THERE’S the familiar clunk as the latch on a sturdy village church door is sprung. Inside, my footsteps echo in a centuries-old silence. This morning, the location is the intimate space of St Nicholas Church at Ickford, Buckinghamshire, but what’s about to happen holds true for country churches across Britain. Another search for examples of First World War memorial windows ends in a shattering of that silence.
The ferocious battle into which my imagination is plunged this time around was fought at Épehy (on the Somme) on September 18, 1918. The inscription below the neo-Gothic, stained-glass Virgin and Child relates as much in remembering a local victim of the action: 2nd Lt Edward Vernon Staley of the Royal Field Artillery. Son of the rector of Ickford, Staley died at the age of 19, heartrendingly close to the safe haven of the Armistice.
‘The stained-glass industry is booming and enjoying wonderful prosperity,’ proclaimed a 1920 newspaper. In the aftermath of the war, craftspeople struggled to meet the demand for memorials. These days, the cycle of remembrance for the dead in numerous conflicts revolves around early November. A century ago, memorials of various kinds were being unveiled a month after mournful month.
Denne historien er fra December 16 - 23, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra December 16 - 23, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
