The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1845-06-03 00:00:00

his utter inability to cope with the difficulties into which
he had plunged his company and all parties who had ren-
dered him their gratuitous services.
It may well be imagined that the difficulties now enu-
merated, after the unavoidable absence of the director,
have required no ordinary skill, but indeed the most en-
ergetic and indefatigable exertions of some parties, to pay
all the expenses of the company—to transmit them to
France—to pay the expenses of the theatre, and the bills
of the tradesmen of the town—and, after all, to protect
the subscribers from any loss whatsoever, by returning
them 30s. per share, and only charging the actual expenses
incurred for the engagement of Duprez and Garcia, and
incidental expenses. It must, however, be said, in jus-
tice to the director, that in leaving the town he did not
take with him one fraction of the subscribers' funds, but
on the contrary expended £3OO of his own, and that want
of judgment and experience in such undertakings was the
undoubted cause of his unfortunate failure.

ST. MARY'S CHURCH, KIRKDALE

We had occasion to notice in November last, the re-
cent enlargements anti embellishments of this structure,
by which it was greatly improved both in exterior and in-
terior appearance, arid which gave additional free accom-
modation to 430 persons, increasing the number of sit-
tings to 1370 in all. The church was extended at both
ends, the end facing the Walton road presenting a hand-
some elevation in stone-work, with painted windows, &c.,
surmounted by a neat perforated bell turret, the whole in
the decorated Gothic style; and the other end of plainer
exterior, with a large central window and four smaller
ones, designed in correspondence with, and giving a rich
and enlivening effect to the general character of the build-
ing. The ceiling, which was before flat and confined, was
converted by Mr. Arthur Holme, the architect, into an
open one, the carpentry, (which is at once highly scienti-
fic and impressive,) is ornamented with shafts, tracery,
pendants, &c., painted in dark oak, with the ceiling divi-
ded into compartments, and is considered one of the finest
of the kind in the north of England, while at the same
time the additional space and elevation gives ample range
to the eye, and ensures thorough ventilation. A new de-
corated gothic screen, designed by Mr. Holme, was also
erected at the communion end, forming an additional
object of interest.
Such were the principal improvements then completed,
and we have now the gratification to state that, through
the unwearied perseverance of the Rev. Mr. James, the
incumbent, and the liberality of a portion of his flock, the
five windows at the communion end of the church have
since been most tastefully and elaborately finished with
stained glass of the richest hues.
The great .gothic window, over the communion. con-
sists of five lights, or upright compartments. The two
centre mullions are stronger than the others, and form,
with the jambs, separate arches, within the large outward
arch of the window. On these two arches, each of which
has two lights, rests a wheel, the tracery of which pre-
sents five perforations or compartments, one of them
forming a centre-piece, and the four round it forming
figures resembling vari-coloured flames or torches, each
drawn, as it were, to a point, as if by the revolution of
the wheel. The other tracery, in the remaining space of
the general or main arch, is of corresponding though va-
ried design. The height of the window, from the sill to
the spring of the arch, is 11 feet ; and from the latter to
the point of the arch 7 feet, giving an entire elevation of
18 feet ; and the width below the arch is 8 feet.
The whole of this window is filled with stained glass in
countless pieces ingeniously leaded together. The lower
part or body, under the arch, is enriched with various de-
vices and scriptural emblems in this material, which the
penetrating light renders exceedingly brilliant. In the
centre bay we observed a triangle of various colours in
succession, with a half circle on each side of it ; a large dia-
mond form, the interior of which is filled up with what
the ancients termed "vesica pieces," or elegant shape of
the finny tribe ; also an emblem of the Trinity forming a
circle, the circumference intersected with three smaller
circles corresponding with one of similar size in the cen-
tre, and having an inscription, which when read from
the circumference to the centre, consists of the passage
from St. Athanasius Creed, "the Father is God; the
Son is God ; the Holy Ghost is God," and being read
along the circumference makes a distinction between the
three persons. In the two adjoining bays are various de-
vices beautifully executed, amongst which are sun-flowers,
stars, a double white and a double red rose, a double
dahlia in ruby, and a double one in purple. The outside
lights, right and left, present vesica forms, and circles va-
riously intersecting each other, in imitation of the man-
ner in which our ancestors executed their stained glass
windows, and all bearing a scriptural meaning or emblem.
In the centre of some of the circles are doule triangles
on a ruby ground, and at tbe bottom of the outside lights
the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, " Alpha
and " Omega," emblematic of " the beginning" and the
..
The upper portions of these five lights are occupied
by five figures, half the size of life, and all in standing
positions, resting on brackets also represented in stained
glass, bearing their respective names in Old English.
Ihe centre figure, which is rather larger than the others,
represents the Saviour, holding an illuminated globe in
his left hand, and with the right arm upraised, as if in the
attitude of speaking, and is supposed to be saying, " I am
the light of the world !" The face was copied from an en-
graving (taken from a fine .picture by Leonardi de Vinci)
in the possession of our townsman, Mr. Linnecar, and the
expression of the countenance combines benignity and
firmness of character in an eminent degree. The drapery
is brilliant, yet chaste. The tunic is of the purest ruby,
and the cloak, which falls gracefully over the shoulders is
of a rich dark blue. On his right is Peter, resting on a
cross, and holding the usual emblems—the keys. On Lis
left, St. Paul. holding a half-opened roll, with the inscrip-
tion in Greek, " When thou comest, bring with thee the
books, and especially the parchments." His right hand
rests on a sword, to which the Apostle compared the Word
of God. The figures right and left of these are St. Matthew,
holding a book in which is inscribed, in Greek, the first
sentence of his Gospel—" The Book of the generation of
Jesus Christ ;" and St. John holding a cup in his right
hand, and a cosed book under his left arm. The drapery
of these four figures is varied, bright, and well arranged,
and the countenances well depicted, if we except to some
degree that of John, the more youthful of the group, which
partakes too strongly of•the feminine cast. The heads are
encircled with a glory, and the stonework in each com-
partment, in which the figures are placed, serves as a ca-
nopy over each figure.
The upper or tracery part of the window is occupied with
a number of other devices executed in minute pieces of
stained glass. In the centre of tbe wheel (before noticed)
is the representation of a dove descending, painted in de-
licate brown shades. The parts right and left are filled
with fire-wheels, stars, a cross and a cheveron, &c., with (as
the other compartments) appropriate and varied margins or
borders. On each side the wheel is an angel holding a belt
in his hand ; the inscription, which is carried through
from one to the other, is, " Ministering Spirits to the
Heirs of Salvation." We noticed in other compartments
fine representations of shells, roses and other flowers, and
oak and ash leaves

