Forgotten Glassworlds: Secular Stained Glass of the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries

Nineteenth-century Britain saw an explosion in the use of secular stained glass. The
enormous impact and significance of decorative glass produced for the palaces of
industry in cities and towns throughout Britain has been largely overlooked. This
thesis broadens the field of stained glass studies to include important examples of
the medium which go far beyond its ecclesiastical roots. The importance of stained
glass is emphasised in the wider social, cultural, and industrial context of the
nineteenth century. This includes looking at buildings of commerce, industry, civic
and municipal institutions and leisure, such as town halls, public houses and
libraries. Stained glass was placed in these buildings to define space and could not
fail to depict modern subjects aligned to the function of the building and its locality or
the political or economic agendas of the patron.
This thesis demonstrates how far stained glass had permeated throughout all levels
of society and several firms are discussed who have received little or no scholarly
references to date. It considers how stained glass constructed political identities and
commercial interests, particularly on a local level; how stained glass created and
revealed ideologies of work; how stained glass constructs and supports divisions of
class and gender; how developments in the ideas and technology of glass-making
created new materials which supported a modern aesthetic. There are close
analyses given of case studies which were studied first-hand, and as well as
drawing on contemporary written and visual sources. This thesis also takes the
unique perspective of aligning imagery in stained glass with the subjects of popular
novels of the period, which further enhances the themes discussed. This thesis
reveals that the subjects and aesthetics of stained glass in secular contexts provide
a crucial and integral aspect of Victorian culture, which reflects the ethos of the
modern industrial society which created it.