Divine Light
The Stained Glass of England's Cathedrals
Published on 19. August 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
120 pages
978-1-83636-027-8 (ISBN)
Description
"...packed with superb colour photographs... This book is a wonderful companion to cathedral-crawling, not least in helping the crawlers work out what is, and what isn't, worth seeing" - Simon Heffer, Telegraph"
A beautifully illustrated guide" - Premier Christianity
"[The] thrilling tale of the medium's continuity... is set forth by Janet Gough, the erstwhile director of Cathedrals and Church buildings at the C of E, in her latest book, Divine Light" - World of Interiors
"I would recommend that you visit some of these cathedrals, book in hand." - The Methodist Recorder
"What a gem of a book it is, and its size makes it one to carry around as you visit England's cathedrals." - Chronicle
The stained-glass windows of England's cathedrals illuminate interior spaces, communicate religious and other messages, and - perhaps - offer us a glimpse of heaven. This book tells the remarkable story of these much-loved works of art.
Divine Light features glass from every Church of England cathedral. It spans 900 years, beginning with the windows installed at Canterbury Cathedral following the murder of Thomas Becket in 1170 and representing every subsequent century in the history of English stained glass. Divine Light encompasses the Middle Ages, the Reformation, the hugely productive 'long 19th century', the Pre-Raphaelites, the Arts and Crafts movement, the creative commissions of the 20th century, and the innovative glass being commissioned by cathedrals today.
The book establishes the connections between the artistic beauty of stained glass, its effectiveness as a narrative medium, and the various technical developments that have shaped the work of practitioners over the centuries. The refraction of light through coloured glass emerges as an early form of mass communications that retains its power to move and inspire today.
A beautifully illustrated guide" - Premier Christianity
"[The] thrilling tale of the medium's continuity... is set forth by Janet Gough, the erstwhile director of Cathedrals and Church buildings at the C of E, in her latest book, Divine Light" - World of Interiors
"I would recommend that you visit some of these cathedrals, book in hand." - The Methodist Recorder
"What a gem of a book it is, and its size makes it one to carry around as you visit England's cathedrals." - Chronicle
The stained-glass windows of England's cathedrals illuminate interior spaces, communicate religious and other messages, and - perhaps - offer us a glimpse of heaven. This book tells the remarkable story of these much-loved works of art.
Divine Light features glass from every Church of England cathedral. It spans 900 years, beginning with the windows installed at Canterbury Cathedral following the murder of Thomas Becket in 1170 and representing every subsequent century in the history of English stained glass. Divine Light encompasses the Middle Ages, the Reformation, the hugely productive 'long 19th century', the Pre-Raphaelites, the Arts and Crafts movement, the creative commissions of the 20th century, and the innovative glass being commissioned by cathedrals today.
The book establishes the connections between the artistic beauty of stained glass, its effectiveness as a narrative medium, and the various technical developments that have shaped the work of practitioners over the centuries. The refraction of light through coloured glass emerges as an early form of mass communications that retains its power to move and inspire today.
Reviews / Votes
"Divine Light encompasses the Middle Ages, the Reformation, the hugely productive 'long nineteenth century', the Arts and Crafts movement, the creative commissions of the twentieth century." - Inspire Cheshire """Excellent new book on the stained glass of England's Anglican cathedrals""""Divine Light is divided into three parts, all of them packed with superb colour photographs""
""This book is a wonderful companion to cathedral-crawling, not least in helping the crawlers work out what is, and what isn't, worth seeing""" - The Telegraph "The novel gives new perspectives and stories on the stained glass across the country, particularly focusing on the Church of England windows." - Ely Standard "Now architectural historian Janet is about to launch her fourth book, "Divine Light", celebrating the remarkable story of stained glass." - People's Friend Featured in Stained Glass magazine. - Stained Glass "In her new book, Janet Gough has brought together 50 of the most beautiful windows in England, marking their history and meaning." - Daily Mail Divine Light was featured in the Catholic Herald. - Catholic Herald The author of Divine Light was interviewed on BBC Radio Berkshire. - BBC Radio Berkshire """A beautifully illustrated guide""
