Five years ago, my photographer partner and I embarked on a project to write a book about the stained glass in Exmoor churches. We aimed to photograph every stained glass window in every church on Exmoor and tell the stories behind them.
Church windows, the stone embrasures, tracery and mullions, are often described in great detail; but of the beautiful stained glass within, there is rarely a mention. Yet they are filled with names and images from the past, and with hidden stories waiting to be told.
I have always enjoyed visiting churches. I love them for their architecture and their sense of history. Many churches provide guide books full of fascinating information but rarely is there any mention of the stained glass. I have often looked at a window and wondered who these people were. What did they do? Why are they remembered here?
It was this that inspired my partner and myself to create this book in an attempt to answer some of these questions, and reveal the intriguing history behind the stained glass windows in Exmoor churches.
We began pre-covid, and had covered less than a third of the churches when everything ground to a halt with lockdown. Even when we were able to get out and about again, many churches were still taking precautions and remained closed. So, the book has been several years in the making.
Visiting the churches and taking the photographs was the fun part. The research involved many hours on the internet and pouring through reference books. Another year was spent preparing the book for printing.
But, finally, we finished.
We couldn’t have done it without the help of some wonderful people. Those who took time to talk to us about their churches. Those who helped with research. And the two people who bravely undertook to proof read the final book. Our grateful thanks go to them all.
It was one of the most demanding projects I had ever embarked on. Little did I know when I started it, that it would take so long and involve so much hard work. Had I known, I’m not sure I would have begun. But in the end it was worth every moment. And despite spending hours in freezing cold churches, we both enjoyed it.
Available from Amazon as a hard or soft cover book .
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