The Pool of Bethesda by Henry Holiday, in the north choir aisle of Romsey Abbey, Hampshire. Another of other special windows in the church, despite recently having had to undergo repair after vandalism, this is in memory of Sybella Ashley, grandmother of Edwina, who died aged only 40 after a long illness in 1886. The Hampshire Advertiser reported in July 1891:
A MEMORIAL WINDOW has recently been put in at the north-east end of the abbey church by the Right Hon. E Ashley to the memory of his first wife, the subject represented being “the pool of Bethesda,” and the inscription at the bottom of the window is “Jesus Christ maketh thee whole. In most loving memory of Sybella Ashley, her husband and children have placed this window.”
The picture shows Jesus healing a man who had been ill and bedridden for many years (John chap 5). Henry Holiday, the Pre-Raphaelite designer of stained glass windows and other art works, designed for Powell and Sons for thirty years, during that time fulfilling over 300 commissions, mostly for customers in the USA. The Romsey window dates from 1891, the very year he set up his own glass works in Hampstead, producing stained glass, mosaics, enamels etc., so it is not clear which studio he was working in when he produced it.
Photographs and text kindly provided by parish historian Liz Hallett; formatting by Jacqueline Banerjee. [You may use these images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL or credit it in a print document. Click on the images to enlarge them.]
Related Material
Bibliography
Eberhard, Robert. Stained Glass Windows at Romsey Abbey, Hampshire. Church Stained Glass Windows. Web. 26 May 2019.
Created 26 May 2019