Tag Archives: Oxford’s Chapels

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Chapel of St. Nicholas

When photographing the Chapel of St. Nicholas in early July, I was undecided which light would be best to edit, so with conditions being ideal, I photographed a selection.

The completed image below strikes me as being rather dark, although as I recall, this was the case particularly in comparison with Fight the Good Fight, for example.  I have yet to take a copy to the chapel for comparison and possible re-editing.

One omission from most of the windows or lights that I edit is the inscription.  This window was given by the parents after the death of their son.

The inscription reads:

In Loving Memory of EDWARD HORACE PERCIVAL, who died at Summer Fields March 9, 1900, added 14.

The boy in the image is apparently a likeness of Edward.

St. Nicholas - Be Ye Kind One to Another (low res)

Be Ye Kind One to Another (Henry Holiday, 1901) Chapel of St. Nicholas

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The Chapel of John the Baptist – St. John’s College

IMG_7058 (edited)I have just revisited The Chapel of John the Baptist at St. John’s College in order to understand better the text scratched into the glass at the top right of the right hand light.  The image to the left is deliberately over-processed in order to make the lettering as clear as possible – and at last, fully understandable.

In combination with the original image, taken from a higher vantage point, it is possible to identify the characters below the twisted cobweb.   As a result, it has been possible to interpolate all of the text, as shown in this second image.  Consequently, I can conclude that the writing states BOSSANYI 1944 (followed possibly by -195) LONDON.

IMG_7058 (edited with text)The two lights are replicas of a pair made by Bossányi for a 1944 commission, which reside in the Zouche Chapel of York Minster.  Bossányi retained the copies for permanent display in his studio to show prospective clients.

Further research has revealed additional information on the context of the light: this shows St. Francis of Assisi with the leper, who, according to the story, was restored to health and reconciled to faith by the saint’s ministrations, and who appeared to Francis in a vision as his soul ascended to the heavens.  The image depicts Francis’ complete engagement with the man’s sufferings, above which the Holy Spirit hovers in the form of a dove.

 

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Chapel of St. Nicholas – rose tinted glasses?

St. Nicholas - Be Ye Kind One to Another GIF.gifToday afforded me a moment to call in on the Chapel of St. Nicholas in order to compare my rendering of Be Ye Kind One to Another with the installation itself.

The concerns I had about the darkness of my image were well founded, and interestingly I had again oversaturated the reds and browns (as was the case with the Harris Manchester College Chapel light Courage).  Perhaps there is some truth to the  rose tinted glasses idiom?!

Such changes were quite easy to correct as was some fine detail in the colouring of the text and punctuation.  The animated GIF to the left demonstrates these subtle changes in a 2-second cycle (but does sacrifice quality):

There is a lot of quality loss in a GIF, so below is a JPEG of the final re-edited image:

St. Nicholas - Be Ye Kind One to Another v2 (low res).jpg

Be Ye Kind One to Another (Henry Holiday, 1901)

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Contemporary Tiles animated

While being creative with Henry Holiday’s glasswork, I was keen to see if there were any other ways that I could put to use the concept… here’s one:

Contemporary Tiles

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Chapel of St. Edmund – Planning visit

St. Edmund Hall was somewhat of an enigma: why does it have its own chapel when its library is housed in a former church, listed in the Domesday Book?  Request to photograph the chapel was directed, as always, at the chaplain Revd Will Donaldson, who was prompt in accepting my request, but also directed my request to photograph the library (St. Peter-in-the-East) to the new librarian.

With each of the chapels varying so greatly, the preliminary visits are so important, affording time to plan which windows might work best and allowing me to decide which lens or lenses are most appropriate for the eventual shoot.  Additionally, it forms the starting point of important background research into the history of each chapel: something that will prove invaluable when I start work on the guide that will accompany the portfolio.

Supper at Emmaus

The supper at Emmaus (Ceri Richards, 1958) Chapel of St. Edmund

The Chapel of St. Edmund really was small.  Built by Stephen Penton and consecrated in 1682, it is famous for the painting ‘The supper at Emmaus’ by Ceri Richards that hangs over the altar and is also well known for the stained-glass window on the east side that was constructed and designed by William Morris and Edward-Burne Jones.

