Walking on Water - Staverton, Northamptonshire

This two-light stained glass window, dated 1895 and designed by Heaton, Butler & Bayne, illustrates the episode of Christ Walking on the Water (Matthew 14:28–31), focusing on the moment of human doubt met by divine rescue.
In the left-hand light, St Peter ⓘ steps from the boat onto the turbulent sea, his body already faltering as fear overcomes faith. The disciples remain behind him, clustered within the vessel, their anxious expressions reinforcing the drama of the moment. Peter’s posture—leaning forward, arms raised—captures the instant of spiritual hesitation as he begins to sink.
The right-hand light presents Christ, calm and authoritative amid the waves, his right hand outstretched toward Peter in a gesture of command and salvation. His red robe and golden nimbus ⓘ distinguish him clearly from the surrounding blues of sea and sky, emphasizing both his divinity and composure in contrast to Peter’s distress.
Across the base of the main lights runs the biblical inscription:
“And beginning to sink he cried out: Lord save me.”
The predella panels contain symbolic references to Peter’s identity and mission: fish, recalling both his former life as a fisherman and his role as a “fisher of men,” and the crossed keys, emblematic of his authority as the first apostle and custodian of the Church.
The window is characteristic of Heaton, Butler & Bayne’s late-nineteenth-century work, combining clear narrative structure, expressive figure drawing, and rich but controlled colour to convey theological meaning through dramatic yet legible composition.