Bill's Lecture - Brierley Hill |
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Introduction
Bill's Lecture Early Days Cradley Heath, Cradley & Dudley
Additional Material
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At Brierley Hill Church are two windows on either side of the West doors and
these were painted by one of Samuel Evans artists. He was Thomas Smith – a
deaf mute and known to all as ‘Dummy Smith’. Not being able to speak or hear
he was able to exert deep concentration upon his work. |
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Those were the days when enamel painted glass panels used to abound in the
halls and vestibules of Victorian homes and in the painting of these, Dummy
Smith was the pre-eminent master, as this picture of Dovedale shows. It was
related to me that this picture was painted upon an odd piece of roofing
glass and shows remarkable technique and skill. You must remember that when
the enamel paint is laid on the glass it is very dark – almost black – until
fired in the kiln when it appears in all rich and glowing colours. See the
fine detail in the fisherman’s net.
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St
John’s Church, Dudley Wood
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In the old and now demolished Methodist Church of Bank Street, Brierley
Hill, every window was filled with stained glass. It must have caused some
heartache to families who had given them, often at great expense, to know
that they could not be used in the new church which was to be built. As the
parson said, ‘What is the point of putting up a new building and then
putting back all the stained glass in it. It would look just the same as the
old one’. One can understand people’s feelings and this must have happened
to many thousands of windows in the Midlands where redundant churches have
been demolished. Most of their windows have now gone forever. Windows at Bank Street prior to demolition. (Chancel and end – Wesley - Pot Boiler – Saviour in the Temple – The Risen Lord). |