The West Window, situated in the Nave of St. George’s Chapel, is one of the most memorable aspects of any visit to the Chapel. Thought to be the third largest stained glass window in the country, it contains seventy-five figures including popes, kings, princes and saints, all but six of which date from 1503 to 1509. It dominates any view of the western end of the Chapel, its grandeur and display of skill matched only by the great vaulted ceiling it stands beneath. However the window has at times come close to terrible disrepair and even complete destruction.

One of these instances was during and in the aftermath of the English Civil War (1642-1651) until the Restoration of the English monarchy in 1660. The Civil War was not simply a matter of political ideologies. The division between supporters of Anglo-Catholicism and those of Protestantism was always at the fore, Charles I’s belief in the “Catholic” doctrine of “Divine Right to Rule” attracting the ire of a Protestant Parliament even before the events which led to the nine year conflict. In particular, Oliver Cromwell’s rise to power in the Parliamentarian movement brought with it a distinct Puritanical outlook. Twenty-four of the seventy-five figures in the West Window are popes, and ten are saints. It was assumed, quite fairly, that should the Puritanical Cromwellian army break into the Chapel, such symbols of Catholicism would never be left in peace, and would likely be destroyed. Indeed, when the army did assume control of Windsor Castle in 1642, Edward IV’s tomb was destroyed, and the Chapel stripped of many of its treasures, only one hundred and fourteen years after its completion. So, although there is no official record, it seems likely that the Deans and Canons had the glass lights from the West Window removed to a secure location before the occupation of the Castle took place, and restored them to their original place sometime after the Restoration – such an overt display of Catholic symbols would hardly have survived otherwise [see ‘Notes on the West Window’ by Anthony C Deane in the Report of the Friends of St George’s Chapel for 1940].

The stained glass was entirely removed one more time after its protective storage during the English Civil War, once again because of violent conflict. This time it was to protect it from the bombs of World War II. Indeed, not long after its removal in 1940, a bomb fell near the Great Western Railway Station in Windsor which would likely have caused irreparable damage to the window glass had it still been present [Friends’ Report 1945 p.14]. The cost of removing and storing the glass was entirely covered by what Albert Baillie, Dean of Windsor at the time, called “the generosity of special donors” [Friends’ Report 1940 p.7]. Such special donors included Mr R. Upjohn, who donated £500, approximately £14,000 in modern currency, the Hon. M. Watson and Mr E Olivier who donated £125 each, and a man enigmatically noted as ‘A Canadian in London’ who donated £1 [SGC M.927].

The stained glass was restored to its rightful place from November 1945 [SGC M.927]. Let us hope that such drastic measures never again need to be taken to protect what is surely one of Britain’s most striking Tudor monuments.

Tom Gray (Archives volunteer)

The stalls in the quire of St George’s Chapel hold a wealth of intricate wood carving which was carried out by carpenters for the King’s new works within the Castle of Windsor.  In letters patent of May 1475 John Squyer and William Berkeley were to take carpenters called ‘kervers’ to carry out this work.

The Chapter Accounts covering the period January 1481 to 1483 include works ‘for making and carving of twelve canopies ordained for the Knights and Canons in the quire and for the carving of a story of St George’

St George became a popular saint during the middle ages after the Golden Legend, printed by Caxton in 1483 from a translation by Jacques de Voragine, became widely available.   Further legends include St George the Martyr and Our Lady’s Knight, which is his link with The Virgin Mary.

It is interesting that the medieval ‘kervers’ were aware of all three legends as they have integrated them onto the finials or poppy heads on the south quire stalls. However the cycle of the legends are not complete or in the correct order which may mean that they have been moved at some time during works in the chapel.   A few have been partially broken and four new finials were carved and added in the 18^th centuary on the returned south stalls which also include St George.

Six of the medieval finials relate to the Life of the Virgin with the remainder illustrating St George the martyr and the Princess and dragon.  Three carvings that sum up these legends are 1. St George in armour kneels before the Virgin and child, his horse and two angels in the background [south, lower row 1E] 2. The Princess leads the dragon by a strap back to the gateway of the city while St George stands astride the dragon [south, upper row 3W] 3. St George stripped of armour and tied on a hurdle is being drawn by two horses while five figures look on [south, upper row 1W]

Enid Davies, Assistant Archivist

Taken from the remembrances of Russell Thorndike, a chorister at St George’s, 1895-1900.

Canon Gee was the dearest old man, and his very age made him the more loveable. He was getting deaf, and could not read without his spectacles, for which he used to fumble in his trouser pocket beneath his robes. This habit once made him the author of the strangest prayer, I suppose, ever said in a vestry. He had started the prayer before adjusting his spectacles, but the light was bad, and he fumbled for them, repeating the first two words over and over again to mark time. Not finding what he sought, the prayer ran like this:

“O Lord – O Lord – O Lord – O LORD! O LORD I have left my spectacles in my other trousers.”