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ALL S
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© Helen Whittaker 2020 | [email protected] | www.helenwhittakerart.com
ALL SAINTS CHURCH HOVINGHAM, NORTH YORKSHIRE
Memorial window to the Worsley family –
North Nave Aisle (1.0m x 2.0m) 2020
This new window in memory of Sir Marcus Worsley, 5th Baronet and Patron of All Saints Hovingham, has been commissioned by his son Sir William Worsley and his wife Marie-Noelle, who are art lovers and collectors. The Worsleys are an ancient family, dating back to the Norman Conquest, with deep connections to Hovingham and the surrounding area. Sir Marcus Worsley was a man of wide interests, ranging from architecture and heritage to the Church of England and cricket. His great passion was woodlands and forestry, and he served as Chairman of the Royal Forestry Society and Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire. In thinking about Sir Marcus and the Worsley family, I have taken as my starting point ideas concerning family, responsibility, stewardship and protection. Sir William has spoken about the huge responsibility of following in his father’s footsteps, serving as Chairman of the National Forest Company and preserving the Hovingham estate, its church and its woodlands for future generations. The design is built around the sturdy image of an oak tree, like those in the woodlands surrounding Hovingham. The tree represents rootedness, a sense of place and belonging, and is symbolic of the family tree, of longevity and continuity. The tree is an ancient symbol in Christianity; the Tree of Life connecting Earth and Heaven. The oak also stands as a symbol of England, a link with the royal family through its association with King Charles II and with much British mythology.
In my design, the roots of the tree reach down towards the memorial inscription commemorating Sir Marcus and Lady Worsley, creating a strong foundation for the oak. Above, the local soil nourishes both the tree and the surrounding woodland, scattered with the smoky blue of spring bluebells, symbolic of humility and gratitude. Behind the tree, the sun rises to ensure new growth and the future of the Worsley family. Within the branches are birds found in the local area, such as the red headed woodpecker. In the right hand light an owl, silhouetted against the sun, flies towards the viewer signifying the Worsley’s sense of belonging and loyalty to their estate and parish. The design is deliberately representational but somewhat abstracted to give a contemporary feel to this traditional art form. The sunrise brings colour and light to the tree, with warm yellow and orange hues that filter down into the soil and up into the canopy. The clear, silvery glass of the borders rises from the inscription panels to frame and draw together the images in the main lights, before disappearing into the dense canopy of leaves and the dark sky above. At the apex of the window the Worsley coat of arms is shown surrounded by ivy, symbolic of eternity, against the night sky. The poet and art critic Herbert Read, a family friend of the Worsleys, wrote: ‘Works of art must persist as objects of contemplation’ and I hope that this window will encourage contemplation. In the context of the church, contemplation is a fundamental aspect of prayer, through which we recognise God’s presence in our lives and begin to open our eyes beyond our worldly responsibilities.
ALL S
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TS
CH
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CH
, HO
VIN
GH
AM
, NO
RT
H Y
OR
KS
HIR
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© Helen Whittaker 2020 | [email protected] | www.helenwhittakerart.com
ALL SAINTS CHURCH HOVINGHAM, NORTH YORKSHIRE
Memorial window to the Worsley family –
North Nave Aisle (1.0m x 2.0m) 2020
ALL S
AIN
TS
CH
UR
CH
, HO
VIN
GH
AM
, NO
RT
H Y
OR
KS
HIR
E
© Helen Whittaker 2020 | [email protected] | www.helenwhittakerart.com
ALL SAINTS CHURCH HOVINGHAM, NORTH YORKSHIRE
Memorial window to the Worsley family –
North Nave Aisle (1.0m x 2.0m) 2020
