Lawrence Stanley Lee (18 September 1909 – 25 April 2011) was a British stained glass artist whose work spanned the latter half of the 20th century. He was best known for leading the project to create ten windows for the nave of the new
Coventry Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Saint Michael, commonly known as Coventry Cathedral, is the seat of the Bishop of Coventry and the Diocese of Coventry within the Church of England. The cathedral is located in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The curren ...
.
His other work includes windows at
Guildford
Guildford ()
is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...
and
Southwark
Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...
Cathedrals as well as a great number of works elsewhere in the UK, and some in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Early life
Lee was born in
Chelsea Hospital for Women
Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital is one of the oldest maternity hospitals in Europe, founded in 1739 in London. Until October 2000, it occupied a site at 339–351 Goldhawk Road, Hammersmith, but is now located between East Acton and White ...
on 18 September 1909.
His family moved to
Weybridge
Weybridge () is a town in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. The settlement is recorded as ''Waigebrugge'' and ''Weibrugge'' in the 7th century and the name derives from a crossing point of the ...
where his father, William, a chauffeur and engineer, had a garage near to the
Booklands Race Track. Lawrence's mother, Rose, was deeply religious and it was this influence that gave him the appreciation of biblical symbolism that became an important feature of his work.
His parents divorced and Lawrence moved with his mother to
New Malden
New Malden is an area in South West London, England. It is located mainly within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and the London Borough of Merton, and is from Charing Cross. Neighbouring localities include Kingston, Norbiton, Raynes ...
. At the local Methodist church he met Dorothy Tucker, later to become his wife.
He left school at 14, but won a scholarship to
Kingston School of Art
The Kingston School of Art (KSA) is an art school in Kingston upon Thames, part of Kingston University London. It was first established in 1899 as the Kingston School of Science and Art. In 1930 it was established as a separate school and has be ...
. A further award in 1927 enabled him to attend the
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It offe ...
, where he studied stained glass under
Martin Travers
Howard Martin Otho Travers (19 February 1886 – 25 July 1948) was an English church artist and designer.
Travers was born in Margate, Kent, educated at Tonbridge School, entered the Royal College of Art in 1904, and was awarded its Diploma in A ...
, graduating in 1930.
Pre-war career
Lee's first job was as an assistant to Travers in his studio. For a while he joined
James
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
and
Lilian Dring
Lilian Margery Dring ( Welch; 1908–1998) was a British artist known for her paintings, poster designs and textile designs. needlework and embroidery work.
Biography
Dring was born in Surbiton in Surrey and attended the Kingston School of Ar ...
in an artistic co-operative. His works included a range of craft and art work produced at Southside Studios in
Clapham, London
Clapham () is a suburb in south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (most notably Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth.
History
Early history ...
. He also worked part-time teaching at Kingston and
Bromley
Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011.
Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...
schools of art.
For a year prior to the outbreak of war, Lee joined the Anglican Franciscan Friary at
Cerne Abbey
Cerne Abbey was a Benedictine monastery founded in 987 in the town now called Cerne Abbas, Dorset, by Æthelmær the Stout.
History
The abbey was founded in 987 by Æthelmær the Stout. Ælfric of Eynsham, the most prolific writer in Old Eng ...
, Dorset, but at the outbreak of war, abandoned monastic life to fight fascism.
World War II
In the summer of 1940, Lee married Dorothy Tucker. Lee joined the
Royal Army Medical Corps
The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...
but transferred to the
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
, serving as an
anti-aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
gunner for a while.
He was promoted from cadet to
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
in June 1942. He subsequently served in North Africa and Italy, seeing action at the
battle of the Kasserine Pass
The Battle of Kasserine Pass was a series of battles of the Tunisian campaign of World War II that took place in February 1943 at Kasserine Pass, a gap in the Grand Dorsal chain of the Atlas Mountains in west central Tunisia.
