Alan Frost | alan frost photography

Churches Project no.11 – St Nicholas, Moreton in Dorset

The church of St Nicholas, Moreton in Dorset

According to Christopher Winn in his book ‘I never knew that about England’s Country Churches’, St Nicholas in Moreton Dorset is the only church in the whole world to have all its windows in engraved glass. I have no reason to doubt this fact but whether it is true or not, this building is a true gem. It also happens to be the burial place of St Lawrence of Arabia, so has quite a claim to fame.

The west window

Parts of the church and the original stained glass windows were all destroyed by a German bomber in 1940. It took ten years to rebuild the church and the windows were originally replaced with green glass. The parishioners of this tiny village didn’t warm to this new look and the architect overseeing the work suggested consulting Laurence Whistler, a renowned glass engraver as well as a poet and writer. As a result he was commissioned to redesign the windows.

One of the five windows in the curved apse

The first five engraved windows to be installed were in the curved apse and this work was carried out in 1958. These were designed by Whistler but produced by a commercial firm. All the remaining windows were personally engraved by Whistler and fitted over a period of 30 years between 1955 and 1985. The commissioned work must have cost the church and its donors an absolute fortune but the results are truly spectacular. Many of the windows are engraved on both sides which gives a 3D effect.

The south facing window shown below, is a thing of great beauty whether viewed internally or externally.

A south facing window

The same south facing window from the outside

Detail from the bottom left hand corner of the south facing window

The most controversial engraving is that of a man hanging from a tree with coins spilling from his hand. It depicts Judas, the betrayer of Christ and is only visible from the outside. This section of the window is obscured from the inside by a wall monument. This engraving was not well received by the parishioners initially and was only installed in 2014, some fourteen years after Whisler’s death in 2000. This particular window was donated to the church by Whistler himself so he must have felt rather betrayed that it was not accepted by the church at the time of its presentation. I can quite understand why its macabre depiction of Judas would have caused a very mixed reaction.

Judas – donated by Whistler himself

The church is filled with light and each and every window is full of the most remarkable detail, unlike anything else you will see elsewhere, let alone in a small country church in the lovely county of Dorset.

More detail from the south facing window

Again more detail from the south window

One window is dedicated to Noel Findlay and the words in the right hand pane ‘and his gift of happiness’ have so many meanings in this rather wonderful place of worship.

The lower half of a north facing window in memory of Noel Findlay

To fully appreciate the superb glass engravings do click on any image to open a larger version.

Churches Project no.9 – Candlelight in The Priory

Candlelight in The Priory

There are many reasons why I enjoy visiting and photographing churches and their interiors. Without question one of them is the unexpected play of light inside a church when the outside is bathed in bright sunshine. The way shafts of light come through the windows can be an absolute joy, as was the case just this week when I called into Boxgrove Priory. It’s a beautiful building which lies to the east of Chichester, and one I shall return to photograph again.

I had not visited the Priory for many years, in fact I think the last occasion was for a funeral. The church was empty so I was able to look around in complete freedom. After about twenty minutes I noticed the sunlight illuminating one of the elegant candlesticks on the altar. The light was very bright and I knew the background to the image would be quite dark if I correctly exposed for the main subject of the picture. I knew I didn’t have long to take the shot as the sun was moving round and the light on the candlestick would soon be lost. The stone arch and stained glass window give context to the picture but the main subject will always be the candle bathed in lovely spring sunshine.

Tranquility at East Head

There are many subjects which I enjoy photographing but seascapes are a particular favourite of mine. There is something about a deserted beach at low tide when the wet sand reflects the clouds in the sky above. There is a sense of calm and tranquility in this image, even though this might quickly change, as circling rain clouds threaten to alter the scene.

Whilst black and white is my preferred style, I am beginning to find that the introduction of subtle colours adds another dimension to an image and this is certainly true of this shot. The almost painterly quality in the sky is lost without the combination of the blue and grey hues. A hint of ochre in the sand is also important to the overall feel and mood. This colour palette is I think rather pleasing and I hope you agree.

East Head is owned by The National Trust, so for more information about this rather beautiful location on the South Coast do click here.

Here are two more posts which also feature East Head –

Low tide at East Head

Gathering storm at East Head