This stained-glass window depicting the Transfiguration of Christ was made in 1887 by Burlison and Grylls and presented to the church by Lady Cicely Clifton. It follows a well-established iconographic scheme, arranged in two registers beneath a Gothic architectural canopy.

Description and Iconography

In the upper register, Christ stands at the centre within a mandorla of radiating golden light, his white garments emphasising the moment of divine revelation described in the Synoptic Gospels. He raises his right hand in blessing while his left gestures outward, reinforcing his role as the fulfilment of the Law and the Prophets.

To the left appears Moses, identifiable by the tablets of the Law, while to the right stands Elijah, the prophetic forerunner. Both figures are set against a celestial blue ground and are framed by architectural tracery and inscribed scrolls, visually anchoring the scene within the scriptural tradition.

The lower register shows the three apostles—Peter, James, and John—who witness the event. They are depicted in attitudes of awe and disorientation, collapsing or shielding their faces in response to the uncreated light of Christ’s glory. Their dynamic, almost unstable poses contrast deliberately with the calm, hieratic stillness of the upper figures, reinforcing the theological divide between human perception and divine reality.

Style and Technique

The window is characteristic of Burlison and Grylls’ late-19th-century ecclesiastical work, combining strong draughtsmanship with rich but controlled colour. The use of ruby, deep blue, and gold aligns the firm’s output with the Gothic Revival tradition, while the clear narrative legibility reflects Victorian priorities in church glazing.

Condition

Time has not been kind to this window. Several faces and areas of clothing have noticeably faded, diminishing the modelling and expressiveness originally intended by the designers. Despite this deterioration, the overall composition remains legible, and the theological programme of the window is still clearly conveyed.

Patronage

The gift of the window by Lady Cicely Clifton reflects the continued role of local gentry in sponsoring church decoration in the later 19th century, both as an act of piety and as a visible contribution to the aesthetic enrichment of the parish church.