Backdrop
The 'Stella Maris' (Star of the Sea) window by Tom Denny, 2017. This stunning work depicts Mary as Star of the Sea in the central light flanked by two Northumbrian women of the Church, St Ebbe and St Hilda. The window is one of Denny's finest works and a joy to contemplate, full of rich and vividly coloured detail.
St Peter's at Wallsend dates back to the medieval period, but only the west tower remains from the pre-Reformation building, the rest fell into disrepair by the mid-18th century and has been substantially rebuilt since, most thoroughly in 1892 when it was left in the form we see today.
The interior is thus the result of the late Victorian restoration, complete with an ornately carved nave roof adorned with angels, though the proportions are still largely those of the previous rebuilding at the beginning of the same century.
What strikes the visitor most about the internal layout is the subdivision that has created a wall and glazed screen within the chancel arch with the altar now set before it, thus the nave remains in use as the church whilst the chancel now serves as the parish hall (converted following structural problems in the 1980s), though fortunately the glazed division means that the visual unity of the spaces is at least retained.
The real reason to visit this church however is the glass, an astonishing set of windows including the only windows in England by the Irish An Tur Gloine artists Michael Healy and Ethel Rhind dating from the 1920s. Healy is particularly well represented here with two windows in the nave and a further two in the former lady chapel (now the sacristy). The windows are characteristically rich expressions of the Irish Arts & Crafts tradition.
The most recent window was added in 2017, the 'Stella Maris' window by Tom Denny at the west end is a gorgeous example of the artist's work and worth a visit on its own.
The church isn't often open outside of service times so I am greatly indebted to Fr David Sudron for kindly allowing me time to enjoy the glass and explaining the symbolism of the wonderful Denny window he'd commissioned.
For more on the church see the link below:-
Backdrop
The 'Stella Maris' (Star of the Sea) window by Tom Denny, 2017. This stunning work depicts Mary as Star of the Sea in the central light flanked by two Northumbrian women of the Church, St Ebbe and St Hilda. The window is one of Denny's finest works and a joy to contemplate, full of rich and vividly coloured detail.
St Peter's at Wallsend dates back to the medieval period, but only the west tower remains from the pre-Reformation building, the rest fell into disrepair by the mid-18th century and has been substantially rebuilt since, most thoroughly in 1892 when it was left in the form we see today.
The interior is thus the result of the late Victorian restoration, complete with an ornately carved nave roof adorned with angels, though the proportions are still largely those of the previous rebuilding at the beginning of the same century.
What strikes the visitor most about the internal layout is the subdivision that has created a wall and glazed screen within the chancel arch with the altar now set before it, thus the nave remains in use as the church whilst the chancel now serves as the parish hall (converted following structural problems in the 1980s), though fortunately the glazed division means that the visual unity of the spaces is at least retained.
The real reason to visit this church however is the glass, an astonishing set of windows including the only windows in England by the Irish An Tur Gloine artists Michael Healy and Ethel Rhind dating from the 1920s. Healy is particularly well represented here with two windows in the nave and a further two in the former lady chapel (now the sacristy). The windows are characteristically rich expressions of the Irish Arts & Crafts tradition.
The most recent window was added in 2017, the 'Stella Maris' window by Tom Denny at the west end is a gorgeous example of the artist's work and worth a visit on its own.
The church isn't often open outside of service times so I am greatly indebted to Fr David Sudron for kindly allowing me time to enjoy the glass and explaining the symbolism of the wonderful Denny window he'd commissioned.
For more on the church see the link below:-