William Morris and Selsley Church. Examples of Morris & Co's stained glass and the genesis of the Arts and Craft movement in the Cotswolds.

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The Church of All Saints, Selsley was designed by G. F Bodley, with stained glass designed by William Morris and his partners Rossetti, Webb, Ford Madox Brown and Burne-Jones. In all, much of the church shows the genesis of the Arts and Crafts movement in the Cotswolds.
Common folklore has it that the design was based on a church at Marling in the Austrian Tyrol (see photo below right) but David Verey, in his book 'The Buildings of England' dismisses this and suggests that it's a Bodley's designs influenced by French Gothic. (Bodley was also the architect for the church at France Lynch and Verey describes this as 'in his French style with a dash of Ruskinism thrown in.')
The building of the church was undertaken once it was agreed that Selsley should become a separate parish from King's Stanley.
An Order dated June 11th 1863 formally created the parish, a district of approximately one square mile and with a population of 700.

The church was commissioned by the Marling family - who lived next door in Stanley Park - and is situated on the scarp face overlooking the Severn Vale, a proud, distinctive and dramatic position. It overlooked Marling's Mill which was also designed by Bodley.
The land was donated by S.S. Marling Bart. and the initial funds for the building were raised by the Rev. Samuel Lloyd of Stanley Hall who was first to take an active interest. He was able to raise just over a thousand pounds by public subscription and the balance of 4,300 pounds was donated by Marling. (Bodley was paid a commission of 135 pounds for his work.)
In early 1861 the foundation stone was laid by the Rev. John Gibson, Rector of Kings Stanley.
The church was built in 1861-1862 using local labour: the main contractors were Harrison of King Stanley, with stone carvings by Joshua Wall - for which he was paid 38 pounds. The church was built of local stone with Bathstone dressings and Minchinhampton weather stone. The woodwork, including the choir stalls, pews and pulpit were all designed by Bodley and executed by William English of Stroud. The iron work was by T.C.Chew of Stroud.
The saddleback Tower is 107 feet in height; inside there is an Apsidal Chancel, Nave and a North Aisle. In all, the church can accommodate around 220 worshippers. Outside, the design of the gabled sides with their long windows is judged to be beautiful and the church is a striking landmark in the area..
However the most outstanding feature is the stained glass, commissioned by Bodley from Morris and Co. - one of William Morris' first commissions. (Bodley was a friend of Morris and it was his promise of commissions that helped spur Morris into setting up his firm Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co., in 1861 - later known as Morris and Company.)
Philip Webb designed the overall scheme for the church and the detailed designs were done by Burne-Jones, Rossetti, Ford Maddox Brown, Campfield and Morris. In the accounts it was recorded that Morris Marshall & Co. were paid:
For stained glass 240.13s 10d
For alter cloth etc. 8. 7s 11d
For gas fittings 34 0s 3d
For chancel cloth work etc. 20. 0s 0d
(Further pictures of the church: best downloaded with a fast/ISDN line.)

Dr Paul Thompson says of the main Creation window:

"The contrast between the circles with figures and the bold abstract figures, the tide of vertical waters dividing from the rays of light like lily stalks or the flat waters with specks of flame and smoke blue sky...make this one of the very best of all the Morris windows."
Morris, for all the stained glass work, was the central force. Besides designing the figures, he controlled the colour, set the leading and drew the designs for the actual making. He chose the glass, supervised the painting, passed the window before firing and was responsible for the overall look of the glass no matter who designed it.

The Rose Window: A central rose surrounded by eight patterned circles, in turn surrounded by eight main circles and eight small segmented lights.
In the centre rose, Christ is seated on a rainbow and waters, holding a green orb in his left hand. His right hand is raised in blessing. The inscription says IN IN ITIO which means "In the begining".
The centre circle is surrounded by eight small patterned roundels representing the planets and stars of the heavens.
The eight outer larger circles depict scenes based on the creation in the Book of Genesis. Three are by Philip Webb; the others by William Morris and Burne-Jones:
1. The Holy Spirit as a dove (PW)
2. Light and Darkness, Night and Day (WM)
3. Heaven, Earth and the Waters under the Earth (WM or B-J)
4. Vegetation and Flora (WM)
5. Sun, Moons, Stars and Planets (WM or B-J)
6. Birds and Fishes (PW)
7. Adam and Eve picking the fruit (WM)
8. Adam naming the beasts (PW)
Below the Rose Window are four lights, thought to be from designs by George Campfield, that depict Isaiah holding a twist frame saw; Moses pointing to two Tablets of Stone; Abraham holding a knife over Issac who is bound on a pyre; and Enoch standing in heaven.

