Christopher Whall

Christopher Whall
Nationality	English
Field	Stained Glass
Training	Attended Rossall School but left to be trained to be a painter at the Royal Academy Schools in London before leaving for Italy in 1876.Returned England in 1879 and became involved in the design and technical mastery of stained glass.
Works	His stained glass can be seen in many churches in England,Scotland and Wales.Often his stained glass windows served as War Memorials.
Influenced by	Said to be been much influenced by Botticelli, Giotto and Burne-Jones. Also "Quattrocento" Art

"The Good Shepherd", (1902), St Ethelbert. Herringswell. Suffolk

Christopher Whitworth Whall (1849–1924) was an English stained glass artist who worked from 1897 and on into the 20th century and is widely recognised as one of the key figures in the modern history of stained glass. He was born in Northampton, the son of a clergyman. Educated at Rossall School in Lancashire. Subsequently trained at the Royal Academy Schools. He then went to Italy where he studied medieval and renaissance art and it was at Lucca in 1878 that he converted to Catholicism.

Whall’s career as an independent designer and maker of stained glass began in the late 1880s. This coincided with the public emergence of the Arts & Crafts Movement through bodies such as the Art Workers’ Guild and the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society, in both of which he was active. Indeed through James Powell and Sons he was to exhibit at that Society's exhibitions at the New Gallery in 1888 and 1889. The architects with whom he was to work at Holy Trinity Church, John Dando Sedding and Henry Wilson were also prominent within the Movement.

Whall’s participation in the early activities of the Arts and Crafts Movement came soon after a life-changing event that had taken place in 1887. In that year he had converted the cow-shed at his cottage in Dorking into a workshop, where he set about learning all the processes of the craft- cutting, painting, firing and glazing- so that, in future, no part of the making of his windows would be beyond his control. It was a direct protest against the division of labour, then almost universally prevalent among commercial manufacturers, which Whall and others saw as incompatible with the production of stained glass as an art rather than simply a trade.

For the decade after the Whall's left Dorking in 1896 he had no premises of his own for the firing and glazing of his stained glass and during this period he worked closely with the firm of Lowndes & Drury and it was in their workshops that all his windows were fabricated between 1897 and 1906 (either at Park Walk in Chelsea or at Lattice Street). Lowndes & Drury was founded in 1897 by the artist Mary Lowndes and Alfred Drury with the aim of providing independent designer- craft workers with the necessary facilities to carry out their stained glass commissions.

In 1907 Whall took over the furniture-making workshops at 1.Ravenscourt Park, Hammersmith, formerly used by his friend Charles Spooner(1862-1938) the architect. Spooner converted the upper floor into a cartooning and glass-painting studio, complete with tall windows, and the lower floor into a fully equiped workshop with a kiln, glass-racks and glazing benches.

Whall was also influential as a teacher, taking stained glass classes at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in 1896, and in 1898 at the Royal College of Art in London, where students were encouraged to relate design to architecture. He was elected to the Art Workers Guild in 1889 and served as Master in 1912. He participated in the Ghent International Exhibition in 1912 and that in Paris in 1914. His work was shown at the Royal Academy's Arts and Crafts Exhibition of 1916.

His pupils and colleagues included his daughter Veronica Whall. (1887–1967) A good example of his daughter's work is her window in the Lady Chapel of Our Lady of Grace and St Teresa of Avila Church in Chingford, Essex. Described in "The Buildings of England-London 5: East" by Bridget Cherry, Charles O'Brien and Nikolaus Pevsner, ISBN 0-300-10701.3 as "subtle Lady Chapel window of 1939. Delicate figure of Virgin and Child largely white against a band of blue; intricately leaded."

Walter Crane, writing in his memoirs, describes a masque for which Whall wrote a Song of Triumph and designed demonic costumes.

Whall expounded his philosophy of craftsmanship in his book. "Stained Glass Work" published in London by John Hogg in 1905. This is available to read "online ". This book is a standard reference book for students of the genre. In 1922, in conjunction with his daughter Veronica, he formed the company of Whall & Whall Ltd., which carried on long after his death.

