Cuthman – Shepherd and Builder Arts and Crafts Window
Christopher Whall (1849-1924), an influential member of the Arts and Crafts Movement and a pioneer in the perfection of stained-glass technique, was commissioned to produce glass for this two-light window in the south aisle in memory of Arthur Congreve-Pridgeon, Vicar of Steyning from 1882 to 1918. The lower half of each light depicts legendary scenes from St Cuthman’s life, as set down in Acta Sanctorum:
The lower panel of the left-hand light of Whall’s window: The boy Cuthman, working as a SHEPHERD in the place of his birth, and performing a miracle with his crook to keep his father’s sheep in their place. ‘In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, O flock, I order you not to pass beyond these boundaries set for you before I return.’
The lower panel of the right-hand light of Whall’s window: Cuthman is depicted as the BUILDER of the first church. A stranger appears and miraculously secures the king post in the structure, saying ‘I am he in whose name you are building this church’, before he disappears from sight.
Click here for our audio tour where you see a photograph of the entire window and listen to the miracle story of the building, as well as an assessment of the historical evidence for the foundation. A click on either of the above photographs will enlarge them.