Scholarship

Current scholarship on the subject of dalle-de-verre is predominantly concentrated on the conservation and restoration of the glass. Since dalle is a relatively recent technique its use is experimental, and critics are giving it the test of time before making aesthetic observations. Time has shown that there are vulnerabilities in the materials used which can contribute to/exacerbate structural problems. When discussing dalle-de-verre, scholars focus upon the making of the medium, aesthetics, new and related techniques and unique expressiveness. Scholars await the longevity of dalle-de-verre for critical considerations of the medium. There is surprisingly little scholarship about Our Lady’s Church, especially considering that in 2011 Historic England designated it with Grade II Listing. The only people to comment have currently been Aidan McRae Thomson and Chris Pickford, describes Our Lady's as "the best church of the era following the Second Vatican Council", along the lines of Gerard Goalen's slightly earlier Harlow church".^[i] Many people, I included, consider the windows to be the best examples of dalle-de-verre in this country. Perhaps Our Lady’s has not been written about to the extent that it deserves to be because Our Lady’s is situated in the suburb of Leamington Spa. Normally only open for worship, visits have to be preplanned to coincide with public religious celebrations. In writing about Our Lady’s Church, I hope to encourage future scholarship on the subject and to elevate the profile of the Church as it deserves to be better known for its stunning stained glass.

^[i] Chris Pickford and Nikolaus Pevsner, Warwickshire (Yale University Press, 2016), 79.