Two angel tapestries at Southwark Cathedral attributed to G. F. Bodley (1827-1907)




One of two angel tapestries (whole view, and detail) at Southwark Cathedral thought to have been designed by G. F. Bodley (1827-1907), who was the superintendent architect for the cathedral, as he was for York Minster and Peterborough. He certainly designed the spectacular font and cover there. Bodley had been one of the founders of the decorative arts firm, Watts and Co. in 1874, which produced textiles and vestments as well as wallpaper and fittings for the ecclesiastical market, and may have designed it for the firm.

The other hanging, which clearly complements it.

A pair of such tapestries is on show in the cathedral, but they are easily overlooked in the dark choir area, and their origin is not entirely certain.

Photographs and text by Jacqueline Banerjee. [You may use these images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one. Click on the images to enlarge them.]

Related Material

Bibliography

Lepine, Ayla. "On the Founding of Watts & Co., 1874." BRANCH: Britain, Representation and Nineteenth-Century History. Ed. Dino Franco Felluga. Extension of Romanticism and Victorianism on the Net. Web. 21 August 2018.


Created 21 August 2018