The Axis forces, ...
in Tunisia in February 1943 and in the
Allied landings at Salerno later that year. He was transferred to the
Army Educational Service in Italy in February 1945, maintaining his rank of
Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
, and ran courses in art and culture. He sketched and painted throughout the war, capturing an eruption of
Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius ( ; it, Vesuvio ; nap, 'O Vesuvio , also or ; la, Vesuvius , also , or ) is a somma-stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples in Campania, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is one of s ...
whilst in Italy. The
Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museums (IWM) is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, the museum was intended to record the civil and military ...
holds five watercolours of tanks and desert scenes, and, though some works were declined in 1942, a donation from James Dring was accepted and further works were subsequently purchased. Other work from this period is held in the
Ashmolean Museum
The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology () on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is Britain's first public museum. Its first building was erected in 1678–1683 to house the cabinet of curiosities that Elias Ashmole gave to the University of ...
.
Post-war
On leaving the army, Lee returned to Travers' commercial studio as a chief assistant alongside John E Crawford. Travers' services were in great demand restoring bomb-damaged church windows and furnishings. Work like this continued even into the 1960s such as Lee's window at Holy Trinity church in
Attleborough, Warwickshire
Attleborough is an area of Nuneaton, Warwickshire. It is about a mile south-east of the town centre.
It is historically an ancient village that dates to before 1150. Owned by Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester and given by him to the N ...
showing Christ in majesty with a wheel of life - a replacement for a Victorian window destroyed by bomb-damage.
When Travers died in 1948 Lee and Crawford shared his open commissions, prompting Lee to establish his own studio; firstly in
Sutton
Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to:
Places
United Kingdom
England
In alphabetical order by county:
* Sutton, Bedfordshire
* Sutton, Berkshire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Stu-Sz#Su, location
* S ...
, later in
New Malden
New Malden is an area in South West London, England. It is located mainly within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and the London Borough of Merton, and is from Charing Cross. Neighbouring localities include Kingston, Norbiton, Raynes ...
, and finally, in 1963, at
Penshurst, Kent.
Lee also succeeded Travers as the RCA's Head of Stained Glass, where he served until 1968.
Lee also paid homage to his military career making several contributions to the
Royal Military Academy Chapel at
Sandhurst. This includes about 26 windows by Lee installed over the years between 1954 and 1991. These include small heraldic windows commemorating the field marshals of the Second World War.
Other work from the early 1950s includes four windows in the south wall of
St Magnus-the-Martyr
St Magnus the Martyr, London Bridge, is a Church of England church and parish within the City of London. The church, which is located in Lower Thames Street near The Monument to the Great Fire of London, is part of the Diocese of London and unde ...
in the City of London. These depict
St Magnus of Orkney,
St Margaret of Antioch,
St Thomas of Canterbury and
St Michael
Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...
- the latter dated 1954.
The majority of post-war commissions were conservatively traditional and influenced by the post-Victorian
Arts and Crafts movement. At the RCA though, Lee could be more experimental. Whilst respecting the historic traditions of the craft, Lee was also interested in the new possibilities afforded by improvements in adhesives. He was also interested in all forms of glass including slab glass and the
dalle de verre
''Dalle de verre'', from French: "glass slab", is a glass art technique that uses pieces of coloured glass set in a matrix of concrete and epoxy resin or other supporting material.
Technique
The technique was developed by Jean Gaudin in Paris i ...
technique.
