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Kempe's east window at Tong attempts to recreate the lost medieval glass, using as reference the surviving fragments of four of the main figures (now relocated in the west window) and incorporating a few medieval fragments in the tracery lights.
St Bartholomew's church at Tong is not just one of Shropshire's finest parish churches, it is one of the best in the country. So much antiquity in carved stone and woodwork is contained within it's walls it is a veritable treasure house of medieval art. The most outstanding features are the superb collection of tombs with effigies to members of the Vernon family.
The church building itself would normally be ample reward, and impressive 15th century edifice crowned by battlements, pinnacles and an unusual octagonal central tower with a short spire. It's grand appearance is explained by it's former collegiate status, and ruins of the former college buildings can still be seen in the field immediately to the west.
Within it is somewhat cluttered with history, with many of it's original furnishings surviving, from the nave pews to the superb chancel stalls with a set of misericords and various other interesting carvings. The aisle screens survive too, and are adorned with some particularly fine foliage carving and traces of their original colouring. The medieval glass has mostly disappeared except for some significant fragmentary figures reset in the west window, these were used as reference by Kempe's studio when they created a new stained glass for the east window in the 1880s, incorporating reconstructions of the damaged original figures.
The monuments are too numerous to list here, the main group is concentrated at the east end of the nave and crossing with six major tombs with effigies (except one with brasses instead) all crowded together with little space between, mostly of the 15th and early 16th centuries (only one of the major tombs is post Reformation).
The finest feature of all is the beautiful fan-vaulted Vernon chantry chapel, built in 1515 on the south side, situated behind it's builder, Harry Vernon's tomb, which like the chapel ceiling retains many traces if it's medieval paintwork. The most unusual of Tong's medieval monuments is found on the west wall of this intimate space, the upper half of a figure emerging from a canopied niche, believed to be the portrait of Arthur Vernon who died in 1517.
The church is justly celebrated and much visited, and happily is normally open for visitors.
Meriden has a claim to being the centre point of England, which is traditionally marked by the medieval cross shaft that stands at the heart of the modern village.
The ancient parish church of St Laurence stands outside the village on a hill top some distance to the east. Built of a warm red sandstone, it consists of a late 15th century west tower, a Norman chancel and an aisled nave, largely 13th century in date though the outer walls of the aisles betray a thorough remodelling in the early 19th century.
The interior retains a feel of antiquity despite various restorations (include much recent renovation) and contains several items of historic interest, including two 15th century knight's effigies placed at the ends of the side aisles (that on the south side is particularly fine).
There is some particularly fine stained glass in the south aisle, with two beautiful windows by Powell's in their later Pre-Raphaelite-influenced style, and a sumptuously detailed war-memorial window by Camm's of Smethwick. The glass at the west end can be studied from close quarters from the recently installed gallery.
The church is normally kept locked, but is open on Sunday afternoons from Easter to October and visitors are made very welcome.
There are also very occasional opportunities to climb the church tower for excellent views of the surrounding countryside, but alas I missed the latest opening by a week!
For more detail see this church's entry on the new Warwickshire Churches website:-
This Rose Window, also the East Window, is the symbol of All Saints' Cathedral. Upon entering the church, it immediately strikes the visitor. This window also heads the Cathedral's stationery.
I sometimes think of it as the star of Bethlehem.
It is hard to photograph it with a simple camera, and this is the best among my many attempts.
It says 'over the roofs', but as a matter of fact it was BELOW the roofs of Berlin, of course. Maybe the owner gave his trousers a name, saying 'Anatole, if you don't behave yourself, next time I hang you out the window', and this is why they look so embarassed and awkward.
When this church suffered bomb damage in 1941, all but one of the stained glass windows were destroyed, this window survived.
Named the Nunc Dimittis window (one of the canticles said or sung at Evening Prayer according to the Book of Common Prayer),
it shows the story of Simeon holding Jesus in the temple after being told that he would not die until he had seen the Lord's messiah. On the right an elderly prophet, Anna who had also been waiting night and day in the temple to see Jesus. On the left are Mary and Joseph who had come to the temple with an offering of two doves to present the baby to God according to Jewish custom.
The window was installed in 1921 in memory of Mr and Mrs J Cross. There were originally two adjacent windows depicting the Magnificat and the Te Deum which did not survive the bomb blast.
The Verney memorial window in the north aisle at Lighthorne is distinguished by a fine representation of St Elizabeth of Hungary in it's left hand light, shown holding flowers and surrounded by birds, beautifully detailed and a late work by Florence Camm, 1946.
Stained glass window by Kempe in memory of those from this parish who fell in the service of their Country in the Great War - Gwendoline Hanbury dedicates this window AD 1819
Remember ye Evan Robert Hanbury dearly loved only son of Evan and Gwendoline Hanbury www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/ex070Z to whose memory his mother dedicates this window
Remember George Barrett who fell in the Great War,"reported missing" Gallipoli 6th August 1915 .- Church of All Saints, Braunston Rutland
East window c1870 showing Christ flanked by SS Paul & John; Pevsner suggests the window may be by Evans, but I would consider the studio of O'Connor a more likely candidate.
St Michael's at Lilleshall spans the Middle Ages with the nave largely late Norman in it's fabric, a 13th century chancel and a late medieval perpendicular west tower. There has been much restoration in the Victorian period. The most significant feature externally is the south doorway, now sheltered by a Victorian porch, which is a fine example of late Norman transitional architecture (similar work remains at the nearby ruins of Lilleshall Abbey).
The interior betrays it's more recent restorations in it's early 20th century furnishings and mixture of Victorian stained glass. But the older features are well worth seeing, the earliest being the Norman font with it's unusual non-figurative decoration set in arcading, and surrounded by a collection of medieval floor tiles. At the west end is a large Royal Arms of Charles II painted on wood.
On the north side of the chancel is the large monument to Sir Richard & Lady Leveson (d.1661 and 1674 respectively) in contrasting black and white marbles. The effigies of the deceased are shown reclining, one above the other.