West end of Saint George's Chapel (exterior) at Windsor Castle, based on a sketch made by Sandhurst Military Academy drawing-master W. Alfred Delamotte for the tenth instalment of W. Harrison Ainsworth's Windsor Castle. An Historical Romance for the May 1843 number in Ainsworth's Magazine. Book the Third, "The History of the Castle," Chapter III, "Comprising the Fourth Epoch in the History of the Castle; and showing how Saint George's Chapel was rebuilt by KingEdward the Fourth," p. 154: 6.4 cm high by 9.6 cm wide, vignetted. [Click on the image to enlarge it.]
Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham. [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]
Passage Illustrated
One great blemish to the chapel exists in the window over the altar, the mullions and tracery of which have been removed to make way fordull colourless copies in painted glass of West's designs. Instead of
—— "blushing with the blood of kings, And twilight saints, and dimemblazonings —
steeping the altar in rich suffusion, chequering thewalls and pavement with variegated hues, and filling the whole sacred spot with a warm and congenial glow, these panes produce a cold,cheerless, and most disagreeable effect.
The removal of this objectionable feature, and the restoration offramework and compartments in the style of the original, and enrichedwith ancient mellow-toned and many-hued glass in keeping with the place,are absolutely indispensable to the completeness and unity of characterof the chapel. Two clerestory windows at the east end of the choir,adjoining the larger window, have been recently filled with stainedglass in much better taste.
The objections above made may be urged with equal force against the east and west windows of the south aisle of the body of the fane, and the west window of the north aisle. The glorious west window, composed of eighty compartments, embellished with figures of kings, patriarchs, and bishops, together with the insignia of the Garter and the arms of the prelates — the wreck gathered from all the other windows — and streaming with the radiance of the setting sun upon the broad nave and graceful pillars of the aisles — this superb window, an admirable specimen of the architecture of the age in which it was designed, had well-nigh shared the fate of the others, and was only preserved from desecration by the circumstance of the death of the glass-painter. The mullions of this window being found much decayed, were carefully and consistently restored during the last year by Mr. Blore, and the ancient stained glass replaced.[Book III, Chapter III, "Comprising the Fourth Epoch in the History of the Castle; and showing how Saint George's Chapel was rebuilt by King Edward the Fourth," p. 153]
Cruikshank's use of stained-glass windows in his interior backgrounds
- Henry's Reconciliation with Anne Boleyn (Book I, Ch. IX)
- The Dismissal of Cardinal Wolsey (Book IV, Ch. XII)
- Anne Boleyn Receiving Proof of Henry's Passion for Jane Seymour (Book V, Ch. II).
The novel was embellished not only by Johannot's rather vaguely delineated plates but also by W. Alfred Delamotte's numerous designs and plans of the castle beautifully cut into the block by Thomas Williams. 'both artists frankly copied the effects Cruikshank had achieved in illuminating The Tower.
Influenced by Delamotte's minute pictorializations of nature, Cruikshank expended great effort on the Windsor Castle, delineating the settings with more explicit detailthan usual. The result, unfortunately, is not always commensurate with the ambition: he highly patterned surfaces blunt dramatic intensity. [Patten, vol. 2, p. 173]
Other Views by Delamotte of St. George's, Windsor Castle
Left: The first interior of the chapel, King Henry the Eighth attending Mass in St. George's Chapel (Book I, Ch. IV). Centre: Delanotte's atmospheric rendering of the passageway, Cloisters near Saint George's Chapel (Book I, Ch. VII). Right: Another interior sketch, showing the effect of the windows, Interior of Saint George's Chapel, looking towards the Choir (Book III, Ch. III). [Click on images to enlarge them.]
Other Views and Related Material on Windsor Castle
- Windsor Castle from the Long Walk, Victorian additions and alterations by Sir Jeffry Wyattville
- Early twentieth-century view of the castle from the river
- The Frogmore Mausoleum, adjacent to the Long Walk
- Statue of Queen Victoria at the foot of Castle Hill, Windsor
References
Ainsworth, William Harrison. Windsor Castle. An Historical Romance. Illustrated by George Cruikshank and Tony Johannot. With designs on wood by W. Alfred Delamotte. London: Routledge, 1880. Based on the Henry Colburn edition of 1844.
Patten, Robert L. Chapter 30, "The 'Hoc' Goes Down." George Cruikshank's Life, Times, and Art, vol. 2: 1835-1878. Rutgers, NJ: Rutgers U. P., 1991; London: The Lutterworth Press, 1996. Pp. 153-186.
Worth, George J. William Harrison Ainsworth. New York: Twayne, 1972.
Last modified 8 February 2018