Espying Heaven: the Achievement of Charles Eamer Kempe

This lecture will introduce Charles Eamer Kempe (1837-1907). Although best known for his stained glass, his friendship with the Mander family at Wightwick Manor led to significant interventions in the design and decoration of the original house. Then, in the 1930s, Geoffrey Mander bought some very personal panels of glass from Kempe’s own home, Old Place, Lindfield in Sussex. This posthumous contribution to Wightwick both sheds new light on Kempe himself and invites revaluation of his standing in relation to the artist with whom he is most often contrasted, William Morris.

Lecturer: Adrian Barlow
Adrian lives in the Cotswolds and is currently Chair of the Friends of The Wilson, Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum. Formerly Director of Public and Professional Programmes for the University of Cambridge at Madingley Hall, he is also Past President of the English Association. For many years he has lectured both in the UK and overseas on education, English literature, architecture and stained glass. He is the editor of the C.U.P. series, Cambridge Contexts in Literature, and his two most recent books are on the life and art of Charles Eamer Kempe.