Coventry Cathedral
![Interior of Coventry Cathedral - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Interior_of_Coventry_Cathedral_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2127944.jpg)
Sir
Basil Spence
Sir Basil Urwin Spence, (13 August 1907 – 19 November 1976) was a Scottish architect, most notably associated with Coventry Cathedral in England and the Beehive in New Zealand, but also responsible for numerous other buildings in the Moderni ...
was commissioned to design the replacement for Coventry Cathedral, destroyed during the war. Spence was determined that the stained glass should be an integral part of the design from the outset. About this time, Spence received an invitation from Lee to act as external examiner at the RCA. Spence was impressed by the experimental and
abstract work he saw there. Spence abandoned his thoughts of inviting French artist
Fernand Léger
Joseph Fernand Henri Léger (; February 4, 1881 – August 17, 1955) was a French painting, painter, sculpture, sculptor, and film director, filmmaker. In his early works he created a personal form of cubism (known as "tubism") which he gradually ...
to bid for the Cathedral work and invited the College to tender instead. The college won the contract but the decision was controversial, seen by some as being unfair competition using cheap student labour.
Spence's design brief requested some Christian symbolism and the use of green, red, multi-coloured, purple and gold, to represent “Man’s progress from birth to death and from death to resurrection and transfiguration”. The artists were allowed to exercise their own interpretations beyond that. The requirement was for ten high lights which posed a significant technical challenge for Lee. He enlisted two former students;
Geoffrey Clarke and
Keith New, to collaborate on the designs. They worked individually on three each and together on the tenth, using the mural studio of the
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...
adjacent to the RCA.
They treated the windows as pairs, Lawrence designing the red and gold, symbolic of early manhood.
Jane Gray, Lee's assistant at this time, also worked on the project with him.
The whole project took six years.
After four years, in 1960, the first six windows completed were assembled for the first time and exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum where they drew a lot of attention.
They were then stored until the consecration of the cathedral in 1962.
Coventry established Lawrence's reputation, and with it came greater acceptance of a more
modern
Modern may refer to:
History
* Modern history
** Early Modern period
** Late Modern period
*** 18th century
*** 19th century
*** 20th century
** Contemporary history
* Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century
Phil ...
,
abstract style which Lee was able to develop through the 1960s.
Other works
![Wilhelmus window - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Wilhelmus_window_-_geograph.org.uk_-_844050.jpg)
Whilst the Coventry project was in progress, Lee also worked on smaller commissions. Lee created three small windows for the
Unitarian Church,
Croydon
Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...
in 1959.
Lee's large three-light window in the
retrochoir
In church architecture, a retroquire (also spelled retrochoir), or back-choir, is the space behind the high altar in a church or cathedral, which sometimes separates it from the end chapel. It may contain seats for the church choir.
An example o ...
of
Southwark Cathedral
Southwark Cathedral ( ) or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge. It is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Southwark. ...
, completed in 1959, depicts a dove in the top light, the Virgin with the child Jesus carrying a set-square in the centre and, in the lower light, stonemasons, carpenters and a glazier on a ladder commemorating the donation of the widow by the family of Thomas Rider whose firm had rebuilt the cathedral's nave in 1895.
The
dove
Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...
representing the
Holy Spirit
In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the Universe or over his creatures. In Nicene Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. In Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as ...
was a recurring theme in many of Lee's works. Lee's knowledge of bird anatomy assisted in this. Lee is alleged to have insisted to his RCA students that "doves representing the Holy Spirit should not resemble stuffed pigeons".
The success of Coventry led to another large commission for 10
clerestory
In architecture, a clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey) is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both.
Historically, ''clerestory'' denoted an upper l ...
windows for the
Church of St Andrew and St Paul in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
, Quebec, Canada, in the early 1960s. Other commissions came from across the UK, as well as Canada, Australia and New Zealand. A few examples are of Lee's work through the following three decades are given below.
In 1967 Lee created an east window for St James Church,
Abinger, Surrey, comprising three lights depicting a cross as a living tree, riven by lightning & distorted.
Ian Nairn
Ian Douglas Nairn (24 August 1930 – 14 August 1983) was a British architectural critic who coined the word "Subtopia" to indicate drab suburbs that look identical through unimaginative town-planning. He published two strongly personalised criti ...
, architect and critic, described it as "much the best modern glass in the county".
Major refurbishment of headquarters of the Chemical Society (now the
Royal Society of Chemistry
The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is a learned society (professional association) in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemistry, chemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the Chemical Society, the Ro ...
