without doubt, the intellectual tone of thevarious conversations taking place at thepre-dinner reception and over dinner itselfwas considerably raised by the Oxfordcontingent. The distinguished formerdiplomat Sir Harold Walker dispensing hiswisdom to his neighbours on the top tablewas a case in point.

There was also a smaller contingent fromthe Guild of Public Relations Practitioners,while other top table guests included IanWatson, the Master of the MerchantCompany of Edinburgh; David Miller, Masterof the Merchant Taylors of York; Tony Wilson,Master of the Scientific Instrument Makers(and appropriately professor of engineeringscience at the University of Oxford).

Master Alex Galloway's introduction ofthe principal guest, Baroness Greenfield –senior research fellow at Lincoln College,Oxford, and a very prominent neuroscientist,writer and broadcaster – drew attention toher additional background, and continuedinterest, in the classics, psychology and

Outstandingsuccess ofMansionHouseBanquet

Mansion House graceThe Honorary Chaplain Revd CHRISTOPHER KEVILL-DAVIES gavethe following grace at the Glaziers’ Mansion House Banquet,having first welcomed members of the Guild of Public RelationsPractitioners and members of the London Branch of the OxfordUniversity Society:

Praise God indeed! As Glaziers here we give our thanks tonight,For food, for wine, for company, for colour, glass and light.

We welcome here Practitioners – all experts in PRAnd fill this great Egyptian Hall with people from afar,

From Oxford where the sciences and arts can both reside,Where Isis and the Cherwell flow with green fields either side,Where intellects from Broad and High research in depth to findThe subtleties and nuances that make the human mind.

We thank our God for all our brains, our trades, our craft, our artAnd offer humble thanks tonight for what is à la carte.

Baroness Greenfield escorted into the Company’s annual banquet at the Mansion House by theMaster’s Lady, Susanne Galloway, with Barbara Gee (left background) and the Honorary ChaplainRevd Christopher Kevill-Davies (centre background).


In 2012 the Glaziers’ Stevens competitionwas to design a window for the proposednew In-Patient Unit at St. Michael’sHospice in Herefordshire. The dream ofbuilding new purpose built facilities at thehospice created a huge challenge for themanagement and trustees. Herefordshireis one of the UK’s smallest counties withless than 200,000 inhabitants. It costs over£4 million a year for St. Michael’s Hospiceto provide its services free of charge;approximately 90% of which is raised bythe hospice’s supporters.

St. Michael’s was founded 30 years agoand since then has become a caring focus forthe community. It seemed impossible toconsider that the county would be able toraise an additional £8.4 million to providemodern facilities.

Amazing generosityYet three years on thanks to the amazing

generosity of benefactors large and small thedream has been realised, and at the end ofMarch the new unit will open its doors topatients, families and the wider community.

The new In-Patient Unit has beendesigned so that all rooms have views out tothe surrounding countryside and the buildingis linked by a two-storey glass and woodenwalkway to the original hospice. The three-metre window had to be designed so that itcould be seen from both sides and provide afocal point between the existing building andthe new build.

There were some 40 entrants and eachof them visited the site and heard howSt. Michael’s was run, its philosophy andvisions for the future. The commission wasawarded to Nicolette Bromhead, a studentat Swansea Metropolitan University.

Tranquil surroundingsNicolette said: “When I visited the

hospice, I was struck by the calm and caringatmosphere and tranquil surroundings, so Ithought the design needed to be peaceful.I was inspired by the leaves on an acer tree inthe grounds and I also chose to bring somegilding into the design to represent the goldenthread of the community which binds thehospice together.”

philosophy. This prepared the Mansion Houseaudience for how she placed the importanceof stained glass.

Environmental linkBaroness Greenfield referred to what she

saw clearly as the link between Oxford,neuroscience and stained glass – that link

being environmental. One’s environment is avery important factor in shaping who you are.Very important in an age when people canspend much of their lives in front of a screenwithout seeing another human being.