""A vivid guide to 50 stained-glass windows, helping visitors better appreciate the works they encounter. It's the kind of book you'll find in cathedral gift shops - and one that would make a thoughtful gift for anyone drawn to church buildings but yet to encounter the Saviour they honour. It is a gentle and beautiful way to awaken interest in the divine""" - Premier Christianity ""[The] thrilling tale of the medium's continuity... is set forth by Janet Gough, the erstwhile director of Cathedrals and Church buildings at the C of E, in her latest book, Divine Light"
"In the esteemed tradition of Nikolaus Pevsner... [the book] is a survey of all 43 of England's Anglican cathedrals"
"In its organisation... [the book is] expertly hinged on the compelling caesura of Christopher Wren's clear glass panes at St Paul's"" - World of Interiors Divine Light was the winner of the Association of English Cathedrals' stained glass competition. - Daily Express Divine Light was featured by The Times. - The Times Divine Light was featured by Religion Unplugged. - Religion Unplugged Divine Light was featured by Victorian Society - Victorian Society "What a gem of a book it is, and its size makes it one to carry around as you visit England's cathedrals." - Chronicle
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 191 mm
Width: 164 mm
Thickness: 9 mm
Weight
328 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83636-027-8 (9781836360278)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
For eight years the Church of England's Director of Church Buildings and Secretary of the Church Buildings Council and Cathedrals Fabric Commission, Janet Gough OBE has written four illustrated paperbacks to encourage wider enjoyment of these extraordinary buildings, Director's Choice: Churches of the Church of England, Director's Choice: Cathedrals of the Church of England, Deans' Choice: Cathedral Treasures of England and Wales, and most recently (2025) Divine Light: The Stained Glass of England's Cathedrals. A Cambridge graduate in History and History of Art, Janet worked at Sotheby's for nine years, was a trustee at the Churches Conservation Trust, the Museum of Fulham Palace and the Friends of the V&A and guided and lectured at the V&A. Janet advised Royal Mail on the special Christmas 2024 stamps, which featured five cathedrals from across the UK. Janet received an OBE for services to heritage in 2017.
Content
Preface
Glossary
Acknowledgements
The Middle Ages and the Reformation
1180 Canterbury Cathedral: The Sower, Second Bible Window
1260 York Minster: The Five Sisters Window
1330s Lincoln Cathedral: Bishop's Eye Rose Window
1340 Wells Cathedral: The Jesse Window
1359 Carlisle Cathedral: East Window
1360 Gloucester Cathedral: The Great East Window
1405-8 York Minster: The Great East Window (John Thornton of Coventry)
1400s Hereford Cathedral: Patchwork Window
1500 St Edmundsbury Cathedral: The Susanna Window
1509 St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle: The West Window
1631 Oxford Cathedral: The Jonah Window (Abraham van Linge)
1665 Winchester Cathedral: The Great West Window
1675-1710 St Paul's Cathedral, London: Sir Christopher Wren Windows
1735 Westminster Abbey: The Great West Window (Sir James Thornhill)
1770 Ely Cathedral: St Peter Window (James Pearson)
1781 Salisbury Cathedral: The Moses Window (James Pearson)
The Long Nineteenth Century
1804 Lichfield Cathedral: The Herkenrode Glass, created 1532
1840-61 St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle: Thomas Willement Stained Glass
1864 Bradford Cathedral: Women of the Bible West Window (Heaton, Butler & Bayne)
1866 Newcastle Cathedral: The Chemist's Window (William Wailes)
1878 St German's Cathedral, Isle of Man: Jacob's Ladder Window (Alexander
Gibbs & Co.)
1875 Worcester Cathedral: Creation and Fall West Window (John Hardman Powell)
1887 Truro Cathedral: Victorian Glazing Scheme (Clayton & Bell)
1897 Birmingham Cathedral: Last Judgement Window (Sir Edward
Burne-Jones)
1901-2 Gloucester Cathedral: Lady Chapel Windows (Christopher Whall)
1905 Chelmsford Cathedral: The Holderness Window (Henry Holiday)
1905 Southwark Cathedral: The Harvard Chapel Window (John La Farge)
1905 Wakefield Cathedral: The Children's Window (C.E. Kempe)
1910-18 Rochester Cathedral: The Annunciation Window
1914 Peterborough Cathedral: Dean Barlow Memorial Window (James
Powell & Sons)
The Modern Age
