What do angels, lambs, and St. Martin’s knees have in common?
They are all featured in a new book by local historians Jane Lovell and Diane Berlet. In showcasing the surprisingly large number of stained glass windows in St. Alban’s, The Windows of St Alban’s — A Century of Illumination celebrates the artistic and historical legacy of the 1884 Gothic Revival limestone church, one of Lennox and Addington’s most distinctive heritage buildings.
When the authors undertook the book project, more than a little sleuthing was required to answer some pretty basic questions: When were the windows installed? Who created them? What was the symbolism behind the images portrayed? Who were the people memorialized in the windows and who commissioned the work?
Some of the sleuthing was straightforward. In other cases answers were harder to come by. Such was the case when trying to determine when each of the windows was put in place. While some of the windows bear the date of manufacture, most do not. Some decryption of spidery script in an old scrapbook made discovering the providence of the St. Martin window easy. It was created in 1889 by the renown McCausland stained glass studio, one of five manufacturers to produce windows for St. Alban’s. No mystery as to who the window memorialized, or who the sponsor was — it is written right on the window: In memory of Loyalist Edward Jessup by his great-grand-daughter Elizabeth Bogart.
St. Martin is featured on one of the stained glass windows at St. Alban’s. Submitted photo.
Another factoid discovered: not only did St. Martin emerge from the McCausland studio, but so did all the angels and lambs depicted throughout the church. St. Martin’s knees, in particular, are a fine example of the great skill and artistry needed when using traditional techniques to create images in stained glass.
Researching the histories of all twenty-one memorial stained glass windows revealed some previously unknown family histories and many United Empire Loyalist connections. Other discoveries presented new mysteries, including questions about dusty and rusty windows found discarded beneath the church. The biggest discovery and resulting mystery: several hidden windows.
Friends of St. Alban’s, a charity formed to preserve and promote the cultural, historic, and architectural heritage of this important building, is celebrating the launch of the new book on Saturday Nov. 4th at 2pm at St. Alban’s Centre, 10419 Loyalist Parkway in Adolphustown. All proceeds from book sales will go towards the preservation of the church.
The public is invited to attend the launch where the authors will give a behind the scenes glimpse of the discovery process and their motivation and inspiration in documenting these remarkable windows.
And, of course, right there beside the pulpit, St. Martin’s knees are sure to distract visitors, as they have been doing for well over 130 years. Work to preserve the church will allow the enjoyment of St. Alban’s windows for generations to come.