Medieval Stained Glass Reconstructed in Bristol

Much of England's medieval church art was destroyed during the Reformation and the 17th-century rule of Oliver Cromwell. St. Mary Redcliffe's original medieval stained glass was largely lost during this period of iconoclasm, with only fragments surviving. These surviving pieces were later reassembled into new windows by Joseph Bell of Bristol in the 1890s. The most recent stained glass work at the church is not a reconstruction of medieval designs, but a replacement of four Victorian-era panels. These panels, which memorialized the 17th-century merchant and slave trader Edward Colston, were removed in June 2020 following the toppling of his statue in Bristol during Black Lives Matter protests. To find a replacement, the church launched a public design competition in 2022. The winning entry was from Ealish Swift, a local junior doctor, whose designs were chosen from dozens of submissions to reflect on the question "And who is my neighbour?". Swift's four new panels depict contemporary themes and a multi-ethnic Jesus to counter a historically Anglo-centric narrative. The designs feature Jesus as a child refugee, on a slave ship during the Middle Passage, with a diverse group of Bristolians, and alongside protestors of the 1963 Bristol Bus Boycott. The unveiling of the new windows was timed to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Bristol Bus Boycott on August 30, 2023. This successful protest against a local bus company's color bar helped pave the way for the UK's Race Relations Act. The former Victorian panels dedicated to Colston are not being destroyed. They will be conserved and made available for public viewing by appointment. This window replacement is part of a wider multi-million pound development initiative called Project 450. The project aims to improve visitor facilities and community spaces at the historic church.