You enter the grounds of the Church through a lynchgate and then descend a steep drive to the west door of the nave. In season, swallows and swifts dart around the saddleback tower.
Inside the church is small, calm, but the dim interior is punctured by the brilliant light that streams through the stained glass. It is impossible to prepare for the beauty before you. In one sense the church acts almost as a gallery for the glass, and the intensity of colour can almost overwhelm. Nonetheless, the church embraces and envelopes you with a sense of peace and well-being.
The windows form a band of glass around the church - the idea taken probably from a similar 13th century arrangement in Merton College, Oxford.

Detail of work done by Rossetti

Apse
There are five windows in the Apse above the altar and each is surmounted by a roundel.
The Ascension - William Morris.

Three kneeling figures, Mary, John and Peter, watch the ascension (based on illustrations in fourteenth century manuscripts).
Christ's feet and robe are seen ascending in a cloud, a medieval symbol.
Border: "He was parted from them and carried up in to heaven."
William Morris also designed the roundel with an angel with auburn hair clasping a crimson dulcimer.

The rising Christ holds a white flag with a red cross on it. Of the four soldiers in distorted attitude, one is dark skinned and one has a medallion on his breastplate embossed 'SPQR'.
The border: "Christ being risen from the dead dieth no more."
In the roundel above (by Rossetti) he used Fanny Cornworth as the model for the Censing Angel with flowing hair.

Mary, mother of Christ is in blue and scarlet. John is grasping Mary's right hand in both of his as they are kneeling at the foot of the cross. Mary holds a kerchief in her left hand. These are human touches rarely seen in depictions of the crucifixion. Mary's nimbus is filled with stars reflecting the title 'Queen of Heaven' ascribed to her. John, in green and bright blue, has paper and quill at his belt.
Border: "Christ our passover is sacrificed for us"
The roundel above, by Edward Burne-Jones, shows the crowned Christ in glory seated on a rainbow surrounded by the planets and stars. He is holding an orb with his right hand raised in blessing.

The asymmetrical design of this window is typical of Ford Maddox Brown and contains a wealth of domestic detail. Mary is in green and red. Joseph, identifiable by the bag of tools next to him, is tasting from a bowl. The Holy Spirit, represented by a dove, is perched on the wall above.
There are shepherds with their crooks; a basket of eggs; a brown and white spotted cow; a dog and, symbolizing sacrifice, a lamb with its feet tethered.
The border says: "For unto us a child is born unto us a son is given."
This is the only signed window: there is Brown's monogram and the figures '61' at the bottom of the trestle leg of the wooden manger.
The roundel is by Rossetti and shows the Censing Angel facing Christ.

Joseph is kissing the hem of the Virgin Mary's cloak. Elizabeth has a red robe. Zachariah has his hand on his wife's shoulder. The medallions on the breasts of Mary and Elizabeth are the Byzantine symbol of pregnancy. Around the border is written "My soul doth magnify the Lord."
The Angel in the roundel is playing a viol.

The Angel Gabriel is in the left light carrying a white lily. He is wearing a gold cope with decoratively patterned orphreys. His white wings are studded with pale peacock eyes. The Virgin Mary in the right light is kneeling on a tasselled cushion at a prayer desk as she looks over her shoulder. To the left of her is the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. Around the border is written "Hail thou that art highly favoured the Lord is with thee."
The background is a garden, a medieval symbol of purity and innocence as is the lily held by Gabriel.
When Gabriel's face was damaged, the original cartoons which were held by the Ashmoleum Museum, Oxford, were used as a reference for repairs that were undertaken in 1989.
A deliberate mistake? One of the 'M's in the left-hand border surrounding Gabriel is upside down.
The overall design is based on a Jan van Eyck altar piece in Ghent dated from 1432.

