Christopher Whall by Peter Cormack: In-Person

Spring Lecture Series 2026

Heroines and Heroes of the Arts and Crafts Movement

THESE TICKETS ARE FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO ATTEND IN PERSON.

FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO ATTEND ONLINE ONLY, PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK.

Since the pandemic, the Victorian Society’s two annual lecture series have taken place online, where they have drawn very large audiences. With the spring 2026 series, organised by Steven Brindle, Maya Donelan and Michael Hall, we are moving to a hybrid arrangement of in-person lectures that will be live-streamed as well as being available as recordings. The subject is one of perennial interest, the Arts and Crafts movement. Although it might be thought that there is little more to be learned about its leading practitioners, our speakers will be drawing on a large amount of new research, much of which is highlighting the often-neglected role played by women in a movement that remains of direct relevance to architects, artists and designers today.

TO BOOK THE COMPLETE SERIES, PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK.

Ticket sales close a week before the event.

Spring Lecture Series: 7

Christopher Whall by Peter Cormack

When windows designed by Christopher Whall (1849–1924) were shown at the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society in London in 1888 they were immediately recognised as a break-through. Whall changed for ever the direction of the finest stained-glass in Britain and beyond, thanks to his mastery of not only design but also every stage of its manufacture – cutting, painting and glazing – to create windows in which sumptuous colours were combined with thickly textured ‘slab’ glasses and bold leading patterns.

Whall’s achievement will be discussed by Peter Cormack, a noted scholar of post-medieval British and American stained glass, William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement, whose classic study Arts & Crafts Stained Glass, published by Yale University Press in 2015 was the first book to do Whall and his legacy full justice.

Lectures will be about an hour long and take place at NYU London, 265 Strand, London WC2R 1BH.

Doors open at 6:15 pm and the lecture starts at 6:30 pm. Refreshments will be available after the lecture (not included in the ticket prices).

Tube: Charing Cross, Waterloo or Temple.

Each lecture is recorded and sent out within a week after the talk. This recording can be accessed at any time.

This event helps raise funds for The Victorian Society - the only charity dedicated to fighting for our Victorian and Edwardian heritage. Join us today and safeguard our unique cultural heritage for future generations! For further information, click here.

The Victorian Society is an IHBC recognised CPD provider​.

Image: "Playful Angels" window (1899), St Andrew, Farnham, Surrey , Stained glass By Christopher Whall - https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewox13/3994213014/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71802890