Divine Light

The stained-glass windows of England’s cathedrals illuminate interior spaces, communicate religious and other messages, and – perhaps – offer a glimpse of heaven. This book tells the remarkable story of these much-loved works of art.

"...packed with superb colour photographs... This book is a wonderful companion to cathedral-crawling, not least in helping the crawlers work out what is, and what isn't, worth seeing" - Simon Heffer, Telegraph"

A beautifully illustrated guide" — Premier Christianity

“[The] thrilling tale of the medium’s continuity… is set forth by Janet Gough, the erstwhile director of Cathedrals and Church buildings at the C of E, in her latest book, Divine Light” — World of Interiors

"I would recommend that you visit some of these cathedrals, book in hand." — The Methodist Recorder

The stained-glass windows of England’s cathedrals illuminate interior spaces, communicate religious and other messages, and – perhaps – offer us a glimpse of heaven. This book tells the remarkable story of these much-loved works of art.

Divine Light features glass from every Church of England cathedral. It spans 900 years, beginning with the windows installed at Canterbury Cathedral following the murder of Thomas Becket in 1170 and representing every subsequent century in the history of English stained glass. Divine Light encompasses the Middle Ages, the Reformation, the hugely productive ‘long 19th century’, the Pre-Raphaelites, the Arts and Crafts movement, the creative commissions of the 20th century, and the innovative glass being commissioned by cathedrals today.

The book establishes the connections between the artistic beauty of stained glass, its effectiveness as a narrative medium, and the various technical developments that have shaped the work of practitioners over the centuries. The refraction of light through colored glass emerges as an early form of mass communications that retains its power to move and inspire today.