),
Burlington House
Burlington House is a building on Piccadilly in Mayfair, London. It was originally a private Neo-Palladian mansion owned by the Earls of Burlington and was expanded in the mid-19th century after being purchased by the British government. Toda ...
, London, in 1967–68 allowed Lee to undertake one of his relatively few
secular
Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...
works.
Other secular work included a staircase window in
Carpenters' Hall
Carpenters' Hall is the official birthplace of the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a key meeting place in the early history of the United States. Carpenters' Hall is located in Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, ...
showing shields supported by a schematic tree completed in 1970, an abstract work above the entrance of
Montreal General Hospital
The Montreal General Hospital (MGH) (french: Hôpital Général de Montréal) is a hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada established in the years 1818-1820. The hospital received its charter in 1823. It is currently part of the McGill University ...
in 1971 and a large heraldic
appliqué
Appliqué is ornamental needlework in which pieces or patches of fabric in different shapes and patterns are sewn or stuck onto a larger piece to form a picture or pattern. It is commonly used as decoration, especially on garments. The technique ...
in the
Glaziers Hall in 1975.
Other work completed about this time included in 1969 the east window of St Giles'
Matlock, Derbyshire
Matlock is the county town of Derbyshire, England. It is situated in the south-eastern part of the Peak District, with the National Park directly to the west. The town is twinned with the French town of Eaubonne. The former spa resort of Matloc ...
- the Incarnation expressed in symbols and, in
King Charles the Martyr,
Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the Weald, High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Roc ...
;
Ruth
Ruth (or its variants) may refer to:
Places
France
* Château de Ruthie, castle in the commune of Aussurucq in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département of France
Switzerland
* Ruth, a hamlet in Cologny
United States
* Ruth, Alabama
* Ruth, Ar ...
"''amid the alien corn''".
A three-light window (see image) depicting St Thomas Becket in
St John the Baptist's church,
Penshurst, Kent was presented by the people of Penshurst in August 1970 in commemoration of the institution of
Wilhelmus
"Wilhelmus van Nassouwe", usually known just as "Wilhelmus" ( nl, Het Wilhelmus, italic=no; ; English translation: "The William"), is the national anthem of both the Netherlands and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It dates back to at least 1572 ...
as the first Parish priest on 27 December 1170 by Becket.
Lee's 1970 east window in St John the Baptist,
Belmont depicts Christ's baptism with Mary and the Baptist, the Holy Spirit descending in a whirlwind.
A pair of small west windows in the Church of the Holy Cross at
Binstead
Binstead is a village on the Isle of Wight. It is located in the northeast part of the Island, west of Ryde on the main road A3054 between Ryde and Newport. In the 2011 Census Binstead had been incorporated within Ryde whilst still retaining it ...
,
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...
, date from the early 1970s—part of restoration work following fire damage to the nave. Lee's windows feature a phoenix, a peacock and the dove.
About thirty windows and panels, many of badges, in
Guildford Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit, Guildford, commonly known as Guildford Cathedral, is the Anglican cathedral at Guildford, Surrey, England. Richard Onslow donated the first of land on which the cathedral stands, with Viscount Bennett, ...
are Lee's work, installed at various times between 1974 and 1992.
In 1971 Lee's semi-abstract Iveagh memorial was installed in the south aisle of Saint Andrew and St Patrick,
Elvedon.
Lee's 1975 window commemorating local
JP, Arthur Darby, in St Andrew's,
Sutton-in-Ely has an accompanying description written by Lee himself in which he not only describes the window, a theme of Man ascending and God descending, but also some of his philosophy on the role of stained glass in worship.
Another 1975 work joined Lee's 1962 "Benedicite" east window at the
University of Glasgow Memorial Chapel
The University of Glasgow Memorial Chapel is a chapel at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. It was consecrated on 4 October 1929, and is dedicated to the memory of the former students and staff of the university who died in the First World War ...
