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.

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Your search found 33 results plus 3 tentative attributions.

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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 (window number: nII)
  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 (window number: I)
  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) (window number: sII)
  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 Crucifixion and Last Supper The Crucifixion and Last Supper
firm/studio: Clayton & Bell
about 1865
Church of St Llonio, Llandinam, Powys
east wall of the chancel
  The Risen Christ with Saints The Risen Christ with Saints
firm/studio: Clayton & Bell
about 1866
Church of St Catwg, Llangattock, Powys
east wall of the chancel
  Scenes and Characters from the Bible Scenes and Characters from the Bible
firm/studio: Clayton & Bell
1868
Eglwys Oen Duw, Beulah, Powys
west wall of the nave
  Prophets and Evangelists Prophets and Evangelists
firm/studio: Clayton & Bell
patron: Henry James and Magaret Bath (family)
about 1870
Church of the Holy Trinity, Pont-ar-gothi, Carmarthenshire
nave
  Scenes from the Gospels with the Twelve Disciples Scenes from the Gospels with the Twelve Disciples
firm/studio: Clayton & Bell
about 1870
Church of St Mary the Virgin, Abbey Cwmhir, Powys
west wall (window number: wI)
  St Perpetua St Perpetua
firm/studio: Clayton & Bell
about 1872
Church of St Gastyn, Llangasty-Talyllyn, Powys
south wall of the nave


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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