One of Whall's best known dictums was "the design of the window must relate to the architecture of the frame". There are incidentally two windows in St Peter's Church in Swinton, near Manchester which Clare Hartwell and Nikolaus Pevsner attribute to "Whall and Whall" in their volume "The Buildings of England. Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East". They describe the windows which are situated at the west end of the north aisle as having "beautifully drawn figures on a pale ground"

Although there is no record of Whall having undertaken commissions in Ireland, it does seem that he can be linked to the early 20th century stained glass revival in that country. The artist Wilhelmina Geddes was certainly influenced by Whall. Geddes was the artist who created the work “The Crucifixion” in St Luke’s Church in Wallsend.

It was in September of 1901 that Alfred Ernest Child arrived in Dublin to take up the post of Instructor in Stained Glass at the newly reorganised Dublin Metropolitan School of Art and it seems that Whall was one of those who were behind this appointment along with the painter Sarah Purser, the poet W.B. Yeats and Edward Martyn the art critic. Child had been trained by Whall and he would try to bring Whall’s principles to a new generation of Irish artists. Child and his artist friends aimed to set up a workshop similar to that formed by Mary Lowndes and Alfred Drury in London and in 1903 Sarah Purser set up "The Tower of Glass" (in Gaelic "An Túr Gloine").

In Scotland there were many stained glass artists who had connections with or were inspired by Whall. These would include Douglas Strachan and Margaret Chilton who, although English born, was to carry out much work in Scotland.

Somewhat further afield, it was Ralph Adams Cram the architect, who introduced Whall’s work to the United States in the period 1906-1910, this at All Saints Ashmont, Boston and Boston’s Church of the Advent. For the Church of the Advent, Whall completed five windows depicting the five regions of the early church, starting with the first window on the east end of the south nave wall with St. Ignatius of Antioch representing the Syrian Church and west of that St. Athanasius representing the African Church. On the north side starting at the west end is St. Ambrose of Milan for the Latin Church, then St. Chrysostom for the Greek Church and finally St. Columba, symbolizing the Celtic Church.

At All Saints Ashmont, Whall completed his "Risen Christ” window in 1907. All Saints also has work by Charles Connick arguably the United States’ best known stained glass artist and other who claimed to have been influenced by Whall.

At various times, particularly in the 1880's and 1890's, Whall was commissioned to design windows by James Powell and Sons.

Gloucester Cathedral

The work at Gloucester Cathedral was Whall’s largest commission and the work was completed over several years. A final half window was added by his daughter in 1926. The series of windows installed by Whall in the Lady Chapel is acknowledged to be the finest glass of the period in England. First in the series is the "Fall of Man" from 1899, showing the Garden of Eden.

Central Whall's scheme are scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary. In the "Nativity", shepherds and kings kneel in adoration before Mary and the Christ Child against a snow covered landscape. The rich colours and high quality of painting are typical of his work. In the north side of the Lady Chapel Sanctuary is "Christ in Majesty" with the Virgin and Mary Magdalene. This is a stunning example of symbolism in every aspect, with spectacular use of colour. Whall’s glass in the Lady Chapel contains images of many English saints. The detail of St Winifred (1901) includes the line of severance on her neck where she was beheaded and, at the base, the water springing up on the site of her martyrdom. The East window in the Chapter House from 1903 shows, in the upper centre, Osric, the founder of the first Christian church (about 679 AD) on the Cathedral site. Below, William the Conqueror is depicted, commissioning the Domesday Survey in 1085. At the top of the window are seven angels

In their book “The Buildings of England” Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and the Forest of Dean” David Verey and Alan Brooks write- “Whall’s windows exhibit a dazzling blend of jewel-like colour and drawing of the finest quality. They mostly consist of single figures of saints beneath silvery naturalistic canopies, with small scenes at the bottom, the detail of which repays close examination. He began with the north west window, beneath the bridge chapel 1898-9, then came the two central windows both north and south, completed 1901-2, the south west window, 1902, and the north east of 1909-10. That above the north Chantrey chapel is of 1913: the corresponding window, south, is by his daughter Veronica, 1926, she had assisted her father (who died in 1924) throughout the project”. In the south Chantry the small west window is by Whall and dates from 1921 whereas the south west window is by Veronica and dates to 1929. In the Cathedral Chapter House there is an east window by Whall dating from 1903 -1905. This is a Boer War Memorial with many figures representing Discipline, Counsel and Valour.