.
The church of St Mary the Virgin,
Swanley
Swanley is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England, southeast of central London, adjacent to the Greater London boundary and within the M25 motorway periphery. The population at the 2011 census was 16,226.
History
I ...
has four two-light windows by Lee completed between 1979 and 1982 showing St Michael and St Peter, the
Annunciation
The Annunciation (from Latin '), also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the biblical tale of the announcement by the ange ...
,
Visitation and
Presentation
A presentation conveys information from a speaker to an audience. Presentations are typically demonstrations, introduction, lecture, or speech meant to inform, persuade, inspire, motivate, build goodwill, or present a new idea/product. Presenta ...
. The church also has windows by Lee's assistants; Lydia Marouf and Philippa Martin.
Teaching
![Fletching stained glass 9](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Fletching_stained_glass_9.jpg)
Both in his role at RCA and in his commercial work, Lee was generous in passing on his knowledge to students and more than a dozen assistants that apprenticed to him over the years. Several became eminent practitioners in their own right including Jane Gray and
Philippa Martin
Philippa Anne Martin is a New Zealand electrical engineering academic and a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. She is currently a full professor at the University of Canterbury.
Academic career
After a ...
. He was unusual amongst artists in that he often included his assistant's initials in his signature glassmark.
This support continued into later life, Lee contributed the foreword to Jane Gray's autobiography; ''Playing with Rainbows'', published when he was one hundred years old.
Lee wrote several books on his craft. In 1967, shortly before leaving his post at RCA, he wrote ''Stained Glass, a handbook for artists''. In 1976 he co-authored ''Stained Glass, An Illustrated Guide''. His last book, written in 1977, ''The Appreciation of Stained Glass'' encapsulated his artistic philosophy.
In 1974 he was master of the
Worshipful Company of Glaziers
The Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass is one of the livery companies of the City of London. The Guild of Glaziers, or makers of Glass, the company's forerunner, existed as early as the fourteenth century. It received a roya ...
and helped introduce measures to encourage practising stained-glass artists into the company at an affordable rate and encourage women into the profession. He was a fellow of the
British Society of Master Glass Painters
The British Society of Master Glass Painters (BSMGP), was found in 1921, it is British trade association for the art and craft of stained glass. It promotes the trade of glass painting and staining in Britain.
BSMGP activities include: lectures ...
.
Later life
Lee continued to work as a stained glass artist until the early 1990s. Lee's last big church window was completed in 1991 at St Martin's
Brasted, Kent. His last window is in the library of
Chew Valley School
Chew Valley School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form situated within the Chew Valley in Somerset in South West England. It is south of Bristol in the village of Chew Stoke, on a site in open countryside overlooking the Chew ...
, Bristol, in memory of his grandson, killed in a car crash in 1994.
His wife, Dorothy died in 1996. Lawrence Stanley Lee died 25 April 2011 aged 101. He was survived by their sons, Stephen and Martin.
References
External links
The Lawrence Lee ProjectA project to document and photograph Lawrence Lee's works by Paula Bailey and Lawrence Lee's son, Stephen Lee
Lawrence Lee Project - photographic collection of his workson
Flickr
Flickr ( ; ) is an American image hosting and video hosting service, as well as an online community, founded in Canada and headquartered in the United States. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and was a popular way for amateur and professional ...
also by Paula Bailey and Stephen Lee, with photographic contributions from members of the group
Photos of Lee's works on Foter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Lawrence
Academics of the Royal College of Art
Alumni of the Royal College of Art
British stained glass artists and manufacturers
English centenarians
Men centenarians
Artists from London
1909 births
2011 deaths
British Army personnel of World War II
Royal Army Medical Corps soldiers
Royal Artillery officers
Royal Army Educational Corps officers
Royal Artillery soldiers
Military personnel from London
People from Chelsea, London