Spode Memorial Window, Lichfield Cathedral

Spode Memorial Window

John Hardman & Co

Designed by John Hardman Powell

1870

Eighth bay, South aisle

Lichfield Cathedral

This window is in memory of Helen Spode, wife of Josiah Spode IV, of pottery fame. The couple married in 1848, and Helen died in 1868 (see Wilkinson 284). The window features her namesake, Saint Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine. Known for her piety, St Helena built churches in Rome, Trier, Palestine and elsewhere, helped the needy, and in her old age was reputed to have found the true cross in Jerusalem (see "St Helena"). The theme of the window is the Crucifixion and Redemption, or, more broadly, the triumph over evil.

Main photograph ©Mathé Shepheard, reproduced by kind permission from The Stained Glass of John Hardman and Co., Vol. II (see "Sources"). Small photographs, captions, text and formatting by Jacqueline Banerjee. Many thanks also to Pat Scaife, who identified the window's designer for me, and whose book about the cathedral's stained glass is also listed below.

All photographs reproduced here by permission of the Chapter of Lichfield Cathedral. Click on the images to enlarge them.