Helping us with a desire to think, todream, to be transported from reality –stained glass is something which is

permanent and which tells a story. “Havingtime to reflect on the human condition is veryimportant and is something which is capturedin stained glass,” said the baroness.

The Glaziers departed the Mansion Housefeeling that one way or the other we had beengiven something to think about, and atperhaps a much higher level than before. �

An important detail of the window in St. Michael’s Hospice, Herefordshire by Stevens Competitionwinner Nicolette Bromhead.

Hospice window reflects bothpoem’s message and memorial role HELEN ARTHUR describes a Stevens Competition winner’s windowdedicated to her late husband.

Lots of new members’ benefits!

NEWS FROM THE MEMBERSHIPDEVELOPMENT AND SOCIALCOMMITTEE: The Company is delighted tooffer Glaziers (and spouses and partners) thechance to join the Royal Over-Seas League(ROSL) at a reduced rate. You will pay a25% reduced entry, or joining, fee and therequirement to have a proposer and seconderis waived. ROSL offers its members aprestigious clubhouse in St. James thatincludes areas for relaxation and to entertainguests, plus bedrooms for members’ usetogether with an attractive programme ofarts events. ROSL also has a clubhouse inEdinburgh. For further information, pleasego to www.rosi.org.uk or contact our Clerkon 020 7403 6652 or [email protected].

Vintners Hall, on Upper Thames Street, hasa small number of bedrooms available for useby members of other livery companies, on a firstcome, first served basis. Prices start from £60(+ VAT) per night. For more on availability andreservations, contact the Vintners’ Company’sGeneral Manager, Major Steve Marcham MBEat [email protected] oron 020 7651 0748.

Team London Bridge has offeredmembers (and spouses and partners) of theGlaziers’ Company the chance to obtain itsDealCard. This is usually only available tothose living and working in the area) which willenable you to take advantage of a number ofdiscounts and offers around the London Bridgearea. As well as discounts in local bars andrestaurants, at the moment DealCard offersinclude a free glass of champagne with adult“walk up” ticket purchases at The View fromThe Shard, 10% off Neal’s Yard remediesproducts in its store at Borough Market, anda third off travel with MBNA Thames Clippersfor river trips and commutes.

To take advantage of this offer, go to theDealCard subscriber page athttp://www.teamlondonbridge.co.uk/subscribe.aspx. Fill in your name and emailaddress. In the “About You” section insert“Member” under Job Title. Insert “Glaziers’Company” under organisation; and provide theaddress 9 Montague Close, London SE1 9DD.Remember to tick the box marked DealCard.Our Clerk will forward your DealCard onto you.

Glaziers’ Hall continues to offer anattractive discount on Hall hire to members ofthe Company. For more information about ratesand availability for this versatile venue with the“view over the Thames” for parties, corporateevents or meetings, contact Glaziers’ Hall on020 7403 3300 or [email protected] to mention you are a Glazier.Additionally, Glaziers’ Hall Ltd shareholderscould have an enhanced discount.

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The window was particularly intricate anddifficult to complete and fire as it is in onepiece. Nicolette had to use the kiln at aspecialist glass maker which involvedtransporting the glass from Swansea toBristol and back – no mean feat.

The trustees chose Nicolette’s design asthey felt it met the brief, but when I lookedat it the window struck a chord with me andI resolved to try and sponsor the window.My sisters-in-law agreed with me as they toothought it would be a fitting tribute to myhusband Dick who died at St. Michael’s in1996. We had all been impressed at the timeby the care Dick had received and I havebeen involved ever since, fundraising in oneway or another – including it won’t be asurprise to members of the Livery holdingwhisky tastings and dinners.

Golden threadDick was passionate about trees

especially those in the garden of our homePutley Court. Dick talked about becominga tree surgeon when he retired from theArmy – or an antiquarian book seller. The ideaof the golden thread appealed to me as italso seemed to follow the course of theRiver Wye and also represented the journeyof life.