In front of the window is the screen, with three high
canopies surmounting niches, in which it is !intended to
describe the commandments. The floor within the com-
munion rails is laid down in richly-patterned encaustic
tiles.

There are four smaller stained glass windows at this
end. Two of them, below the galleries, are of the gothic
arch form, and were executed by Mr. Edmondson, of War-
rington, according to patterns supplied by W. Rothwell,
Esq., who presented the windows to the church. The other
two are over the gallery, right and left of the large window.
These are circular, and the stone-work and tracery are
after examples in Exeter Cathedral. They are filled with
minute pieces of stained glass, and present perhaps the
best specimen of this mode of glazing in the church.
The expense of the large window and the circular ones
was entirely defrayed by the young people of the congre-
gation, who collected the money in small sums by cards,
and who have thus contributed in a very material degree to
render this place of worship an object of attraction to
strangers visiting Liverpool.
The figures in the large window were drawn by the men
employed by Mr. J. A. Forrest, of this town, whose fore-
man is an exceedingly clever artist in this line ; but all
the plans, (with the exception of these,) were drawn by
Mr. James, and the whole executed by Mr. Forrest in
accordance with the rev. gentleman's succestions.
Kirkdale Church may now take its place amongst the
most commodious and elegant places of worship in the
town or neighbourhood ; and as many of our churches re-
quire similar improvements and decoratons, we hope the
example furnished by Mr. James'.. taste and devotion to
the praiseworthy work, will be followed by many of his
clerical friends.