KHPC Fabric Team

OK! Here is the clarification of the very brisk post late last week. The small 'Children's Windows' are to be repaired and restored. I did feel that it was only fair that the Congregation of KH should hear the news first. and they were delighted by the announcement on Sunday. Here follows the official News Release. The Congregation of Kelvinside Hillhead has been able to restore 6 of the Church windows over the last few years and continues to work towards raising funds to restore this magnificent A-listed place of worship in the heart of Glasgow’s West End. Thanks to a 'doors-open' policy at weekends which the congregation runs, local people and visitors to the city regularly come and look around the church The large Memorial Window which has recently been restored by Stained Glass Design Partnership shows the skilled craftsmanship and capabilities of that team of conservators and artists. Susan Bradbury, of Stained Glass Design Partnership was present last Satu...

Apologies, Blog Followers, for my tardiness in updating you on the works progress. But now that I'm back writing for you; it is indeed a beautiful day! Yesterday the sun was shining, and we were told that the glass conservators wanted to start re-installing the Teacher Memorial Window. So------start they did! Today the first lancet was replaced . Already, despite the dreich day, what light there was, hinted at the promise of the re-emergence of the full beauty of the Window. And there's more------------- A copy of the original Order of Service and Address which was used in the original Dedication in 1917 has come to light. So yet more excitement!

I think, for now, I'll let the beauty of this piece of window speak for itself.

There is a song which mentions 'on the wings of a dove', and the Dove is a symbol which has been used in Christianity for thousands of years. Amongst other things, it can represent for us, the Holy Spirit. An Artist can depict this imagery in so many ways; and just every so often, powerful art can reduce you to tears. In the Teacher Memorial Window there is such a Dove. The very glass itself, from which it was created was so obviously chosen for its shape and substance, we hadn't realised until now; that this Dove is 3-dimensional and that it seems to live and breath within the window. It is so high up and in such a very large window, that the Artist must have known that only a few people would see it in all of its glorious detail. Even in my close -up photo the texure and substance is lacking. However for all of you, who follow the Blog, --------here is that Dove,

Today Susan from Stained Glass Partnership called me, to apologise for missing the Christmas deadline for the reinstatement of our Memorial Window. I did say that it was OK as we weren't going to make it back into the Sanctuary for Christmas anyway.However she did confirm that all was going well and the window would be back with us in the New Year. It turns out that the window is signed by the Artist and Susan is forwarding a photo of the signature to me , as soon as I have it I'll post it on the Web; as it quite likely that it will be hidden again when the window goes back in to the Church. So now we look forward to our Christingle Service on Sunday Afternoon. Many of our friends from the local community will be joining us and some will be participating in the Service. Good wishes to all of them. I wasn't able to speak to our Architects today, as they were both away dealing with another client in the East, ---perhaps even, a little more famous than us! So that update can ...

Oh! a frosty Tuesday Morning ----- again! I haven't stepped outside yet, as I've been ensconced in my office working on Client Reports since 7am. This evening, a visit to Glasgow Presbytery beckons, and the telephone has been red-hot since yesterday. Whilst working this morning on a Major Client file I found this picture of St Cecilia; she is in a building, with which we are involved professionally, and the glass design is by Burne-Jones, just like our Childrens' Window, which also has a depiction of St Cecilia in the upper rondel. This got me onto a train of thought; as to how many musical depictions are throughout KH. (Apart from the obvious ones of the Choir and Dr. Galbraith) I haven't counted them for they are many, as too are the Angels. After last weeks events, it strikes me just how many Hidden Angels are known to us, and also how many, are not known. As we go through Advent together let us all watch out for the hidden angels. They are among us as we wait.