Lilian Josephine Pocock (1883–1974) was a

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

artist who provided stained glass for a number of buildings, including

Ulverston Victoria High School Ulverston Victoria High School (UVHS) is a secondary school and sixth form located in the town of Ulverston, Cumbria, England. It is the successor school to Ulverston Grammar School and Victoria Secondary Modern, which were combined in 1967 to f ...

, The King's School and

Ely Cathedral Ely Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Ely, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. The cathedral can trace its origin to the abbey founded in Ely in 67 ...

. She was also a theatrical costume designer, book illustrator and

watercolourist Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin 'water'), is a painting method"Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to the S ...

. In her later years, failing eyesight prevented her from continuing her work in stained glass. After some years of retirement she died in 1974."Women Stained Glass Artists of the Arts and Crafts Movement Catalogue." William Morris Gallery Exhibition and Brangwyn Gift in 1985. Retrieved 18 August 2012

Early years and studies

Lilian Josephine Pocock, born on 6 May 1883 in

Paddington Paddington is an area in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a metropolitan borough of the County of London, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Paddington station, designed b ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

, was the daughter of the

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

artist, Lexden Lewis Pocock (1850–1919) and the sister of Alfred Lyndhurst Pocock (1882-1962) the renowned sculptor, glyptic artist, watercolourist and carver of gemstones for the famous house of Fabergé in the early twentieth century. From the late 1890s to 1906 she attended

Royal Academy Schools The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

and then the Regent Street Polytechnic School of Art, which is now the

University of Westminster The University of Westminster is a public university, public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first Polytechnic (United Kingdom), polytechnic to open in London. The Po ...

. In 1906 she enrolled at the

London County Council The London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today ...

(LCC)

Central School of Arts and Crafts The Central School of Art and Design was a art school, school of fine arts, fine and applied arts in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1896 by the London County Council as the Central School ...

and was taught there by

Christopher Whall Christopher Whitworth Whall (1849 – 23 December 1924) was a British stained-glass artist who worked from the 1880s and on into the 20th century. He is recognised as a leader in the Arts and Crafts movement and a key figure in the moder ...

Karl Parsons Karl Bergemann Parsons (23 January 1884 – 30 September 1934) was a British stained glass artist associated with the Arts and Crafts movement. Early life, 1884 – 1898 Parsons was born in Peckham in south London on 23 January 1884, the 12th a ...

and Alfred J. Drury.

Career

In 1910 she left the LCC School and worked for a time as an assistant to Parsons, who at the time was completing a series of windows for the Apse of Cape Town Cathedral. In 1915 she completed her first church window, a two-light window featuring

St Christopher Saint Christopher (, , ; ) is venerated by several Christian denominations. According to these traditions, he was a martyr killed in the reign of the 3rd-century Roman emperor Decius (), or alternatively under the emperor Maximinus Daia (). ...

and

St Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara (Lycia), Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya ...

for

Little Marlow Little Marlow is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England. History The Church of England parish church of Saint John the Baptist lies at the heart of the village, not far from the river and next to th ...

church in

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

. Undoubtedly her most prestigious commission was for the series of windows in Wilton church and Christ Church in Golden Square. She also completed three windows for the chapel at

Tonbridge School Tonbridge School is a public school (English fee-charging boarding and day school for boys aged 13–18) in Tonbridge, Kent, England, founded in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judde (sometimes spelt Judd). It is a member of the Eton Group and has clo ...

; a three-light window of 1919 depicting St Denis, a three-light window of 1925 depicting St Christopher and a three-light window of 1936 depicting St Augustine of Canterbury. Christopher Whall had made six windows for the chapel from 1903 to 1909 and Parsons had added another in 1915 so Pocock was in illustrious company. It was after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

that Pocock designed and made windows for St Paul's in

Herne Hill Herne Hill () is a district in South London, approximately four miles from Charing Cross and bordered by Brixton, Camberwell, Dulwich, and Tulse Hill. It sits to the north and east of Brockwell Park and straddles the boundary between the London ...

(East window-1948-9) and Christ Church in

Brondesbury Brondesbury (), which includes Brondesbury Park, is an area of Kilburn in the London Boroughs of Brent and Camden, in north London, England. The area is traditionally part of the ancient parish and subsequent municipal borough of Willesden, o ...

(North Aisle-1950).