A 3D tour of the chapel proved a useful starting point, but revealed little of the detail of the stained glass windows.  In addition to an impressive East Window, the chapel boasts four pairs of lights, each depicting a saint.  On visiting, it became apparent that some lights where unevenly lit as a result of shadows cast by nearby buildings and trees.  Indeed, one pair of lights is only visible from the organ loft and it is hidden behind the organ – as such it is impossible to photograph in any meaningful way.

The diminutive size of the chapel is quite an issue as I may find that a 90mm lens will be too powerful for photographing the lights in the north and south walls, and anything smaller may result in increased distortion.  As it is, the height of the windows will necessitate photography at an angle, leading to converging verticals that will lessen the image quality through post production digital correction.  The East Windows seems the most sensible choice for photography as it affords the greatest distance, by using the full length of the nave. , but its relatively old  age for a pre-Raphaelite window gives it a rather uncared-for appearance compared with those created in the late 1890’s and beyond.

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St. Peter’s-in-the-East – Planning visit

A window of opportunity enabled me to return to St. Edmund Hall today, for a preliminary visit to their library (formerly St. Peter’s-in-the-East), having secured provisional permission to take photographs, thanks to the support of James Howarth, Librarian at St. Edmund Hall.

While technically a church, as it is deconsecrated and forms part of the St. Edmund Hall campus, I am happy to include reference to it within my research project.

St. Peter-in-the-East is said to be named after the church of S. Pietro in Vincoli in Rome and is named in the Domesday Book (c.1085). It was used as the student chapel for St. Edmund Hall until the chapel was built on the College grounds in 1682.  The church was closed as a place of worship in 1965 and reopened as the College library in 1970.

Once again, aided by a 3D tour of the former church prior to the visit, I was prepared for some of the surprise that was in store… photography can be difficult enough within chapels when only having to negotiate pews, however in a building now filled with bookcases, tables and computer desks, this location will prove quite demanding.  To further confound things, I will only be allowed to photograph the site outside the Oxford University term dates.  This is likely to result in the work not forming part of my Module 3 portfolio.

Notwithstanding, I set about surveying the numerous windows – all magnificently cleaned and restored in readiness for the church becoming the library of St. Edmund Hall.  The location of furniture presents quite a headache for most lines of sight.  I am most optimistic about my chances in photographing the East Window, however, this is likely to necessitate me mounting my tripod on desk – something that may be frowned upon in a library.

Detail information about and from guide book here.

Images to follow.

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The Chapel of St. Edmund

Possibly the smallest chapel in Oxford, St. Edmund Hall’s chapel was consecrated for use in 1682 and dedicated to St Edmund.  The stained glass windows were installed a couple of centuries later by Messrs Clayton and Bell.  Sadly, where photography is concerned, choice over stained glass windows was limited: much of the glass suffered from close proximity to other buildings or dense foliage, making it incredibly dark, or resulting in a mottled appearance.

DCP_8561 (low res)The east window was work of the famous artists and designers, Sir Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris, and was inserted in 1865. It is the earliest example in Oxford of their stained glass work. The arrangement of the window was designed by Philip Webb, who also designed the pattern work. Fortunately, the main light within the East Window (by Burne-Jones) was lit uniformly and lent itself to convenient shooting, as there was the full length of the nave to use.

The east window demonstrated very high contrast, with significant area proving difficult to resolve in anything more than black.  It is also a window that has not been cleaned recently, showing much build-up of dark grime.

St. Edmund Hall - Ecce Agnus Dei (cut out) UPDATED PNG (low res)

Crucifixion (Edward Burne-Jones, 1865) The Chapel of St. Edmund

Ecce Agnus Dei qui tollit peccata mundi
Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!
John 1:29

Shot at 220mm, using the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens, at the now standard aperture of f/8.0, there was only a small amount of perspective distortion to correct in the final image.

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Mansfield College Chapel – Planning visit

Today was due to be a reconnaissance visit to Mansfield College Chapel, but as I was travelling to the neighbouring Harris Manchester College to photograph the east window, despite the less than ideal lighting conditions (bright, clear blue sky) it seemed sensible to attempt some photography.