1920s Chester Cathedral: The Cloister Windows (including Trena Cox)
1921 Exeter Cathedral: The Drake Memorial Window and Blessed
James of Ulm, Patron of Glaziers
1939 Guildford Cathedral: Round East Window (Moira Forsyth)
1948 Sheffield Cathedral: The Te Deum Window (Christopher Webb)
1953 Bristol Cathedral: Windows in the East Walk of the Cloister
1956 Portsmouth Cathedral: Dunkirk and D-Day Windows
1962 Coventry Cathedral: The Baptistery Window (John Piper and Patrick
Reyntiens)
1964 Norwich Cathedral: The Benedictines in England Window (Moira Forsyth)
1964 Derby Cathedral: All Souls and All Saints Window (Ceri Richards)
1972 Manchester Cathedral: The West Windows, including the St George
Window (Antony Hollaway)
1975 Liverpool Cathedral: The Benedicite, Great West Window (Carl Edwards)
1977 Ripon Cathedral: St Wilfrid Window (Harry Harvey)
1978 Chichester Cathedral: The Chagall Window
1980 Salisbury Cathedral: Prisoners of Conscience Windows (Gabriel Loire)
1989 St Albans Cathedral: North Transept Rose Window (Alan Younger)
1996 Southwell Minster: The Angel Window (Patrick Reyntiens)
1999 Blackburn Cathedral: Cathedral Lantern Glass (Linda Walton)
2000 Ely Cathedral: Processional Way Windows (Helen Whittaker)
2016 Leicester Cathedral: Redemption Windows (Thomas Denny)
2019 Durham Cathedral: The Illumination Window (Mel Howse)
Index
Glossary
Acknowledgements
The Middle Ages and the Reformation
1180 Canterbury Cathedral: The Sower, Second Bible Window
1260 York Minster: The Five Sisters Window
1330s Lincoln Cathedral: Bishop's Eye Rose Window
1340 Wells Cathedral: The Jesse Window
1359 Carlisle Cathedral: East Window
1360 Gloucester Cathedral: The Great East Window
1405-8 York Minster: The Great East Window (John Thornton of Coventry)
1400s Hereford Cathedral: Patchwork Window
1500 St Edmundsbury Cathedral: The Susanna Window
1509 St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle: The West Window
1631 Oxford Cathedral: The Jonah Window (Abraham van Linge)
1665 Winchester Cathedral: The Great West Window
1675-1710 St Paul's Cathedral, London: Sir Christopher Wren Windows
1735 Westminster Abbey: The Great West Window (Sir James Thornhill)
1770 Ely Cathedral: St Peter Window (James Pearson)
1781 Salisbury Cathedral: The Moses Window (James Pearson)
The Long Nineteenth Century
1804 Lichfield Cathedral: The Herkenrode Glass, created 1532
1840-61 St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle: Thomas Willement Stained Glass
1864 Bradford Cathedral: Women of the Bible West Window (Heaton, Butler & Bayne)
1866 Newcastle Cathedral: The Chemist's Window (William Wailes)
1878 St German's Cathedral, Isle of Man: Jacob's Ladder Window (Alexander
Gibbs & Co.)
1875 Worcester Cathedral: Creation and Fall West Window (John Hardman Powell)
1887 Truro Cathedral: Victorian Glazing Scheme (Clayton & Bell)
1897 Birmingham Cathedral: Last Judgement Window (Sir Edward
Burne-Jones)
1901-2 Gloucester Cathedral: Lady Chapel Windows (Christopher Whall)
1905 Chelmsford Cathedral: The Holderness Window (Henry Holiday)
1905 Southwark Cathedral: The Harvard Chapel Window (John La Farge)
1905 Wakefield Cathedral: The Children's Window (C.E. Kempe)
1910-18 Rochester Cathedral: The Annunciation Window
1914 Peterborough Cathedral: Dean Barlow Memorial Window (James
Powell & Sons)
The Modern Age
1920s Chester Cathedral: The Cloister Windows (including Trena Cox)
1921 Exeter Cathedral: The Drake Memorial Window and Blessed
James of Ulm, Patron of Glaziers
1939 Guildford Cathedral: Round East Window (Moira Forsyth)
1948 Sheffield Cathedral: The Te Deum Window (Christopher Webb)
1953 Bristol Cathedral: Windows in the East Walk of the Cloister
1956 Portsmouth Cathedral: Dunkirk and D-Day Windows
1962 Coventry Cathedral: The Baptistery Window (John Piper and Patrick
Reyntiens)
1964 Norwich Cathedral: The Benedictines in England Window (Moira Forsyth)
1964 Derby Cathedral: All Souls and All Saints Window (Ceri Richards)
1972 Manchester Cathedral: The West Windows, including the St George
Window (Antony Hollaway)
1975 Liverpool Cathedral: The Benedicite, Great West Window (Carl Edwards)
1977 Ripon Cathedral: St Wilfrid Window (Harry Harvey)
1978 Chichester Cathedral: The Chagall Window
1980 Salisbury Cathedral: Prisoners of Conscience Windows (Gabriel Loire)
1989 St Albans Cathedral: North Transept Rose Window (Alan Younger)
1996 Southwell Minster: The Angel Window (Patrick Reyntiens)
1999 Blackburn Cathedral: Cathedral Lantern Glass (Linda Walton)
2000 Ely Cathedral: Processional Way Windows (Helen Whittaker)
2016 Leicester Cathedral: Redemption Windows (Thomas Denny)
2019 Durham Cathedral: The Illumination Window (Mel Howse)
Index