It is not known when Oundle School was founded but it was re-endowed in 1556 by William Laxton, Master of The Grocers’ Company and Lord Mayor of London. In 1923, the Chapel was consecrated as a memorial to Old Oundelians who died in The Great War and to Frederick Sanderson, the Headmaster of that time. The architect was Arthur Blomfield who had built the Great Hall and several boarding houses for the School. The chapel contains some of the most significant stained glass made in country in the last hundred years. The original east window, showing St Michael, William Laxton and St Anthony, (the patron saint of the Grocers’ Company) was installed in 1928. It is not known who designed it because records at Grocers’ Hall were lost in the Blitz and when it was moved to the nave clerestory in 1956 any signature or mark was lost. In the ambulatory behind the sanctuary are to be found the memorials to Frederick Sanderson and the Fallen of the Great War, the latter were designed by Clough Williams Ellis OO. The Severn Ages of Man windows by Hugh Easton were installed in 1949. Based upon the speech in Shakespeare’s As You Like it. The seven lights are at low level and comprise memorials to pupils and staff of the time. Each has a roundel of glass with an image of the subject and a quotation to match. The strap-work surrounding these follows the spectrum of the rainbow and is an allusion to the divine mercy. Close examination reveal humorous details and the inscription at the top of the last window should be discovered. In 1956, the School celebrated its Quarter-centenary and The Grocers’ Company, commissioned the artist, John Piper to design the three windows for the sanctuary. Even before they were made up, the windows were recognised as the most innovative work of their time, combining tradition with modernity. The windows show Christ in nine forms: The Way, Truth and Life; the true Vine, Bread and Water; the Judge, Teacher and Shepherd. The central figure of each window is a green man. The figures were strongly influenced by carved portals of Chartres Cathedral and the mask-like faces drawn by Picasso, whom Piper admired. A young Patrick Reyntiens interpreted Piper’s designs and in three years produced work which received universal acclaim. This began a partnership of thirty years with major commissions at Coventry and Liverpool. The Millennium Windows were made by Mark Angus and donated by Alex Patrick OO. The windows provide a foundation of colour on which the Piper windows can rest, with pairs of windows based on white, green, blue and purple grounds. The south aisle shows the Order of Creation and the north aisle illustrates the sacred history from the Genesis to Easter. The antechapel windows have a host of angels to introduce the scheme. The windows of the porch were completed a year later showing Levantine saints associated with the Grocers’ Company.
Please refer to the Glossary for any terms in the text that you are unfamiliar with.