IMG_3543 ce (lr)

The Victorian Gothic chapel is one of the largest in Oxford and is now a multi-function space.  The college chapel is unconsecrated, and contains stained glass windows and statues depicting leading figures from Nonconformist movements, including Cromwell, Sir Henry Vane and William Penn.  Chapel services are still conducted in a Nonconformist tradition, with an evening service each Wednesday.  It is routinely used as a dining hall – indeed on my visit I was being set up for a significant banquet.

The chapel is aligned almost north-south and with harsh sunlight pouring through the west windows, precluded them from being photographed.  However, the light was more sympathetic on the east wall, where there were a number of low-level windows, sadly, most of these were partially obscured by internal fittings and furnishings stacked within the chapel in addition to receiving unbalanced lighting thanks to foliage outside.

IMG_3536 (lr)

The south windows, while very high,  benefitted from having the full length of the chapel to help minimise angles and converging verticals.  Additionally, the pews at the north end (shown above) afforded some additional height.

While I do have the appropriate kit with me, I imagine that a follow-up visit may be sensible on a day with more sympathetic lighting.

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New College Chapel – Planning visit

In my mind, my intention in New College Chapel was to photograph the Great West window from the organ loft.  However, the brilliant afternoon sunshine was streaming through the west end making such work impractical, so I opted to soak up the atmosphere while the choir was rehearsing.  My short video, recorded from the south side, does provide an idea of the enormity and expanse of the stained glass within the chapel, initially showing a glimpse of some of the ante-chapel glass, before sweeping across the five windows of the north side, with each window containing eight main lights.  The south side is similarly glazed.

© The Choir of New College (Ave verum corpus by William Byrd)

New College Chapel dates back to the fourteenth century and is one of the main choral foundations of the University of Oxford, with a choir regarded as one of the leading choirs of the world, and has recorded over one hundred albums.  It hosts some stunning stained glass that spans the centuries, with windows designed by the 18th-century portraitist Sir Joshua Reynolds and contains works by Sir Jacob Epstein and El Greco.

On this visit, I was seemingly not fully focussed on the task in hand, as despite having the keys to all areas of the chapel, I failed to make observations from the organ loft and also failed to register the windows of the ante-chapel which are recently restored medieval stained glass.  In a restored state, they may be a fine choice if the lay of their surrounds proves favourable.

IMG_3566 (low res)From within the body of the chapel, it is difficult to photograph the lights as a result of their great height, so I am heavily reliant upon the organ loft providing an appropriate view of the glass at the west end, which would be best photographed in the early morning light.

I did make a point of pausing in the cloisters to capture an image – not that it is of any direct value to my Research Project. Clearly I do need another planning visit.

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Harris Manchester College Chapel – revisited

My initial visit to The Chapel of Harris Manchester College saw the East Window shrouded in protective covers while cleaning work was taking place outside.  The chapel is not typically oriented, so the east window, in this instance, is located at the rear of the chapel.

Harris Manchester is undoubtedly the most welcoming college – I am always greeted like a long-lost friend by the Porter’s Lodge, and have been accommodated without any problem, allowed to get on with my work in the most beautiful surroundings.

While I endeavour to restrict myself to just a single stained-glass window (or light) from each chapel, I keep finding myself drawn back to this chapel, which is filled with stunning work by William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones.

The east window was undoubtedly worth my revisit… it is impressively large, and stunning!  Sadly, and in keeping with many chapels and churches, the five main lights are all backed by protective mesh, which although subtle and almost unnoticeable to the casual observer, creates an obvious and detracting element to any photograph, even when reduced to a thumbnail…

DCP_8660 (quick edit) (low res)

The quick edit of the entire east window, above, provides just a hint of the stunning colours and design.  However, for the development of this project, I focussed most of my efforts on the top third of the window, lavishly illustrated with angels and devoid of protective mesh.

East Rose - PNG (low res).png

Teaching the Ignorant (BJ237 Edward Burne-Jones, 1896) The Chapel of Harris Manchester College

It is always a pleasure, when working on roses, not to have to remove support bars!  As a result, the editing time was quick by comparison. The image was shot at 349mm, using the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens, at an aperture of f/8.0 and exposure times ranging from 1/30 s to 1/2 s.  However, I am unsure whether this image is best presented square or circular.  I committed to a square print of the west window, but rather like the appearance of this one cropped as a circle…

East Rose - cut out PNG (low res)