Jane Gray (b.1931)

St Margaret’s Church, Downham, Billericay, Essex, Design for Stained Glass Window

Signed and studio stamp verso.

It is likely that Christians have worshiped at this site for over a thousand years, but it wasn’t until the mid13th century that the first recorded church appeared. The church is dedicated to St Margaret of Antioch, a dragon slayer and patron saint of child bearing. Devotion Saint Margaret of Antioch became popular in the 13th century and there are around 80 churches today that share this dedication from the 13th century. The oldest part of the present church is the tower which dates from c.1470. The nave was rebuilt in the nineteenth century using much of the material from the thirteenth century church. An arson attack in March 1977 resulted in the gutting of the church, resulting in a highly modern interior. This window features the symbol of St Margaret and a red Cross on quarry background. The window was installed in 1988.

Jane Gray (b.1931)

St Mary the Virgin, Ebony, Tenterden, Design for Stained Glass Window (1983)

Dated in artist's hand and artist label verso.

Worship at Ebony has taken place for some one thousand years but St Mary the Virgin Church, as it exists today, was not built until 1858. A church had previously existed on the island of Ebony where, standing 30 metres above sea level and visible for miles around, it provided a prominent landmark to ships coming up the sea creek. This church, however, was devastated by a fire in the 16th century, and from its ruins, a much smaller church, built in a simple rectangle of Kentish ragstone, was erected, serving the parish until 1858. In this year, the church was taken down, stone by stone, and moved to the nearby hamlet of Reading Street where it stands today. Gray’s design centres on the Anunciation, featuring the figures of Mary and Gabriel, and was installed in the church in 1984.

Jane Gray (b.1931)

St Mary’s Church, Harmondsworth, Design for Stained Glass Window (1982)

Studio stamp verso.

St Mary’s Church, the Parish Church of Harmondsworth, dates from the 12th-15th centuries. The South aisle, with its massive Norman columns, and the entrance are the oldest parts of the building still intact today. The North aisle dates from the 13th Century, the North Chapel the 14th Century, the chancel was remodelled in the 15th Century, and the tower was built in 1500. In the 19th century the church underwent extensive restoration and a porch and vestry were added but the original Norman font still exists today. This window features a red Cross and a wreath of flowers, and was installed in the church in 1983.

Jane Gray (b.1931)

St Mary’s Church, Longnor, Shropshire, Design for Stained Glass Millennium Commemoration Window (2000)

Signed, dated and studio stamp verso.

St Mary’s Church, Longnor, was originally built as a chapel to Condover around 1280 A.D. It was then a private chapel to the Corbett family of Longnor Hall, before becoming the parish church. These designs for two stained glass roundel windows in the East window were commissioned to commemorate the Millennium. This window was installed in 2001.

Jane Gray (b.1931)

St Mary’s Church, Twickenham, Middlesex, Design for Stained Glass Memorial Windows (1988)

Signed, dated and studio stamp verso.

St Mary’s Church stands on the site of an earlier church in Twickenham, a short distance from York House and the banks of the River Thames, and incorporates a 15th-century, medieval tower. St Mary's has an impressive and illustrious history of notable parishioners including the painter Godfrey Kneller who, after the collapse of the ancient church's 14th-century nave in 1714, took active involvement in redesigning the church in the Neo-classical style alongside local architect John James, as well as Henry Fielding and Alfred Lord Tennyson whose sons were both baptised here. Gray had a personal connection to St Mary’s, her great grandfather having been the vicar some years before. These windows held especial personal meaning for Gray as they commemorated the death of her parents in 1982 and 1985 respectively. The windows were installed in 1989.

Jane Gray (b.1931)

St Michael and All Angels Church, Craven Arms, Shropshire, Design for Stained Glass Window (1995)

Signed, dated and studio stamp verso.

St Michael and All Angels is a Norman church that dates back to the 12th century. In 1902, it was sympathetically restored by the renowned early 20th century architect, Detmar Blow in his characteristic Arts and Crafts style, but is perhaps best known for housing both a significant fragment of a medieval wall painting, and the oldest Perpendicular pulpit (with Jacobean additions) in Shropshire.

Jane Gray (b.1931)

St Paul’s Church, Warwick, Design for One of Two Stained Glass Windows (1991)

Studio stamp and notes in artist's hand verso.

Rapid population expansion in Warwick in the early 1800s, due to the opening of the canal and industrialisation, saw the churchyards of St Mary and St Nicholas unable to cope. In 1823 both churches petitioned the Bishop of Worcester for extra burial space, but it wasn’t until 1918 that the Coventry diocese was finally created. A cemetery and chapel, known as St Mary’s Episcopal Chapel were built in 1824 on the site where St Paul’s sits today but was used exclusively for burials. In 1844 the Parish of St Paul's was formed and the church was consecrated on 26th July 1844 by the Bishop of Worcester. This window was installed in 1992.

Jane Gray (b.1931)

St Paul’s Church, Warwick, Design for One of Two Stained Glass Windows (1991)

Signed, dated and studio stamp verso.

Rapid population expansion in Warwick in the early 1800s, due to the opening of the canal and industrialisation, saw the churchyards of St Mary and St Nicholas unable to cope. In 1823 both churches petitioned the Bishop of Worcester for extra burial space, but it wasn’t until 1918 that the Coventry diocese was finally created. A cemetery and chapel, known as St Mary’s Episcopal Chapel were built in 1824 on the site where St Paul’s sits today but was used exclusively for burials. In 1844 the Parish of St Paul's was formed and the church was consecrated on 26th July 1844 by the Bishop of Worcester. This window was installed in 1992.

Jane Gray (b.1931)

St Peter’s Church, Cound, Shropshire, Design for Stained Glass Lettered Panel (1999)

Studio stamp verso.

St Peter’s Church, Cound lies in the grounds of the Cound Hall estate and is dedicated to St Peter because of its medieval association with Shrewsbury Abbey (dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul). The oldest part of the present church dates back to the 13th century but it has been renovated several times since then, with additions from the 14th, 15th and 19th centuries. This unique design by Gray highlights her modern style, the simple lettered panel, bearing the Latin name for the holy spirit, brimming with vibrant energy.

Jane Gray (b.1931)

St Peter’s Church, Cound, Shropshire, Design for Stained Glass Window (1999)

Signed, dated and studio stamp verso.

Proposed design for a window on the south wall, over the font. St Peter’s Church, Cound lies in the grounds of the Cound Hall estate and is dedicated to St Peter because of its medieval association with Shrewsbury Abbey (dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul). The oldest part of the present church dates back to the 13th century but it has been renovated several times since then, with additions from the 14th, 15th and 19th centuries.

Jane Gray (b.1931)

St Peter’s Church, Monkmoor Road, Shrewsbury, Design for Stained Glass Window (1990)

Signed, dated and studio stamp verso.

St Peter’s is a small, modern mission church adjoining Shrewsbury Abbey and was consecrated shortly before the outbreak of World War II in 1939. Gray’s stained glass design sensitively yet strikingly reflects this simple site of religious worship in her typical modern-medieval style. Important numbers in Christian iconography are included: three for the Trinity (Body, Mind, and Spirit), four for the material world of the Elements, and so, together, seven which combines the worlds of matter and spirit and is thus regarded as the perfect number. At the centre of the window sits the Chi-Ro, or monogram of Christ, placed against the emblems of St Peter (a pair of crossed keys and an inverted Latinate cross). Surrounding the design, seven fish swim in a turquoise sea. The window was installed in 1992.

Jane Gray (b.1931)

St Peter's Church, Martindale, Design for Stained Glass Window (1980)