There was also a real piece of serendipity.Nicolette chose the words of a verse of apoem called the Song of the Lotus Eaters byTennyson to form an integral part of thewindow. What Nicolette didn’t know was thatthis poem appears in Dick’s much thumbedbook of English Verse which was always byhis bedside.

Gillian, Susan and I are delighted with thewindow and understand the importance ofthe contribution made by the WorshipfulCompany of Glaziers’ Stevens Competition.

Turquoise blueThe window is a vivid translucent

turquoise blue with clouded leaves crossingthe golden thread which runs from top tobottom. Additionally there are leafy outlines ofvarying sizes which tumble across the lengthand breadth of the glass. In some instancesthe leaves are complete in others they are inskeleton form creating an intricate patternwhen viewed from either side. The words ofthe poem are:

Lo! In the middle of the wood, The folded leaf is woo’d from out the bud,

With winds upon the branch, and thereGrows green and broad, and takes no care,

Sun-steep’d at noon, and in the moon,

Nightly dew-fed, and turning yellow, Falls and floats adown the air.

The window was blessed on the28th January 2015, prior to the opening ofthe new In-Patient Unit at the end of March.Dick’s sisters and his closest friends werethere to see Father Michael Evans ofSt. Francis Xavier in Broad Street, Hereford.He did the blessing as a great friend of Dick’sand his Catholic Padre. �

The words of Song of the Lotus Eaters by Tennyson on Nicolette Bromhead’s window dedicated to thelate Dick Arthur.


Stained glass does not appear in thesynagogue, in England or continentalEurope, until the second half of the19th century. There is some evidence forthe use of stained glass in the medievalsynagogue but it is only indirect, found inrabbinical responsa. In ca. 1200 RabbiElyakim ben Joel of Mainz objected to“images of lions and snakes in thewindows” of the synagogue in Cologne inthe Rhineland, at the very heart ofmedieval Ashkenaz in Europe[German/Yiddish speaking Jewry].

His objection was based largely on thegrounds of a strict interpretation of theSecond Commandment: “Thou shalt notmake unto thee a graven image”, with regardto art in the synagogue. However, themedium and artistic treatment, apparently,were not at issue.

No parallelIn Judaism, there exists no parallel to

theological debates within Christianity overthe relative merits of stained glass, asopposed to clear glass, within the churchbuilding. Unfortunately, no actual examplesof medieval synagogue stained glass havecome down to us.

English Jewry was expelled by KingEdward I in 1290, the first mass expulsion ofJews on the European continent, a precedent

soon to be followed in many other places.A Jewish community was not re-establishedin England for more than 350 years, untilCromwell.

The synagogues built in England afterthe so-called “Resettlement” of 1656 wereoriginally lit by natural light through largeround-headed windows filled with clear glass.

“Good English glass” protected by ironbars was specified in the original buildingcontract for Bevis Marks Synagogue, theoldest synagogue in Britain, opened in 1701.The windows at Bevis Marks look much thesame today, although those behind the Arkhave a dark blue margin, a Victorian addition.(Replaced with reproduction glass whenshattered in the IRA bombing of the City ofLondon in 1992.)

Round-headed windows filled with clearglazing were fashionable for contemporarychurches. The master builder of Bevis Marks,Joseph Avis, was reputed to be a Quaker whohad previously worked for Christopher Wrenon the Merchant Taylors’ Hall and St Bride’sin Fleet Street.

Nonconformist traditionThe choice of round-headed windows

filled with plain glass persisted in thenonconformist tradition into the 19th century.Stained glass was introduced only in the20th century into the synagogues of theGeorgian and Regency periods such asPlymouth (1762) and Cheltenham (1839).

Stained glass reappeared in England inthe mid 19th century along with Pugin andthe Gothic Revival. It was a Victorian retro-fashion – which harked back to the greatcathedrals of the High Middle Ages and inJewish architectural history is associatedwith the advent of the so-called “cathedralsynagogue”.

