Clayton & Bell (1855-1993)

Stained glass firm founded in London by John Richard Clayton and Alfred Bell. Within a few years the firm occupied a leading place in stained glass design and manufacture. Exceedingly prolific, and although usually of high standard, the 'production line' approach was beginning to show by the mid 1860s, by which time the firm was established in Regent Street with 300 employees. The firm was also prominent in the creation of decorative schemes and murals for churches. In the 1880s the two founders withdrew from active participation and Alfred Bell's eldest son, John Clement, eventually took over the firm after his partnership with John Essex Clayton. Successive generations kept the firm going until the death of Michael Farrar Bell in 1993.

Clayton and Bell Stained Glass Flickr Group

Further reading

William Waters, Angels & Icons: Pre-Raphaelite Stained Glass 1850–1870 (Abbots Morton: Serapim Press, 2012), pp. 41–121.

'Clayton and Bell' Journal of the British Society of Master Glass-Painters, vol. iv, no. 3 (1932), 142–5.

Peter Larkworthy, Clayton and Bell, Stained Glass Artists and Decorators (London: The Ecclesiological Society, 1984).

Birkin Haward, Nineteenth Century Suffolk Stained Glass (Woodbridge: Boydell, 1989), pp. 153–5.

Martin Harrison, Victorian Stained Glass (London: 1980), pp. 29–33 and further references.




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  Scenes from the Life of St Anne and the Virgin Mary Scenes from the Life of St Anne and the Virgin Mary
restorer: Clayton & Bell
1498, restored in 1872
Church of All Saints, Gresford, Wrexham
east wall of the Lady Chapel
  Te Deum and Tree of Jesse Te Deum and Tree of Jesse
restorer: Clayton & Bell
1500, restored in 1867
Church of All Saints, Gresford, Wrexham
east wall of the chancel
  Medieval Fragments including Scenes from the Lives of St John the Baptist and St Anthony Medieval Fragments including Scenes from the Lives of St John the Baptist and St Anthony
restorer: Clayton & Bell
early sixteenth century, restored in 1915-16
Church of All Saints, Gresford, Wrexham
east end of the south aisle chapel (Trevor, or St Catherine's, Chapel)
  Prophets and Evangelists Prophets and Evangelists
firm/studio: Clayton & Bell
Church of St Nicholas, Montgomery, Powys
east wall of the chancel
  The Crucifixion with The Supper at Emmaus and The Nativity The Crucifixion with The Supper at Emmaus and The Nativity
firm/studio: Clayton & Bell
about 1859
Church of St David, Llanfaes, Brecon, Powys
west wall of the north aisle
  The Crucifixion with the Virgin Mary, St John, Mary Magdalene and the Centurion The Crucifixion with the Virgin Mary, St John, Mary Magdalene and the Centurion
firm/studio: Clayton & Bell
1860
Church of St Catwg, Llangattock, Powys
north wall of the north aisle
  Virgin and Child with the Burial of Sarah Virgin and Child with the Burial of Sarah
firm/studio: Clayton & Bell
about 1860
Church of St David, Merthyr Tydfil
south wall of the sanctuary
  The Resurrection The Resurrection
firm/studio: Clayton & Bell
probably 1860s or 70s
Church of St David, Merthyr Tydfil
north wall of the sanctuary
The Transfiguration
firm/studio: Clayton & Bell
1862
Church of St Peter, Lampeter Velfrey, Pembrokeshire
east wall of the chancel
  The Resurrection and Ascension The Resurrection and Ascension
firm/studio: Clayton & Bell
about 1863
Pentrefoelas Parish Church, Pentrefoelas, Conwy
west wall of the nave




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