Divine Light

The Stained Glass of England's Cathedrals

Janet Gough

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Paperback

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English

Miscellaneous
01 December 2025

Ceramic arts, pottery, glass; Religious buildings

The stained-glass windows of England's cathedrals illuminate interior spaces, communicate religious and other messages, and perhaps offer us a glimpse of heaven. This book tells the remarkable story of these much-loved works of art.

Divine Light features glass from every Church of England cathedral. It spans nearly 850 years, beginning with the windows installed at Canterbury Cathedral following the murder of Thomas Becket in 1170 and representing every subsequent century in the history of English stained glass. Divine Light encompasses the Middle Ages, the Reformation, the hugely productive 'long 19th century', the Pre-Raphaelites, the Arts and Crafts movement, the creative commissions of the 20th century, and the innovative glass being commissioned by cathedrals today.

The book establishes the connections between the artistic beauty of stained glass, its effectiveness as a narrative medium, and the various technical developments that have shaped the work of practitioners over the centuries. The refraction of light through coloured glass emerges as an early form of mass communications that retains its power to move and inspire today.

AUTHOR: For eight years the Church of England's Director of Church Buildings and Secretary of the Church Buildings Council and Cathedrals Fabric Commission, Canon Janet Gough OBE has written three illustrated paperbacks to encourage wider enjoyment of these extraordinary buildings, Director's Choice: Churches of the Church of England, Director's Choice: Cathedrals of the Church of England and most recently (2022) Deans' Choice: Cathedral Treasures of England and Wales. A Cambridge graduate in History and History of Art, Janet worked at Sotheby's for nine years, was a trustee at the Churches Conservation Trust, the Museum of Fulham Palace and the Friends of the V&A and guided and lectured at the V&A. Janet advised Royal Mail on the special Christmas 2024 stamps, which featured five cathedrals from across the UK. Janet received an OBE for services to heritage in 2017, and in 2021 was made one of the first lay Canons of Bangor cathedral.

SELLING POINTS: .

Comprehensive treatment of the role of stained glass as a means of communication and source of divine inspiration in England, covering nine centuries of history .

Covers all of the cathedrals of England and as such acts as a gazetteer as well as a history of the art form in the country: a compact and practical travel companion .

Richly illustrated in full colour, with special attention to the accurate representation of light through coloured glass .

The finest examples of stained glass from each of England's cathedrals, in most cases selected by the Dean of the cathedral .

Janet Gough is author of the successful titles Cathedrals of the Churches of England, Churches of the Church of England and Deans' Choice: Cathedral Treasures of England and Wales

By: Janet Gough
Imprint: Miscellaneous
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 190mm, Width: 165mm,
Weight: 320g
ISBN: 9781836360278
ISBN 10: 1836360274
Pages: 120
Publication Date: 01 December 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Unspecified

For eight years the Church of England's Director of Church Buildings and Secretary of the Church Buildings Council and Cathedrals Fabric Commission, Canon Janet Gough OBE has written three illustrated paperbacks to encourage wider enjoyment of these extraordinary buildings, Director's Choice: Churches of the Church of England, Director's Choice: Cathedrals of the Church of England and most recently (2022) Deans' Choice: Cathedral Treasures of England and Wales. A Cambridge graduate in History and History of Art, Janet worked at Sotheby's for nine years, was a trustee at the Churches Conservation Trust, the Museum of Fulham Palace and the Friends of the V&A and guided and lectured at the V&A. Janet advised Royal Mail on the special Christmas 2024 stamps, which featured five cathedrals from across the UK. Janet received an OBE for services to heritage in 2017, and in 2021 was made one of the first lay Canons of Bangor cathedral.

Reviews for Divine Light: The Stained Glass of England's Cathedrals

""Divine Light encompasses the Middle Ages, the Reformation, the hugely productive ‘long nineteenth century’, the Arts and Crafts movement, the creative commissions of the twentieth century."" - Inspire Cheshire """"""Excellent new book on the stained glass of England's Anglican cathedrals"""" """"Divine Light is divided into three parts, all of them packed with superb colour photographs"""" """"This book is a wonderful companion to cathedral-crawling, not least in helping the crawlers work out what is, and what isn't, worth seeing"""""" - The Telegraph