Throughout Europe large synagogueswere built on prime sites to celebrateJewish emancipation from the ghetto.Building big was a statement that the Jews“had arrived”. In England, synagogues couldnow compete for attention with city churches,especially during the Victorian religiousbuilding boom that affected all Christiandenominations.

Wealthy patronsEven so, few “cathedral synagogues”

actually started life with stained glass. Thiswas usually added later, donated by wealthypatrons. In Brighton’s Middle StreetSynagogue (opened 1875) the originalwindows were of plain cathedral glass, tintedand leaded in geometrical designs, some ofwhich survives on the west front. The stained-glass panels were introduced between 1887and 1912.

Two windows in the gallery are dedicatedto the memory of the young HannahRothschild, Lady Rosebery, who died in 1890and was buried in an imposing tomb inWillesden Jewish Cemetery. Middle Street isunusual in that stained glass panels were alsoinserted into the apse behind the Ark.

At the New West End Synagogue inSt. Petersburgh Place, Bayswater (opened1879), the east rose window, by theHungarian Jewish refugee glassmaker ErwinBossanyi (1891-1975), was commissioned byRozsica Rothschild, née Wertheimstein, afellow Hungarian, as late as 1935.

Unusually, this window, which incorporatesa variety of traditional Jewish symbolism, issigned in the bottom right-hand corner. Infact, stained glass in synagogues is hardlyever signed by the designer or glassmaker,sometimes making attribution difficult.

Another signed example was the pair ofArt Nouveau windows that flanked the Ark atHammersmith Synagogue (Delissa Joseph,1890-6), installed in 1911. Small brass platesaffixed to the sills beneath identified thedesigner as Percy L. Marks, who was Jewish,and the makers as Campbell & Christmas,who obviously were not. (The windows wereremoved when the building was closed by theUnited Synagogue and sold to the ChineseChurch of London in 2002. Their fate isuncertain.)

Historical reasonsFew synagogue stained glass designers,

and even fewer makers, in this country havebeen Jewish. There are historical reasons forthis. From the Middle Ages Jews hadgenerally been excluded from the craftsmen’sguilds, undoubtedly an impediment to trainingas architects, builders or allied craftsmen,including glassmakers (although Jewishglaziers were known in medieval GermanLands).

By the late 19th and early 20th centurywell-to-do congregations could afford to

The appearance of stainedglass in the synagogueDr SHARMAN KADISH, director of Jewish Heritage UK, tells thestory of synagogue stained glass.

Fig 1, Hanukah window by David Hillman, 1953,now at St. John’s Wood United Synagogue,Grove End Road, London, NW7. It shows theMenorah (seven-branched candlestick)associated with the “Festival of Lights”.Photo Nigel Corrie © English Heritage.

Fig 2, Magen David (“Star of David”), east windowat Reading Synagogue (1900-1), artist unidentified.Photo Michael Hesketh-Roberts © English Heritage.

“Few synagogue stainedglass designers, and evenfewer makers, in thiscountry have been Jewish.”

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commission the best English glassmakers.Most of the stained glass at the New WestEnd Synagogue was commissioned fromNigel Westlake and installed between 1905and 1907, so was not part of the originalscheme.

Human figureHardman Studios of Birmingham, well-

known for their association with Pugin, madewindows for Birmingham’s Singers Hill (1856)and Coventry Synagogue (1870) as late as the1960s. These windows have a “church-like”quality because they broke with Jewishtradition by their use of the human figure(albeit with faces obscured) to illustrateBiblical narrative scenes.

By and large, the content of Englishsynagogue glass has confined itself to thesymbolic, employing well-establishedsymbolism, such as the Menorah [sevenbranched candlestick], Fig 1, Magen David[“Star of David”], Fig 2, Luhot [Tablets of theLaw], or ritual connected with the Jewishcalendar or the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

Only a very small handful of Reformsynagogues experimented with figurativeglass after the Second World War, such asManchester Reform, rebuilt at Jackson’s Row,whose Biblical narrative windows were madeby the local firm of Charles Lightfoot, to thedesigns of John Bradshore, and daringlyincluded full-frontal representations of femaleheroines, Fig 3.

