The Old Conduit House and the connection to Stained Glass windows - Part 2
Yesterday we learnt a little bit about Alfred Bell, one of the builders of The Old Conduit House which Anne discovered whilst out walking on holiday in the UK recently. (Click here if you missed it).
But who was John Burlison, the other joint owner of this wonderful heritage listed house, and how did he and Alfred Bell become father and son-in-law respectively?
Well, the architecture and stained glass industry in the mid-19th century in England was obviously a very close knit, uniquely skilled fraternity, all working collaboratively together in the early 1800's as the revival of religious buildings took off.
It is very likely that the the common link between Alfred Bell and John Burlison was the eminent British architect Sir George Gilbert Scott. As mentioned in yesterday's post, Scott had offered the 16 year old Alfred a pupilage at his offices at 20 Spring Gardens, London, (now part of the Windmill Theatre) in 1848, and Alfred was still working there in 1851.
We know that John Burlison (1843-91?) was also working in the front office of Sir George Gilbert Scott at 20 Spring Gardens, from about 1838 onwards. He was in charge of project surveys and estimates.
So no doubt that is how John and Alfred met, and how Alfred met John's eldest daughter Jane, who was the same age as Alfred.
As mentioned in Part 1, in 1855, Alfred Bell and John Richard Clayton set up Clayton and Bell. In that same year, in August 1855, Alfred Bell married John Burlison’s daughter Jane, and they went on to have 11 children, (one of which was the John Clement Bell who later took over the firm of Clayton Bell.) 1
The picture then becomes rather unclear, but at some point after Clayton Bell was established in 1855, John Burlison went to work at his son-in-law's firm.
It was written that John possessed ”extensive practical and scientific acquirements, ......and was a mathematician of a high and thoroughly practical order, well versed in scientific and antiquarian works in French and German, as well as in our own language.” 2
Thomas John Grylls (1845-1913) was another designer who was training in the studios of the quickly thriving Clayton & Bell. He was a particularly gifted draughtsman. Together, John and Thomas had a wonderful blend of skills, and they were encouraged to go out on their own as well. They formed the partnership of Burlison & Grylls in 1868.
John Burlison and Alfred Bell had built The Old Conduit House as two connecting residences during 1864 and 1865, and both families were living there. We can only assume there was no animosity from John's son-in-law Alfred Bell in his father-in-law setting up as a competitor in 1868.
It must be noted some records say that John Burlison died in 1891, but quite a few others say it was 1868.
If that is right, then Burlison and Gryls was a very short-lived partnership, (less than a year), which Grylls then carried on singlehandedly for many years after, keeping the full partnership name. (I couldn't find any commentary about this though).
Either way, by the 1890s, Burlison & Grylls was also one of the most highly regarded stained glass firms in the country. Among thousands of other windows in churches throughout Britain, the most spectacular is probably the large rose window of 1902 in Poets' Corner at Westminster Abbey (see "South Rose Window").3
Here are some other examples of their work:
You can read more detail about Burlison and Grylls and the locations of many of their works around the UK if you click here.
After John Burlison’s death in 1891, (or 1868?), Thomas Grylls continued their firm himself till his own death in 1913. The firm then passed into the hands of his son Thomas Henry Grylls Jnr (1873-1953).
Thomas Jnr was a founding Fellow of The British Society of Master Glass Painters in 1921, the aim of which is still to this day "to promote and encourage high standards in the art and craft of stained glass painting and staining," and also "to act as a locus for the exchange of information and ideas within the stained glass craft and to preserve the invaluable stained glass heritage of Britain." 4
The firm of Burlison and Grylls continued until the death of Thomas Grylls (Jnr) in 1953.
It is staggering to see the number of stained glass windows listed for just these two firms alone (and this is probably not a full list), much less the many other firms also involved in this work at the time.
There are some 40,000 churches, monasteries, abbeys etc in the UK, and I’m sure you would agree that a vast number of them will probably have stained glass windows dating back to this era. Incredible!
However, from those heady days, historic stained-glass window-making is now on the Heritage Crafts Red List. It is recognised by the British Society of Master Glass Painters (BSMGP) that the traditional skills are in danger of being lost. Isn't that just so sad.
We can only hope that through their efforts, the legacy and skills of these prolific stained glass firms of yesteryear is preserved.......
Footnotes
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You can read more about Alfred’s Bell and his family and the connection with the Old Conduit House here.
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You can read more about John Burlison and his family here.
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With thanks to The Victorian Web.org
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You can read more about The British Society of Master Glass Painters here.
Links to our past posts on stained glass can be found below:
Ferguson and Urie – here.
John Ferguson – Part 1 here.
John Ferguson - Part 2 here.
Marc Chagall and the America Windows – here.