Some photographs of Whall’s work in Gloucester Cathedral are shown in the gallery below. These include “Man’s Fallen State”, "Man’s Redemption/Eucharist” and “Christ Enthroned” all in the Lady Chapel and “Choristers” and “Church Musicians” which are part of the west window of the south chantry of the Lady Chapel. These were installed in 1921 to commemorate a former cathedral organist.

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  "Church Musicians". Whall window in Gloucester Cathedral

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  "Man's Redemption/Eucharist".

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  "Choristers"

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  "Man's Fallen State"

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  "Christ Enthroned"

Holy Trinity.Sloane Street

Whall completed eight windows at Holy Trinity in Sloane Street. Holy Trinity was called “the Cathedral of the Arts & Crafts” by John Betjeman and it is certainly a treasure-house for lovers of stained glass. It contains the famous east window mostly designed by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones and manufactured by William Morris & Co and the Morning Chapel windows made by James Powell and Sons to designs by Sir William Blake Richmond. It also holds some of Christopher Whall’s finest work and along with his work at Gloucester Cathedral, the Holy Trinity windows constitute the most extensive surviving schemes of his stained glass. The building was started in 1888 to the design of the architect John Dando Sedding, generously funded by George Cadogan, 5th Earl Cadogan. Henry Wilson succeeded Sedding as the church architect on Sedding’s early death. Christopher Whall designed the two windows on the south side of the church and also six clerestory windows. One of the two windows on the south side is the “The Adoration of the Magi and the Shepherds.” It is a three-light traceried window, designed by Whall and made by him and his assistants in the workshops of Messrs. Lowndes & Drury. These workshops were in 11, Lattice Street. Hammersmith. The building was called “The Glass House”. It was built in 1906 to specifications by Whall and Alfred Drury as the premises of the stained-glass workers, Lowndes & Drury. Studios on the upper floor were rented out to independent glass workers. It became the centre for most of the major stained-glass artists of the early C20. See “The Buildings of England. London 3: North West. By Bridget Cherry and Nikolaus Pevsner. ISBN 0 14 0710 485.” "The Adoration of the Magi and the Shepherds" was given to the church by Mrs.E.Harvey in memory of her husband Edmund Harvey. In his pamphlet Peter Cormack states that "The Adoration of the Magi and the Shepherds" adapted a design by Whall for a painted altarpiece (triptych) for the chapel of Douglas Castle in Lanarkshire. Whall subsequently made several versions of this triptych in stained glass. The best known of these versions is in the Lady Chapel of Gloucester Cathedral. Douglas Castle was demolished in 1960 and the triptych was removed to St Sophia's Episcopal Chapel in the village of Douglas, this chapel now used as a local muuseum. The second window is a four-light traceried window entitled “The Holy Spirit and Pentecost”. This window was designed by Whall and made by him and his team of assistants at 1, Ravenscourt Park, Hammersmith. Whall now had his own premises and no longer used those of Lowndes & Drury. This window was given by Mrs.Frederick Cook in memory of her husband, Wyndham Francis Cook. The memorial inscription runs across the base of the four lights and reads-“To the Glory of God and in memory of Wyndham Francis Cook. Born Aug.21, 1860. Died May 17 1905. This window is dedicated by his widow. I thank God upon every remembrance of you.” For further information please refer to Peter Cormack’s pamphlet “Christopher Whall’s Stained Glass at Holy Trinity Church” copies of which can be purchased from the church.. Some images of "The Holy Spirit and Pentecost" and "The Adoration of the Magi and the Shepherds" are shown below.. During the period when the Holy Trinity windows were made the following were amongst those who worked as Whall's assistants- Edward Woore (1880-1960), Mary Hutchinson (1876-1930), Karl Parsons (1884–1934), Arnold Robinson (1888-1955) and John.E.Tarbox (1886–1968). By the 1910s his daughter Veronica Whall (1887-1907) increasingly played an active part in Whall's studios. With the founding of Whall & Whall Limited in 1922 the father-and-daughter collaboration was formalised. At other times Whall was to be assisted by Louis Davis (1860–1941), Joseph Edward Nuttgens, and Paul Woodroffe (1875–1954).

