Douglas Strachan

East window at Humbie Parish Church, East Lothian, designed by Douglas Strachan in 1949

Dr. (Robert) Douglas Strachan (26 May 1875, Aberdeen - 20 November 1950) was considered the most significant Scottish designer of stained glass windows in the 20th Century. Schooled at Robert Gordon's, he studied art at Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen, at the Life School of the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh, and the Royal Academy in London. From 1895-1897 Strachan worked in Manchester as a black and white artist on several newspapers, and as a political cartoonist for the Manchester Evening Chronicle, until ill-health forced him to return to Aberdeen.

He died at Lasswade, Midlothian and is buried in the central section of the 20th century extension to Dean Cemetery in Edinburgh.

Works

David being anointed by Samuel, Dirleton Kirk, by Douglas Strachan

Although Strachan was interested in Futurism, Cubism, and Vorticism, his work shows little influence of this. Strachan often composed his windows in areas of pure colour which were then defined by areas of silvery white.

The main east window of Paisley Abbey by Douglas Strachan (detail)

His largest commission was to design the windows for the Scottish National War Memorial in Edinburgh Castle in the late 1920s.

Grave of Douglas Strachan, Dean Cemetery

Strachan's work can also be seen at:

• St. Aidan's Church, Bamburgh, Northumberland
• St Andrew's United Reformed Church (incl. War Memorial Window - 'Sacrifice'), Hampstead, London
• All Saints, Jesus Lane, Cambridge
• All Saints' Church, St Andrews
• The Peace Palace at The Hague, Netherlands
• Humbie Parish Church, East Lothian
• King's College Chapel, Aberdeen
• Noble College, University of Aberdeen
• St Machar's Cathedral, Aberdeen
• St Lawrence's Church, East Rounton, North Yorkshire (memorial window to Gertrude Bell
• Fraserburgh Old Parish Church (1906)
• East window (St Andrew) in the Thistle Chapel, St Giles Cathedral (1909-11)
• St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, Orkney (1912)
• Nairn Old Parish Church, Nairn
• David being anointed by Samuel, Dirleton Kirk (1916)
• St Margaret's Chapel, Edinburgh Castle (1922)
• Bedrule Church (1922)
• Christ Walking on the Water, St Giles Cathedral (1922)
• St Giles Cathedral, saint windows (1932-35)
• Westminster College, Cambridge
• Bothwell Parish Church, South Lanarkshire, Gilchrist Window, for Dr. Marion Gilchrist
• St. Margaret's Church, Hoathly, Sussex
• St. Thomas' Church, Winchelsea, East Sussex
• St Michael and All Angels, Waterford, Hertfordshire
• Paisley Abbey main east window (his largest work)
• St John's Kirk, Perth, Scotland
• University of Glasgow Chapel
• University of Glasgow Bute Hall
• Kilbrandon Church, Argyll
• St Mary of the Angels, Brownshill, Gloucestershire.
• St Andrew's Episcopal Church, Kelso
• St Oswald's Church, Hotham, East Yorkshire (which contains 6 windows by Strachan)
• All Saints Church, North Cave, East Yorkshire

External links

• Arthur Colin Russell, Stained Glass Windows of Douglas Strachan