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Moses

Glass by Max Ainmiller of Munich (c1855) on the north side of the chapel.

Peterhouse is Cambridge's oldest college though it wasn't served by its own purpose-built chapel until the present one was built in 1628-32, the college having previously used the neighbouring church of St Mary the Less. The building is a handsome example of early 17th century Gothic Survival, mixing medieval-style traceried windows with Renaissance detail inside and out, most noticeable in the flourishes of the stepped gables of the main facades to the street and quadrangle respectively.

The interior remains largely as first built and furnished aside from some ornamental details that were destroyed under the orders of the Puritan iconoclast WIlliam Dowsing only a decade later in 1643. Sadly the biggest loss at this time was the scheme of six side windows of the chapel that were glazed by Flemish glass-painters in 1632, leaving only a few fragments that remained until the present glazing replaced them in 1855. The east window however miraculously survived the Puritan onslaught, and is thought to have been carefully removed and stored out of harm's way to be reinstated following the Restoration of the monarchy. It depicts the Crucifixion spread across five lights and was based on a painting by Rubens, but frustratingly was out for restoration when I called in 2019 (I have tried to see this window every time I've visited Cambridge and found Peterhouse College with its 'closed to visitors' sign up on each occasion except this one, when of course by cruel irony the glass I'd waited so long to see wasn't even here!).

The present set of eight side windows are rather unusual, dating from 1855 and designed by Max Ainmiller of the Munich Glassworks with Old and New Testament themes. They are distinctly Continental in approach, Renaissance in spirit and heavily painted as if they were opaque canvases. Windows of this type never really took hold in England, which makes this set all the more remarkable.

Getting into Peterhouse College may be tricky, I have seen their closed sign up so many times just beyond the entrance gate, but later in the day on my last trip someone had moved it so I seized my moment (the chapel being very close to the entrance). Even then I couldn't shake that feeling someone might come and tick me off or ask me to leave, but thankfully my fears were unfounded.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peterhouse,_Cambridge#Chapel

For more on the Flemish glass (which I missed!) see the article on Vidimus below:-
www.vidimus.org/issues/issue-33/panel-of-the-month/

Taken in: UK / England / Cambridge District / Cambridge (show map)

Taken on: March 16, 2019

Tags:

Peterhouse College

chapel

Cambridgeshire

stained glass

window

Max Ainmiller « less

Sets appears in: • Victorian & Edwardian Stained glass • Faces in Glass more » • Cambridgeshire Churches • Cambridge - Peterhouse College Chapel « less

Camera: Panasonic DMC-TZ60, f/5.7, 1/6 sec, 50.5mm, ISO 160 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Panasonic DMC-TZ60
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