Beautiful new stained glass windows at St Martin’s Church were dedicated by the Bishop of Guildford, the Right Reverend Andrew Watson, at a special service on 13 October. The windows are intended as a memorial to the Covid pandemic – as a reminder of its far reaching effects and also of the strength of the community in coming together to fight it. Speaking to a full church, the Rev Renos Pittarides spoke movingly about officiating at the funeral of a parishioner in the early days of the first lockdown when he was the only person present; one indicator of the profound effect Covid had on our day-to-day lives.
Derek Hunt, the designer of the windows, explained how he had used the English Oak Tree as a symbol of steadfastness in the face of adversity, of regeneration, recovery and of growth and renewal through the Christian virtues of Faith, Hope and Love.
The central section of the design contains the suggestion of an oak tree, surrounded by decorative symbols of growth and renewal, in the form of plants and seeds. The bottom of the design contains a decorative frieze reflecting the ornate brickwork of the adjacent Lovelace Mausoleum, in celebration of the many buildings of this style locally. The upper right section of the design contains binary code spelling out Saint Martin in memory of the huge contribution Ada Lovelace made to the invention of computer code. The central top windows contain the inscription ‘They will be called Oaks of Righteousness, planted by the Lord to Glorify Him’ (Isaiah 61:3) and the words Faith, Hope and Love are central to each triptych. There are small animals hidden within the design of the lower frieze; below the word ‘Faith’ is a lamb to represent faith in Christ, below the word ‘Hope’ is a goldfinch, to represent the hope of resurrection, and below the word “Love’ is a pelican, to represent the love of Christ.
During the service, Councillor Holly Haling accepted on behalf of the parish council the gift of an oak tree from the church. This will be planted next to the old bowling green at St Martin’s Place as another reminder of the pandemic that will hopefully stand for the next 400 years.
The windows are a wonderful addition to the church. If you want to see them, the church is open Tuesday to Sunday (9.00am – 4.00pm). They are definitely worth a visit.
Pictured above - Right Reverend Andrew Watson, Bishop of Guildford, Derek Hunt, designer of the windows, Reverend Renos Pittarides, the Rector of St Martin’s Church, East Horsley - Supplied by The Diocese of Guildford, Church of England