Nave
There are three windows in the south aisle, each made up of three panels:

Sermon on the Mount - Dante Gabriel Rossetti (also reproduced for Christ Church, Albany Street, London as a memorial to his sister.)

The centre panel shows Christ surrounded by figures. Each has a halo: Dominus Christus; S Johannes Dilectus; S Jacobus; S Maria Mater Dei Beata Virgo; S Maria Magdala Peccatrix; Judas Damnatus; S Petrus.
The left light depicts many figures including a man praying and a mother holding a baby, with an angel overhead lying horizontally.
In the right light there is another angel flying over an elderly couple with both hands extended.
Border: "Consider the lilies of the field they toll not neither do they spin"
The models for the figures are thought to be George Meredith (novelist and poet) for Christ; Dante's sister Christina Rossetti for the Virgin Mary; Fanny Cornforth for Mary Magdalene; St John, A.C. Swinburne; the painter, Simeon Solomon for St. James; and Gambert, a rather disliked picture dealer, was used as the model for Judas Iscariot.
The tracery has a circle within a rose depicting an Angel playing a double pipe. Surrounded by six smaller circles and three foils left and right containing pattern work.

St Paul Preaching at Athens - William Morris (the Pelican on a nest and the Lamb and Flag, Agnus Dei are by Philip Webb who was responsible for drawing all the animals for the firm.)

In the centre panel St Paul stands on steps talking to seven listeners. Jane Morris is depicted as one of these in the bottom left. A scribe, a soldier who is asleep and other figures are found in the right light.
Border: "For him we live and move and have our being"
Three windows are found in the tracery: A circle within a rose at the top contains an angel with cymbals; the silver staining of the hair is a technique of the late 13th century revived in the 19th century.

Christ Blessing Little Children - Sir Edward Burne-Jones (the heads of St Peter and St Paul in this window were the first that Burne-Jones made for the firm.)

In the centre panel Christ stands holding a child on his arm with six children around him. In the left panel is a mother with three children with the head of St Peter (a self portrait) in the roundel above.
The right panel has a father with two boys, the roundel above containing the head of St Paul (a portrait of Bodley).
Border: "In heaven their angels do always behold the face of my father which is in heaven"
In the tracery is a circle within a rose of an angel holding a viol surrounded by six smaller pattern-work circles.

Evangelists - Along the north aisle are four windows by Philip Webb showing the symbols of the four evangelists: St Mathew as a man; The Lion of St Mark; St Luke as an Ox and St John's Eagle.

Adam and Eve - Edward Burne-Jones. On the left is Adam, Eve is on the right. The foliage, so beloved of Burne-Jones, is used to hide their nakedness. The snake, following medieval tradition has a human face. The border says: "And they were both naked the man and his wife and were not ashamed".

(All the above desciptions are taken from the booklet "All Saints Church, Selsley" which can be obtained from: The Vicarage. 58 Cashes Green Road, Caincross, Stroud, Glos. GL5 4RA. UK.)

In the 1860s, stained glass was the most important product of Morris & Co. Later, the wallpapers, fabrics and embroideries would take on greater significance and are what Morris is now more widely known for. The company had been established in 1861, operating under the principle of being an artists co-operative - although ultimately it was a business owned by Morris.
G.F. Bodley commissioned Morris both for his first church, St Michael and All Angels, Brighton; his second church, St Martins, Scarborough and then at Selsley. At this period, with five artists working on the designs, they show great variety.
However the artists all tended to work in a mosaic style rather than using the glass as a medium for a painted picture; the designs would also allow ample light in to the church whilst also projecting colour.
Generally they worked in a medieval form, much influenced by the teachings of Charles Winston, and used bold areas of pure, bright colours and the leading became integral with the design. They used foliage and flowers as background (as seen well on the Adam and Eve window by Burne-Jones) and other very typical medieval motifs. Even the high quality of the glass was very medieval in look.
(Source: William Morris as designer. Ray Watkinson. Published 1967 by Studio Vista.)

The Marling Memorials
Within the church there are eight memorial tablets to the Marling family who were, for many years, benefactors to the church.

