St Mary the Virgin, N. Stoke (Oxon): white altar frontal
Church furnishings range from serviceable to glorious, with all shades in between. A church is blessed indeed if it possesses the latter which have usually come as the gift of a parishioner. Sadly such gifts are rarely recorded and as time goes by all parishioners who may have known the answer have died. This. I fear, is the case with the beautiful set of frontals N.Stoke church possesses.
St MAry the Virgin, N.Stoke (Oxon): central panel of white altar frontal
I think all four frontals are about 100 years old and may well have been given by Sir John Wormald, Lord of the Manor and High Sheriff of Oxfordshire who lived in The Springs (now a hotel) just outside the village and was a noted village benefactor, funding both the charming Arts and Crafts Village Hall (1911) and a cricket pitch (since ploughed up).
St MAry the Virgin, N.Stoke (Oxon): detail of rose from central panel of white altar frontal
Regular in his attendance at church, he expected no less from those who worked for him and, once ensconced with his family in the front pew, he would make a conspicuous show of turning round and scanning the assembled congregation to see who of his workers were missing. He sounds just the sort of chap who’d like churchgoers to look at a fine set of church furnishings and just the sort of man who’d go out and find the best.
St MAry the Virgin, N.Stoke (Oxon): central panel of white altar frontal with monogram
When I worked with the embroiderers at Christ Church, Oxford, a Bodley altar frontal was being repaired and I’ve often thought our frontals were of a similar style and were perhaps by someone who trained under him. I should ask Suellen Pedley, head of the embroiderers to have a look at ours and I hope to see her in a few weeks time and I will ask her then.
St Mary the Virgin, N.Stoke (Oxon): detail of white altar frontal
The fabric and embroideries also whisper Watts to me, so we have sent photos to Watts and Co. of Westminster to see if they can come up with anything in their archives (incomplete as some records were destroyed during the war.) After we first got in touch with Watts and while we were taking more photographs, we came upon a label (to be shown later on the post with the purple altar frontal) on the purple frontal which suggests a different supplier of church furnishings, so Watts may not be able to help us. We are also close to St Mary the Virgin Wantage (who left the site in 2013) who had an active embroidery school but would you have gone via a showroom in London when you could have commissioned them direct. It could also be that not all our frontals came from the same source, although on that reckoning, I would say it is not the purple one with the label which stands out as being different from the others – the red velvet frontal is both of a different style and fabric.
St Mary the Virgin, N.Stoke (Oxon): detail of white altar frontal
Meanwhile, I thought I would put a different frontal on my blog each week and hope that someone with more information than we have might come across them and get in touch.
St Mary the Virgin, N.Stoke (Oxon): detail of white altar frontal
All frontals require repair work some of which is simple but most of which is complicated, especially when it concerns the couched gold threads – in some of the photographs you can see threads hanging loose and in one case you can even see the line drawn beneath where the thread once was. This is specialist work, as some parishioners found out when they attempted a repair a few years before we came. Fringing is often missing in places and although its replacement is a straightforward job, sourcing the fringing (and funding it if you can find it) is not. We shall have to start thinking about such things if these beautiful embroideries are going to survive and continue to be used. In the meantime, I just want to document them as they are now.
10 Comments
Beautiful! Thanks for posting, I enjoyed it.
Glad to hear you enjoyed this post. Thank you for saying so.
They are lovely. I do hope you can find out more about them!
I feel hopeful that we will find out more.
I too hope you find a way to have these beautiful pieces repaired. It would be sad if they simply disintegrated for lack of repair.
Thank you for your idea of using old linens for embroidery. My mother-in-law had a great many and I hope to get one or two.
Anne
We really must see what we can do – but it will take a long time.
I love embroidering on old linen – my favourite pillowcases are made from old tablecloths and are lovely to lay your head on.
this is stunning workmanship. thank you for showing it and I look forward to seeing more.
if you are thinking of repairing these beautiful frontals , I wonder if your local NADFAS group might be able to help? some groups do have members who, under guidance from a conservator, will carry out this type of work.
I only recently found your blog and am enjoying the opportunity to see your skill with a needle – and an insight into parish life in your corner of the country.
Thank you for your helpful comment. We are only just beginning to explore N.Stoke’s furnishings and at the moment I’m concerned to record them. When I have time, I will go to the cathedral embroiderers at Christ Church, Oxford as I know Suellen Pedley, who runs the outfit will give me advice and practical guidance.
I’m so glad you like the blog.
Looking at the White Frontal from Stoke Parish, the supporting fabric is one of those still made by M. Perkins & Son Ltd London They’ve been going since the late 18th century and are still more or less in the same family. Looking at their website Florence Brocade seems to be the pattern used here. Given that they have been going so long, despite being wholesalers only, you may find that they have records of the ecclesiastical outfitters whose label you spotted. Their folk have been very charming to me when I have corresponded with them now and then.
Their fabrics are very recognisable to anyone attuned to church vestments here in NZ I think our church suppliers have mainly used their textiles.
While I appreciate that the post is now 5 years old – I do hope in the intervening time, someone has re-couched the loose gold threads and where necessary lifted motifs and replaced perished damask.
Perkins have a lot of the old coloured fringes and tassels too.
Thank you very much for this Evan. How extraordinary that I never found this website before. I see they were based in London, Shoreditch, in their earliest years, made several moves and their offices are now based in Hampshire. Wonderful that it should be someone in New Zealand that tells me about this!
My husband retired from North Stoke and Ipsden parishes 4 years ago. We spent a year in London less than a mile from Perkins’ former London base in Curtain Street but have now settled in Cheltenham. I doubt anyone has repaired the loose couching as no one in the parish has the skills any longer and as there have been 2 incumbents in the meantime, no one has had the opportunity to take stock of this sort of job. in future we hope to be able to meet the new vicar and his wife and I shall pass on to them details of the Cathedral Embroiderers at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford who may well take on repair jobs.
Once again, thank you so much for being so kind as to get in touch with such helpful information.
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