North Stifford Village
St. Mary's Church

Stained Glass Windows

The glass windows in St. Mary’s are very different from each other. The window arches are much older than the stained glass windows they now contain. The original mediaeval glass was lost when the church was re-ordered by Rev. Palin in 19th century.

Those above the alter are pressed quarries - textured mouldings that are stained. Many of the other windows are equally old.

The Colonel Laurie memorial window in the south aisle, was installed in 1929. It was made by Leonard Walker, an avant-garde artist whose work is found in cathedrals in Canada and Europe. Unlike other stained glass the only piece of painting is on the hands and face. The colour and layers of the glass and the shape of the lead is all part of the design.


The best loved window is undoubtedly ‘The Lamb Window’ in the south aisle and many
generations of Sunday school children have adored it, and when damaged by thieves and vandals it has always been lovingly restored.

The ‘Healing Window’ in the south aisle is the one we know most about. It was designed by Henry Holiday for the company of Powell & Sons. Henry Holiday was a very famous designer of stained glass and his work can be found in Worcester College and St. Mary Magdalene College, Oxford, and the Brunel Window, Westminster Abbey.

A very large part of his work is to be found in Canada and the USA.


Believed to have been installed in the 1890’s, 'The Healing Window' was later damaged by a bomb in World War 2. The window was eventually replaced but some sections were never accurately repaired because by the time it was possible to repair them no-one could exactly remember what the original had looked like, so some broken sections were filled in with stained glass mosaic patterns. In 1991, a visitor who had lived abroad for forty years brought in a water-colour she had painted of the window before the war, but the Church Commissioners said the war damage was part of the history of the church, and would not allow the window to be restored to its original state.



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