*Sir John Stanley Vincent Marling OBE. 4th Baronet. 26th July 1910 - 20th September 1977.
His second wife Marjorie Frances Esclairmonde. 18th May 1912 - 9th November 1988.

*Major William John Paley Marling. 23rd October 1865 - 9th April 1939. High Sheriff of Gloucestershire 1932.
Mary Helen Marling, his wife. 29th August 1885 - 3rd April 1980.

*Samuel Stanley Marling. Lt. Colonel 5th Battalion, Gloucester Regiment.
20th September 1864 - 18th April 1963. High Sheriff of Gloucestershire 1936.

*Sir Charles Murray Marling G.C.M.G. CB. Late of His Majesty's Diplomatic Service.
2nd December 1862 - 10th February 1933.
Lucia, his wife. 23rd August 1883 - 11th September 1927.

*Colonel Sir Percival Scrope Marling. 3rd Baronet. VC. CB. KRRC and 18th Queen Mary's Own Royal Hussars. 6th March 1861 - 29th May 1936. High Sheriff of Gloucestershire 1923.
Also of Beatrice Caroline his wife. 2nd March 1861 - 28th July 1941.

*Dame Mary Emily Marling. February 21st 1834 - February 14th 1918. Wife of Sir William H. Marling Bart.

*Sir Samuel Stephen Marling. First Baronet. April 10th 1810 - October 23rd 1883. Built church in 1861.
Dame Margaret Williams Marling, his wife. July 2nd 1815. Died April 15th 1885.

*Sir William Henry Marling. Second Baronet. July 1st 1835 - October 19th 1919. High Sheriff 1888.

Other Memorial Tablets
There are few other memorial tablets in the church. Of those one is for "Amy Grace Jolly, daughter of Paul and Elenor Jolly, formerly of Stanley Hall, Selsley. Born January 16th 1880, died January 10th 1931."
There is a tablet to Sir Percival Scope Marling noting that the chapel was erected by his wife Beatrice and that H.M. Queen Mary visited April 19th 1941.
There is also the tablet commemorating the dead of the Great War. (The names can be found here.)

George Frederick Bodley. Born 1827, died 1907. Bodley was an architect and a pupil of George Gilbert Scott. From 1860 to 1870 he designed many private houses and churches including St Michael's Brighton and churches in the Cotswolds. He partnered with Thomas Garner from 1869 - 98 with whom he designed the churches of Holy Angels, Hoar Cross, St Augustine, Pendlebury and All Saints, Cambridge; built independently churches at Clumber and Ecclestone and Community Church, Cowley, Oxford; did work at Oxford at Magdalen College and Christ Church and at Cambridge. Other works include the cathedral at Hobart, Tasmania.
His work is characterized as being a later 19th century counterpart of that of the architects of the Oxford Movement, combining ecclesiological knowledge with sound taste.
(Source: The Concise Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford.)

The Arts and Craft Movement in the Cotswolds
William Morris was one of the founders and leaders of the Arts and Craft Movement of the late 19th century and early 20th century. Its adherents were driven by the desire to see the designer raised to an equal status to the fine artist, and to see well-designed goods and buildings made available to everyone.
The Arts and Craft movement flourished in the Cotswolds and today much of what was achieved still remains.

Kelmscott Manor: Home of William Morris from 1871-1896. He is buried in the nearby churchyard. The Memorial Cottages were designed by Webb for Morris's widow Janey.
Buscot: Buscot House contains a significant collection of Pre-Raphalite paintings.
Minster Lovell: Morris' favourite village after Bibury.
Shipton-under-Wychwood: Stained glass by Morris & Co.
Bloxham: Stained glass by Morris & Co. in St Mary's Church.
Chipping Campden: The Guild of Handicrafts Trust carry on the tradition of the movement in The Silk Mill.
Cheltenham: The Art Gallery and Museum has what is considered to be one of the best collections of Arts and Craft treasures.
Uley: Owlpen Manor was restored by Norman Jewson.
Rodmarton: Rodmarton Manor by Ernest Barnsley 1909-1926.
Sapperton: Gravestones of Gimson and the Barnsley brothers.
Bibury: Morris' favourite village.
Overbury: Ernest Newton transformed this small village in to one of the most attractive in the region.

Morris & Co. and Selsley Church