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[65886] Oxford : Keble College Chapel - Mosaic
Keble College, Oxford.
Chapel, 1873-76.
By William Butterfield (1814-1900).
Grade l listed.
Mosaic by Alexander Gibbs (1832-1886).
Keble College was founded in memory of John Keble, a Victorian clergyman who, with others in what became known as the Oxford Movement, had a profound impact on the Church of England in the mid 19th century, renewing and strengthening it in the catholic tradition. From its foundation the religious roots of the College went deep, and for many years Keble stood out from other Oxford colleges in its insistence on an ordained clergyman as Warden and in the number of its students who went on to serve as clergy.
Funding for the new College was sought from Tractarian sympathisers, including the benefactor of the Chapel, William Gibbs (1790-1875) of Tyntesfield, whose family’s fortune was based on Peruvian bird droppings, a valuable fertiliser! Keble College opened its doors to just thirty students in 1870, and the Chapel was opened on St Mark’s Day 1876.
Alexander Gibbs (1832-1886) was one of three sons of Isaac Alexander Gibbs (1802-1851), who started making stained glass just before his death. Confusingly, all three were named Alexander and the youngest also shared the name of Isaac. Alexander (with no other name) inherited his father’s business with Charles Alexander but from 1855 had his own business with two addresses in Bloomsbury. Among those working for him was Isaac Alexander junior. Alexander was willing to conform to William Butterfield’s requirement for clarity and lack of clutter and worked with him for the rest of his life. After his death, the firm continued the association and it did not close until 1915.
[65886] Oxford : Keble College Chapel - Mosaic
Keble College, Oxford.
Chapel, 1873-76.
By William Butterfield (1814-1900).
Grade l listed.
Mosaic by Alexander Gibbs (1832-1886).
Keble College was founded in memory of John Keble, a Victorian clergyman who, with others in what became known as the Oxford Movement, had a profound impact on the Church of England in the mid 19th century, renewing and strengthening it in the catholic tradition. From its foundation the religious roots of the College went deep, and for many years Keble stood out from other Oxford colleges in its insistence on an ordained clergyman as Warden and in the number of its students who went on to serve as clergy.
Funding for the new College was sought from Tractarian sympathisers, including the benefactor of the Chapel, William Gibbs (1790-1875) of Tyntesfield, whose family’s fortune was based on Peruvian bird droppings, a valuable fertiliser! Keble College opened its doors to just thirty students in 1870, and the Chapel was opened on St Mark’s Day 1876.
Alexander Gibbs (1832-1886) was one of three sons of Isaac Alexander Gibbs (1802-1851), who started making stained glass just before his death. Confusingly, all three were named Alexander and the youngest also shared the name of Isaac. Alexander (with no other name) inherited his father’s business with Charles Alexander but from 1855 had his own business with two addresses in Bloomsbury. Among those working for him was Isaac Alexander junior. Alexander was willing to conform to William Butterfield’s requirement for clarity and lack of clutter and worked with him for the rest of his life. After his death, the firm continued the association and it did not close until 1915.