THE HISTORY OF STAINED GLASS.

By Jim Budd

JOE HILLABY MEMORIAL TALK

Coloured glass has been produced since ancient times. Evidence of stained-glass windows in churches and monasteries in Britain can be found as early as the 7th century. Stained glass, as an art form, reached its height in the Middle Ages when it became a major pictorial form used to illustrate the narratives of the Bible to a largely illiterate populace.  More recently, the most innovative English designers were the Pre-Raphaelites and their work heralded the influential Arts and Crafts Movement, which regenerated stained glass throughout the English-speaking world. 

Contemporary stained glass can be seen at Hereford Cathedral:  the image shows a detail of the Ascension window (2017), part of an installation made by John Maine to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the SAS in 1941.