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  First and second lights in Whall's four-light traceried window "The Holy Spirit and Pentecost."

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  Third and fourth lights in Whall's four-light traceried window "The Holy Spirit and Pentecost."

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  View of the complete four-light traceried window "The Holy Spirit and Pentecost"

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  Part of Whall's window "The Adoration of the Magi and the Shepherds."

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  Part of Whall's window "The Adoration of the Magi and the Shepherds"

Details of other works by Whall can be seen in List of works by Christopher Whall

Lost Works

• In the volume "West Kent and The Weald", Pevsner refers to some Whall stained glass in the Tonbridge School Chapel. Sadly the windows in questions were lost in the 1988 fire which destroyed much of the chapel.

• The same Pevsner volume refers to work by Whall in All Saints Church, Swanscombe, Kent. This Norman Shaw designed church, dates from 1893, opened in 1895 but was closed in 1971 and converted to apartments. The Whall window may still be intact but within the apartment block.

• Whall completed a Great War memorial window in 1918 for St Mark's Church in Leeds. This church is no longer used but moves are afoot to restore it as the church has much historic value.

Other work

As stated above, Whall was educated at Rossall school in Lancashire. He returned there in 1891 to execute a stained glass window for the school chapel working together with Louis Davis. The window by Whall and Davis was dedicated to the Reverend W.A.Osborne who was the Headmaster at Rossall for many years and would in fact have been the Headmaster when the young Whall was a pupil at the school.

In 1890 Whall executed a three-light traceried east window for the South Chapel of Dorchester Cemetery..

John Dando Sedding designed St Saviour’s House in Bristol, the building being completed by Henry Wilson. In 1894 Whall executed a window for the quadrangle corridor, this described by Andrew Foyle and Nikolaus Pevsner as “a fine window of the Good Shepherd in a thorny thicket” in their volume “The Buildings of England. Somerset: North and Bristol”. St Saviour’s House is currently used as a Nursing Home.

Whall designed one of the two windows in the regimental chapel of the old London Woolwich Barracks and when these barracks were closed the windows were moved to St Alban the Martyr Church in Larkhill, Wiltshire. Whall's window included scenes of the old buildings of the Barracks. St Alban the Martyr is a Garrison Church and stands next to the main entrance of the Royal School of Artillery.

See also

• List of works by Christopher Whall
• Stained glass
• Stained glass - British glass, 1811-1918
• Edwardian Era
• Aestheticism

Further recommended reading

• Peter Cormack. "Christopher Whall 1849-1924. Arts & Crafts Stained Glass Worker" an exhibition catalogue published in 1979 in London by the William Morris Gallery.
• Peter Cormack "Aglo with Brave Resplendent Colour. The Stained Glass Work of Christopher Whall 1849-1924.". Published in Boston in 1999 by the Boston Public Library and Charles.J.Connick Foundation'
• Nigel Hammond, "Louis Davis, 1860-1941, Watercolourist, book-illustrator and stained-glass artist", Oxfordshire Local History Journal, 7 (2006).
• "Holy Trinity Church, Upper Chelsea 1828-1953" by F.H.Spicer. London.Shield & Spring. 1956.
• Journal of Stained Glass (Vol. XXX, 2006) ISBN 0-9540457-6-9
• "The Stained Glass of Gloucester Cathedral" by David Welander.(Gloucester.Author and Dean of Gloucester Cathedral.1985.)
• "Henry Wilson Practical Idealist" by Cyndy Manton.Cambridge. Lutterworth Press. 2009.