Opening of Exeter College Centre for Law and Social Services Building.

I was privileged to be commissioned to create a large scale stained glass window installation for Exeter College in 2025. The new building has a large atrium which houses a series of sculptures which came from Exeter Cathedral Chapter House. The design brief was to create a 4.5m x 2.5m design with a central roundel to give the space less of a blank, corporate feel and to harmonise with the sculptures.

With some serendipity, I had been gifted lots of cartoons of stained glass designs from Whippel & Co, who were ecclesiastical outfitters and makers of ceremonial items for many years in the Cathedral grounds. At one time they had a stained glass studio and when they closed I was given all their old stained glass designs that were destined for the skip. One of these designs was a large, abstract roundel design that I believe is the story of creation, which linked well with the sculptures both in theme and due to the Cathedral connection. This was immediately my inspiration and my design is loosely based on these panels.

The 10 panels took around 5 months to make (with help from my daughter who assisted with the cementing) are traditional leaded windows with strong zinc supports to strengthen them.

The windows were formally opened in May and I was invited to give a talk and celebrate the opening, which was a lovely event. They even had biscuits with my stained glass design iced onto them!

I am very proud to have been asked to make such an impactful piece of artwork and it is especially meaningful as this is the college my children attend.