The Millennium
Window
Our unique Millennium
Window is situated on the south wall of the
tower. It incorporates a sound and
lighting sequence and therefore has to be
experienced not just viewed.
History of Our Millennium Window – To celebrate and mark the new
millennium our Parochial Church Council (PCC)
decided to undertake several projects.
One of these was the introduction of an
upper room in the Vestry, but this meant that
there had to be a way of screening the interior
glass window between the vestry and the tower.
Our
Vicar, Revd Geoff Davis and architect and church
member, Keith Blundell thought that a Stained
Glass window would be an ideal screen and
approached parishioner and internationally known
artist, Graham Clarke, to see if he would be
willing to prepare a design.
After
researching stained glass production and
studios, Graham then presented the PCC with a
design and quote for the production and
installation of the window, including specialist
lighting and musical accompaniment.
After seeing his draft designs, the PCC
had no hesitation in commissioning Graham to
produce the window.
As
well as designing, Graham spent several days at
the studios of Goddard and Gibbs (who are one of
Europe’s leading stained glass workshops)
selecting and working on the cartoon and
selecting pieces of glass.
The
window was installed in October 1999 and kept
hidden while the sound and lighting aspects were
developed ready for the unveiling on the first
Sunday in the year 2000.
It was unveiled jointly by octogenarian
Capt David Roome, long time church and PCC
member and Churchwarden and Mikey (the Vicar’s
granddaughter).
The
PCC paid a total of £18,700 for this project
which included the installation of the window
and digital music and lighting sequence.
Graham Clarke generously gave freely the
benefits of his gifts of design and practical
work on the window.
Those who
worked on the Window
Designer – Graham Clarke
Stained Glass Production – Goddard
& Gibbs
Lighting – Cerebrum Lighting
Sound – Roger Dey of Canterbury
Music – ‘Dawn’ by
Kitaro
Architect
– Keith Blundell prepared drawings etc
required for the Faculty application
What the
Window Represents
The
focus of the window is the wonder of God’s
creation and of His faithfulness.
The hand at the top signifies God’s
hand as He created the world and all that is in
it.
The stars and sky are at the top, earth
in the middle and water at the bottom.
Endangered species are represented to
remind us of our responsibility for God’s
world.
Around
the outside border of the window you will see
dots – one for each decade of the past two
millennia.
Some have been replaced by a symbol,
representing a few of the significant people and
events in the Christian Calendar over the past
2000 years.
Details of what the ‘special’ decade
symbols represent are listed below.
Follow
the ‘story’ from Bethlehem in the bottom
left of the window, right around to Boughton
Monchelsea and remember that still the journey
goes on, for Jesus was and is the Light of the
World.
Music – ‘Dawn’ performed by Kitaro who was the son of a
Japanese peasant farmer who now lives in USA.
Graham
Clarke is a frequent visitor and guest in
Japan where his work is much appreciated.
Border
: Who/What the Dots Signify
Decade
Name
4
Jesus
11
Ignatius
of Antioch (taken under guard)
21
St
Alban (first British Martyr)
38
St
George (England)
46
St
Patrick (Ireland)
60
St
David (Wales)
61
St
Augustine (first Archbishop of Canterbury)
73
Venerable
Bede (Biblical scholar)
74
St
Andrew (Scotland)
107
Edward
the Confessor (King of England 1042 until his
death in 1066)
111
Anselm
(theologian)
117
Thomas
Becket (Archbishop of Canterbury - in 1170 he
was murdered in the Cathedral)
123
Francis
of Assisi (Founder of the Franciscan Order)
126
Clare
of Assisi (founded a similar society for women)
139
John
Wycliffe (philosopher, theologian, reformer)
148
Martin
Luther (founder of the German Reformation)
154
William
Tyndale (translator of the Bible)
155
Thomas
Cramer (Archbishop of Canterbury)
169
John
Bunyan (author of Pilgrim’s Progress)
178
John
and Charles Wesley (itinerant preachers,
founders of Methodist movement)
184
William
Wilberforce (abolition of slavery)
192
William Booth (founder of Salvation Army)
195
Dietrich
Bonhoeffer (German Lutheran pastor)
196
Martin
Luther King (civil rights leader)
200
Mother
Theresa (founder: Sisters of Mercy)
Last symbol in the journey
is a Heart – God’s love goes on
4
Jesu
117
As
the Music Starts and the Lights Shine Watch Out
For
Hand
of God – top Centre
God
said ‘Let There Be Light’ (Genesis
Chapter 1)
The
heavens -
top windows
As
the music changes, you hear the sound of wind
(God’s breath of creation – Genesis Chapter
1), and as you look down the window you’ll
see representations of sunlight, birds, the sea,
animals, the nativity (bottom left).
There’s more sound of the wind,
representing God’s Holy Spirit.
The lights fade to give a night-time
effect and as the wind continues, the lights
come on again – another day dawns.
Glass in the
Millennium Window
Graham
Clarke knew the overall effect he wished to
produce and together with te experts at the
Goddard and Gibbs studio, managed to find
particular pieces for specific sections of the
window. Some
of the pieces in their stock/library of glass
are antique, rare and will never be repeated.
Special
pieces in this window to look out for:- tail of
the comet (R6);
the stripey tiger(R4);
chaos of creation (L2) – dark swirly
glass; moon
(R1) – seedy glass which looks as if it has
craters.
Other
pieces had to be painted, fired and acid-etched
by Graham to produce the required result eg the
shoal of fish (L4 nd R4) and the goldfinch (R5)
The
dark blue glass used for both Dietrich
Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King (right hand
border, decades 195 and 197) were given to
Graham when he visited a glass works in Germany.
| 