The St Laurence windows were all placed between 1850 and 1912 and are a highly significant example of the Victorian revival of this medieval art. In 1845 the great architect and designer, Augustus Pugin, persuaded Birmingham businessman John Hardman Junior  to begin manufacturing stained glass. Almost all of our glass was made by the Hardman Studios but only one window can be directly attributed to Pugin before his death in 1852. However, his style of vibrant colours, elongated figures and elaborate folds of cloth remained the template for the studio’s work. 

The subjects of the windows show a remarkable cohesion. The south aisle portrays His coming: Annunciation, Nativity; Gifts of the Magi; Presentation in the Temple. The chancel charts His ministry: Baptism; teaching, healing and miracles; Transfiguration; Passion; Rise in Glory and Ascension to His Father in Heaven. The north aisle shows His appearances  to the disciples and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

After the completion of the north aisle in 1900, the Charles Kempe Studios were commissioned to produce two new windows in a dramatically different style to that of Hardmans. The subjects are all saints, from Laurence to Wulstan, perfectly charting the establishment of the Christian Church in England and the ancient kingdom of Mercia, which Northfield was once part of.

​In the 1990s a great deal of restoration work was carried out by Hardmans to restore many of the windows to their former glory. Much work is still to be done and is a priority for our conservation work.
The St Laurence windows were all placed between 1850 and 1912 and are a highly significant example of the Victorian revival of this medieval art. In 1845 the great architect and designer, Augustus Pugin, persuaded Birmingham businessman John Hardman Junior  to begin manufacturing stained glass. Almost all of our glass was made by the Hardman Studios but only one window can be directly attributed to Pugin before his death in 1852. However, his style of vibrant colours, elongated figures and elaborate folds of cloth remained the template for the studio’s work. 

The subjects of the windows show a remarkable cohesion. The south aisle portrays His coming: Annunciation, Nativity; Gifts of the Magi; Presentation in the Temple. The chancel charts His ministry: Baptism; teaching, healing and miracles; Transfiguration; Passion; Rise in Glory and Ascension to His Father in Heaven. The north aisle shows His appearances  to the disciples and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

After the completion of the north aisle in 1900, the Charles Kempe Studios were commissioned to produce two new windows in a dramatically different style to that of Hardmans. The subjects are all saints, from Laurence to Wulstan, perfectly charting the establishment of the Christian Church in England and the ancient kingdom of Mercia, which Northfield was once part of.

​In the 1990s a great deal of restoration work was carried out by Hardmans to restore many of the windows to their former glory. Much work is still to be done and is a priority for our conservation work.