Works

Wilton Parish Church

Wilton Parish Church in

Hawick Hawick ( ; ; ) is a town in the Scottish Borders council areas of Scotland, council area and counties of Scotland, historic county of Roxburghshire in the east Southern Uplands of Scotland. It is south-west of Jedburgh and south-south-east o ...

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by West Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian, and East Lothian to the north, the North Sea to the east, Dumfries and Galloway to the south-west, South Lanarkshire to the we ...

was the source of work for Lilian on many occasions in her life.Dickson Street, Wilton Parish Church (church of Scotland), Hawick.
British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 18 August 2012. For instance, within the church hall she completed a stained glass window in 1947.

Other works

Churches and cathedrals

* Church of Christ the King in

Gordon Square Gordon Square is a public park square in Bloomsbury, London, England. It is part of the Bedford Estate and was designed as one of a pair with the nearby Tavistock Square. It is owned by the University of London. History and buildings The sq ...

Inner London Inner London is the group of London boroughs that form the interior part of Greater London and are surrounded by Outer London. With its origins in the bills of mortality, it became fixed as an area for statistics in 1847 and was used as an area ...

: A two-light window was completed in 1931 this depicting Moses and Aaron. The church was damaged during the

but restored in 1946. Pocock completed five windows for this church which was formerly the Catholic Apostolic Church, of which Pocock was a member. * Ely Cathedral in Ely, Cambridgeshire – 1920: Working through

James Powell and Sons The firm of James Powell and Sons, also known as Whitefriars Glass, were London-based English glassmakers, leadlighters and stained-glass window manufacturers. As Whitefriars Glass, the company existed from the 18th century, but became well kno ...

, Pocock designed a three-light window in the North Transept East.Powell list
List of works by James Powell and Sons which can be searched by designer/artist name. Retrieved 187 August 2012. * Lockerbie Dryfesdale Church in

Lockerbie Lockerbie (, ) is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, located in south-western Scotland. The 2001 Census recorded its population as 4,009. The town had an estimated population of in . The town came to international attention in December 1988 when ...

: Part of the First World War memorial in this church is a Pocock window. * St Georges Church in Hawick: Pocock designed stained glass windows for this church. * St John the Baptist in

, Buckinghamshire – 1915: Pocock designed and made a two-light window in the North Aisle, which depicts

and

. This was her first commission. * Teviot & Roberton Parish Church and Church Halls in St George's Lane,

– 1929–1946: All the stained glass in this church is by Pocock save for the West window. The church is described as a: "more austere form of Gothic, with a plain interior enhanced by stylish stained-glass windows designed by Lilian J Pocock". * Ulverston Grammar School in

Ulverston Ulverston is a market town and civil parish in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it lies a few miles south of the Lake District Lake District National Park, National Park and j ...

, Lancashire: The school’s

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Memorial window contains the central figure of St George, a cartoon by Pocock. * Wilton Parish Church Hall in Dickson Street,

: In the church hall there is a Pocock window in the Boys Brigade chapel. This depicts a young Jesus saying that He must be about His Father's business and has the Boys Brigade "BB" symbol above it. * St Mary's Church, Breamore, Hampshire. In the church is a window bearing the signature of the artist, depicting Joan of Arc, with a sword and a red cross on her clothing.

Other types of buildings

* The King's School in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

, Cheshire: Again working through James Powell and Sons, Pocock designed a five-light window for the school. * Queen Alexandra's Hospital Home in

Worthing Worthing ( ) is a seaside town and borough in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 113,094 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Br ...

, Sussex – 1946: A single light window was completed for the Chapel of the above home which is part of Gifford House. The window depicts the "Miracles of Healing".

Illustrations

* Holmes, E. E. (1913). ''In Praise of Legend.'' London: A. R. Mowbray and Company. * Holmes, Ernest Edward. ''The Message of the Soldiers.'' * Hollis, Gertrude. ''That Land and This''.''Publishers Weekly, Volume 87.'' R.R. Bowker Company, January – June 1915. pp. 585–586. * Holmes, E. E. ''And Mary Sings Magnificat - A Christmas Thought.'' (1915). London: A.R. Mowbray & Co. Ltd.,

Notes

References

External links

Images of Lilian Pocock's work pp. 271–272.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pocock, Lilian Josephine English stained glass artists and manufacturers 1883 births 1974 deaths Alumni of the Central School of Art and Design People from Paddington