Bradford Cathedral

I took advantage of the Heritage Open Day at Bradford Cathedral. There was a guided tour around the Stained Glass Windows and a talk by Helen Elletson, Research Curator from the William Morris Society.

Both were really informative, we were shown so many interesting features, the wheatsheaf signature used on the glass by Charles Kempe, and symbolism such as the Pelican which I’d read about in my new book How to Read a Church by Richard Taylor. Also the flora and foliage background work preferred by Morris and the yellow and green colours so typical of his work.

The East Window in particular has examples of glass by so many well-known Pre Raphelites Edward Burne Jones, William De Morgan, Rosetti and more, it was the third commission for Morris, Marshall, Faulkner and Company which went on to be Morris and Co.

The Education Team have produced detailed leaflets on the windows which can also be seen on their website. I’m definitely planning to go back as there was more than I could absorb in one visit. I also discovered a recorded talk on pre-Raphaelite stained glass by the De Morgan collection