Too daringNevertheless, the Jewish painter Solomon

J. Solomon experimented in stained glass atHampstead Synagogue, designed by hisbrother-in-law Delissa Joseph in 1892.(Delissa’s wife Lily, herself an artist andsuffragette, was Solomon’s sister.) However,his stained glass cycle based on the Creationstory was apparently too daring even for theprogressive-minded members of Hampsteadbecause it offended “Orthodox” tradition.

Presumably it included the human figure,perhaps even nudes. We don’t know for sure

because his cycle was later replaced andwent unrecorded. (The current 1960swindows are by Maurice Sochachewsky).

The most prolific stained glass makerproduced by Anglo-Jewry was David Hillman(1894-1974). Born in Latvia and brought toEngland at the age of 14, he was the only sonof Rabbi Samuel Isaac Hillman, minister ofthe South Portland Street Synagogue inGlasgow and afterwards a Dayan [judge] onthe London Beth Din [ecclesiastical court].Descended from a long line of rabbis, againstthe wishes of his father he was amongst thefirst intake of the Glasgow School of Art.

Traditional educationThis was tolerated on condition that he

continued his traditional Yeshivah [Talmudicalcollege] education and, in fact, David Hillman

did qualify as a rabbi. He was brother-in-lawof Rabbi Isaac Herzog, Chief Rabbi of Irelandand then of Palestine under the BritishMandate, and thus also uncle of the latePresident Chaim Herzog of Israel.

Family connectionsHis family connections may well have

helped him land commissions for stainedglass at prestigious London synagogues builtby the United Synagogue before and after theSecond World War, including the Central,Cricklewood and St. John’s Wood.

David Hillman was a highly skilledpractitioner of his art and utilised traditionalsymbolism in an original way. His work,especially domestic settings, Fig 4, is verydistinctive, very much of its period, evokingcomfortable London suburbia in the 1930sand 1950s. His windows repay close scrutiny.

He loved naturalistic detail of flora andfauna, landscapes and townscapes, both ofEngland and of an imaginary Jerusalem,featuring domed Arab houses and tall palmtrees à la Bezalel. (The Jewish national artschool founded in Palestine by Boris Schatzin 1906.) Musical instruments were a recurringtheme, Fig 5.

Biblical quotesAlways his images are accompanied by

apt Biblical quotations, often from the Psalmsand also from the liturgy, testifying to the factthat, with his background and rabbinicaltraining, Hillman was steeped in thetraditional Jewish sources and mined themfor inspiration. However, he dared to push atthe frontiers of what was permitted in thesynagogue context by partial depictions ofthe human form.

Perhaps 20th century abstraction wasmore suited to synagogue art. Erwin Bossanyi

Fig 3, “Ruth and Naomi” by Charles Lightfoot, 1953,at Manchester Reform Synagogue, Jackson’s Row.Photo Bob Skingle © English Heritage.

Fig 5, Lyre of King David by David Hillman, 1968,at St. John’s Wood United Synagogue.Photo Nigel Corrie © English Heritage.

Fig 4, Havdalah [end of Sabbath ritual] window:domestic and human imagery in stained glass byDavid Hillman, 1966, at St. John’s Wood UnitedSynagogue. Photo Nigel Corrie © English Heritage.

“The most prolific stainedglass maker produced byAnglo-Jewry was DavidHillman (1894-1974).”

