Ward & Hughes (about 1836 - 1920s)


Stained glass firm based in London which was initially a partnership between Thomas Ward (1808-1870) and James Henry Nixon (1802-1857). Nixon was a pupil of Charles Moss and then worked with John Hedgeland, before setting up a partnership with Thomas Ward in the 1830s, based at Frith St, Soho, in London. Henry Hughes (1822-1883) joined the firm in 1850 and became a partner in 1857. In the 1870s and 80s windows of similar styles were signed as both 'Ward & Hughes' and 'H. Hughes'. After Hughes' death, Thomas Figgis Curtis (1845-1924) took over the firm, although the windows were often still signed Ward & Hughes for a time, and then as T.F. Curtis, Ward & Hughes. In the late 1880s and 90s their windows were often designed by George Parlby.

The firm proved to be one of the most successful studios of their time, and employed a distinctive style. They were more likely to sign their work than many contemporary firms, making their work easier to identify.



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  St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist
firm/studio: Ward & Hughes
about 1870
Church of St John the Baptist, Clydach, Swansea
west wall of the nave (window number: wI)
  The Virgin Mary and a Woman Performing Acts of Mercy The Virgin Mary and a Woman Performing Acts of Mercy
firm/studio: Ward & Hughes
designer: George Measures Parlby
about 1889
Church of St Mary, Ruabon, Wrexham
north wall of the north aisle
  St Barnabas and St Paul St Barnabas and St Paul
firm/studio: T.F. Curtis, Ward & Hughes
designer: T. F. Curtis
1910
Church of St Margaret, Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire
west end of the north wall
  Virgin and Child with Christ the Good Shepherd Virgin and Child with Christ the Good Shepherd
firm/studio: T. F. Curtis, Ward & Hughes
1914
Church of St Mary, Pennard, Swansea
east wall of the chancel
  The Whole Armour of God The Whole Armour of God
firm/studio: T. F. Curtis, Ward & Hughes
1920
Church of All Saints, Oystermouth, Swansea
north wall of the nave (window number: nVI)


Further reading

'Glass Painters 1750–1850 (Part II)' Journal of the British Society of Master Glass-Painters, vol. xiii, no. 2 (1960–1), 404.

J. Knowles, 'Glass-Painters 1750–1850 (Part III)' Journal of the British Society of Master Glass-Painters, vol. xiii, no. 3 (1961–2), 520-1.

Joyce Little, Stained Glass Marks and Monograms (London: National Association of Decorative and Fine Art Societies, 2002), p. 124.

Martin Harrison, Victorian Stained Glass (London: 1980), pp. 22–3, 36–8, 83–4 and further references.

P. G. B. Binnal, 'Ward and Hughes' Journal of the British Society of Master Glass-Painters, vol. xvi, no. 3 (1979–80), 61–4.





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