FOR one day only this week, Salisbury Cathedral extended the scaffolding around its organ so its head glass conservator Sam Kelly could get up close and personal with the famous Pre-Raphaelite window.
In need of renovation, the Angeli Laudantes and the Angeli Ministrantes were designed by artists Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris.
The Angeli Laudantes pluck their harps and the Angeli Ministrantes wear sandals and hold pilgrim staffs. Their gowns are a reference to St James and the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.
Burne-Jones’ angels became widely copied for tiles, pottery, tapestries and even Christmas cards. Morris’ acanthus design is based on the Cathedral’s medieval grisaille – this design became the inspiration for a wide range of furnishing fabrics.
The window was commissioned by Barbara Townsend in memory of her brother Captain George Townsend who died in 1875 having contracted a terminal illness when on duty in India.
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