Master Glazier participation in ThamesTraditional Rowing Association (TTRA)remaining events for 2015:

Sat 16th May – Tudor PullHampton Court to Tower of London(Full regalia – 4 oars)

June 13th-15th – Magna Carta CelebrationsFinish: Runnymede Meadow – EghamFurther details TBC

Wed 24th June – Admiral of the Port RaceStart: Westminster Bridge 19.00hrsVictoria Sailing Centre(Full regalia – 4 oars)

Thurs 23rd July – Port of London ChallengeStart: HQS Wellington 19.00hrs (6 oars)

Sat 12th Sept – Great River Race Greenwich to Ham House Details TBC

Sat 14th Nov – Lord Mayor’s FlotillaWestminster Boating Centre0830 hrs to RNR HMS President(Full regalia – 4 oars) Glaziers’ Hallapprox. 0915 hrs TBC

The Great River Race is not a TTRA event butthe Master Glazier has taken part annuallyand last year put up a very good timeequalling the crew’s best ever performance.


Supporting the Master Glazier’s crew

The all-women crew of the Master Glazier want to be able to toast their next effort havinghad your support.

had arrived in the 1930s as a refugee fromNazi persecution in Hungary. Roman Halter(1927-2012) was a child survivor of the deathcamps.

His work can be seen at the NorthWestern Reform Synagogue at Alyth Gardensin Golders Green, a congregation with manycentral European refugee members, andwhose building was designed by Germanrefugee architect Fritz Landauer (1883-1968),responsible for important International Stylesynagogues on the continent. (Now irreversiblycompromised by the addition of a new frontage.)

Vertical panelsHalter’s 1983 cycle of vertical panels

utilised both stained glass and pot glass,

mounted in bronze cames, which gives abold, chunky feel. Israeli designer NehemiahAzaz (1923-2008) provided striking abstractdesigns in dalle de verre technique, to coverthe walls of Tom Hancock’s modernistsynagogue (1963-4) at the former Jewishpublic school, Carmel College in Oxfordshire(the first post-war synagogue in the countryto be listed), Fig 6.

Most celebratedWhy was it that the most celebrated

Jewish artist of them all, Marc Chagall, sawfit in the 1960s to design an exquisiteCrucifixion series in glass for the tiny churchof Tudely in Kent, but never worked on aBritish synagogue to compare with his worldfamous Twelve Tribes of Israel windows in theHadassah Hebrew University HospitalSynagogue in Jerusalem?

His patrons down in Kent were theD’Avigdor-Goldsmids, heirs of one of theleading families of Victorian Anglo-Jewry,who had deserted to the Anglican Church.One may speculate about British Jewry andits relationship with the arts. �

Fig 6, Abstract glass by Nehemiah Azaz, 1960s,at former Carmel College Synagogue, Oxfordshire,detail of west wall. Photo James O Davies© English Heritage.

Sharman Kadish’slatest book,

“The Synagogues ofBritain and Ireland:An Architectural andSocial History”, whichcontains a chapter onstained glass, was

published by Yale in 2011.The second edition ofher best-selling EnglishHeritage guidebook,“Jewish Heritage in

England: An ArchitecturalGuide” (2006), is due out

in May (2015).

THIS SPACE COULD BE YOURS

The Glazier is now takingadvertisements from members of theLivery, and the firms which they areconnected with. There are two sizes ofadvertisement space: the size within thisbox taking up the width of a column, ora larger size taking up the same depthbut going across two columns.

The Clerk has details (prices,measurements, etc.) while other detailsabout copy and any pictures can be hadfrom the editor. In principle, the smallerspace will probably be suitable for justwords, and the larger space can includea logo and picture if required, but itdepends.

As we develop the concept,assuming people do want to advertise,we will all learn as we go along.

We have developed a pricingstructure which we hope is not onlycompetitive but is as friendly to ourmembers as possible. We are alsohappy to consider advertising fromorganisations unconnected with theLivery.

Bridge to the Palace of Westminster, andincludes river traffic, particularly the Glaziers’cutter. Helen’s stunning design is colourfuland vibrant and will be a wonderful asset tothe Company.

