Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, South Kilworth Leicestershire
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This two-light window depicting Christ’s Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1–16) is by Burlison & Grylls (c1897), and is located in St. Nicholas. South Kilworth, Leicestershire.1
In the left light three labourers approach from the vineyard fields, carrying tools — spade and pruning hook — and gesturing towards the figure of the landowner. Their expressions combine humility and expectancy. The background shows walled buildings and trees under a deep cobalt sky, rendered with Burlison & Grylls’s characteristic layered landscape perspective. In the right hand light the landowner or steward, in a richly coloured blue and red robe with gold detailing, stands beside baskets and a cart overflowing with grapes. He gestures towards one of the workers, perhaps at the moment of paying wages. Behind them, vines heavy with purple fruit climb wooden trellises, symbolising the bounty of divine grace. The upper tracery contains delicate Gothic canopies filled with quatrefoils, pinnacles, and crockets in gold and white enamel work, surmounted by the coat of arms of the Diocese of Leicester (lion rampant) with motto “Officium Præsto.” The surrounding borders use alternating foliate motifs and ruby accents typical of the firm’s late Victorian decorative vocabulary. The inscription that runs along the base reads “The last shall be first, and the first last.” “For many be called, but few chosen.”
The scene visualises the moral of Christ’s parable: divine generosity transcends human notions of fairness, all receive the same wage, the grace of God. The quotation beneath reiterates the inversion of worldly order: “The last shall be first, and the first last.” The juxtaposition of humble workers and richly robed steward embodies the reconciliation of social hierarchy through divine justice, a theme resonant with Victorian moral teaching.
Burlison & Grylls (est. 1868 by John Burlison and Thomas Grylls, both former Clayton & Bell designers) became known for their lucid narrative compositions, Gothic architectural framing, and harmonious, jewel-like colour. This window demonstrates their mature style: strong draughtsmanship, naturalistic modelling of figures, and subtle modulation of tone achieved through matte and stippled glass paint. The canopywork and borders recall early-15th-century English glass, echoing the Perpendicular revival aesthetic promoted by G. F. Bodley, one of the firm’s early patrons.
