Three figures from the easternmost window in the north aisle of the nave, at the chapel of Royal Holloway, University of London. The designer was the artist James Eadie Reid (1859-1928), who, according to the Imaging the Bible in Wales website, "depicted biblical scenes based on his visits to the Holy Land, and also designed church murals and stained glass." A gift from the first Principal (Matilda Ellen Bishop, 1842-1913), it was installed in 1897 and recorded in the compendium, The Year's Art, for 1898 (see p.197). These lights are from a set of four. St Alban (shown above left) stands beside St Augustine in the lower pair, and the two musician angels (shown next to St Alban here) are in the upper pair. The other windows in the chapel were installed well after the Victorian period.
Reid's diversity of interests is not surprising, given that the Imaging the Bible in Wales website tells us that he studied with William Blake Richmond, who also designed stained glass and mosaics, the latter, most famously, for St Paul's Cathedral in London. Reid's windows in this college chapel are rich in colour and detail (St Alban has Roman sandals, for example). But his heart was obviously elsewhere, because after spending eight years (1900-08) designing glass for the Gateshead Stained Glass Company, he returned to London "to focus more on his own artwork, and latterly the design of war memorials."
Photographs, text and formatting 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
- Royal Holloway, including general views of the chapel
- Architectural sculpture at Royal Holloway (including the chapel reliefs)
Bibliography
Bingham, Caroline. "Bishop, Matilda Ellen (1842–1913), college head."
Eberhard, Robert. "Stained Glass Windows at Royal Holloway College Chapel." Church Stained Glass Windows. Web. 8 March 2018.
"James Eadie-Reid." ." Imaging the Bible in Wales Database. Web. 8 March 2018.
The Year's Art. Lonon: J. S. Virtue, 1898.Internet Archive. Contributed by Robarts Library, University of Toronto. Web. 8 March 2018.
Created 8 March 2019