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Underwood St Michael and All Angels

Glass

The East Window

The east window is one of only two stained glass lights in the church. It is of considerable proportions and is the church’s third memorial to the men of the parish who did not return from World War I. It was unveiled by General Lord Playfair on 5 September 1920.

The window was designed by Arthur Anselm Orr (1868-1949), at that time working at Harrow, Greater London. It has four tall pointed lights reaching nearly halfway into the outer pointed arch, the points of these lights are extended to form the tracery above, three small lozenge shaped lights and two smaller lights above completed by a small single light that fills the apex. The inscription along the bottom of the window reads:

Beneath it are listed the names of the fallen:

The entire work was carried out by five ex-soldiers who served in and survived the Great War, and the designer who was an anti-aircraft gunner based in London.

At the window dedication ceremony Arthur Orr explained in great detail the design of the window and the symbolism of the figures. A brief synopsis is included here:

'The two most important panels in the central lights are represented by Christ the King of Peace. Immediately below Our Lord is the kneeling figure of Saint Edmund offering his sword to Christ. In other portions of the light are Saint Oswald, kneeling, and Saint Edward, two Saxon saints. In the bottom corners are two images of Saxon churches. The upper part of the light is filled with groups of worshipping angels in one light and in another by cherubim. The Holy Mother with the Christ was included as a tribute to those women who bade farewell to their men and as an emblem to sorrow.'

There are a total of sixteen figures in the window.

South Aisle Window

On the wall of the south aisle is the other stained glass window. It is of the same proportions and design as the other seven lights in the aisles, having three pointed lights with the tracery above formed by the continuation of the arches of the three lower lights, producing two small elongated lozenge panels topped by a smaller lozenge at the apex. It is a colourful window with the centre light filled by an image of Jesus with a halo and uplifted arms. The lights each side are filled by three surpliced choristers, beneath which are two open books bearing the words:

In the bottom left corner is the maker’s mark, the image of a jester and the initials MDS, confirming that the maker was Michael David Stokes of Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire. The mark also includes the date December 1999.