The unveiling will take place at 5.30pmfollowed by a reception with sparkling wineand canapés. In addition a Fine Cell sellingevent of stitched work by prisoners will beheld in the Court Room until 9pm. There willbe a charge of £25 to cover costs. We verymuch hope that many Glaziers will supportthis unique event. �


Published by the Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass. ©Glaziers’ Company.Andrew Gordon-Lennox, Clerk, Glaziers’ Hall, 9 Montague Close, London Bridge, London SE1 9DD.Telephone/Fax: 020 7403 6652; www.worshipfulglaziers.com; e-mail: [email protected]

Printed by Deltaprint, Sudbury, Suffolk. All pictures copyright of the person or organisation attributed to or the Glaziers’ Company, or on application.

Facebook: The Worshipful Company of Glaziers & Painters of GlassTwitter: Twitter.com/WorshipfulGlaziers

Contributions or advertising enquiries should be sent to the editor:Richard Blausten [email protected] 01460 241106

PURCHASE OPPORTUNITY. Youropportunity to own a genuine earlysixteenth century French stained glasspanel of convenient size. The panelmeasures 420mm x 420mm and depictsthe risen Christ with two angels. One ofthese is an eighteenth century substituteof the same style as is one arm of themain figure. The face of Christ isparticularly sensitive. There is somecorrosion as with much work of theperiod. Beautifully conserved andreglazed in new lead. Price £1,850.Safe delivery can be arranged.Please contact Past Master Alfred Fisheron 01923 770891 or by email [email protected]

PETER and JANET DOE write: This is toask you to save the evening of Monday 6thJuly 2005 when the triptych wall hangingcommissioned by us, to a design byAssistant Helen Whittaker and stitched byprisoners for Fine Cell Work, will beunveiled by the Lord Mayor, Alderman AlanYarrow, and dedicated by our Chaplain,Revd Christopher Kevill-Davies.

The wall hanging, which measures 21� x 4�(three panels 7� x 4�) for the upstream wall ofthe River Room depicts iconic landmarks andbuildings along the Thames from Tower

Work in progress – Helen Whittaker (right) checks the positioning of her cartoons for one of the panelsof the wall hanging to be donated to the Livery as it begins to take shape, while prisoner training socialenterprise Fine Cell Work’s Katharine Paton-King looks on.

Vibrant and colourful – stained glass in stitches

LIVERY NEWSGLAZIERS’ FAIR 27th and 28th OCTOBER2015 – CALL FOR EXHIBITORS. Glaziers’ Hallwill welcome the public to the first Glaziers’Art Fair on 27th & 28th October. The call forartists and exhibitors is now open. For moreinformation and to apply for an exhibitor’splace visit the fair’s dedicated website athttp://tauzuc.typepad.com/glaziersfair/

CONGRATULATIONS. Liveryman David Doe(son of Past Master Peter Doe and LiverymanJanet Doe) and his wife Anna had a babydaughter (Emily Charlotte) on 14th Marchin Amsterdam.

LIVERY DINNER SERENADE. Theinformality of a very enjoyable JanuaryLivery Dinner was concluded by PastMaster Roger Shrimplin and theassembled diners singing Happy Birthdayto his wife Tina. Earlier Master AlexGalloway had welcomed the presence ofKevin Moore, Master of the Guild of PublicRelations Practitioners.

NEW LIVERYMEN. Kevin Kiernan, HamishMcArthur and Michael Stevenson havebecome Liverymen.

NEW FREEMEN. Kenneth Byass and RichardSmith have been admitted as Freemen.

Liverymen on sheep drive

On a brilliantly sunny day on 5th October,Liverymen Phil Fortey and Andy Rogers donnedtheir Livery gowns to exercise their privilege todrive sheep across London Bridge. The sheepwere successfully driven, assisted by someyoung “helpers”, towards Glaziers’ Hall, muchto the amazement of tourists and passers-by.The event was organised by the WorshipfulCompany of Woolmen.

the glazier spring 2015 - yeovil hospital

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