CHAGALL'S STAINED GLASS WINDOWS

Today was nothing short of a gift. I met my friend Janet at All Saints Church, Tudeley in Kent where there are 12 stained glass windows which were created by Marc Chagall.

We were blessed with a crispy, bright day and met in the car park as arranged. The building really is tiny, unassuming and frankly, uninspiring looking  but ,stepping through the door revealed a world of sheer beauty and delight. The windows look nothing from the outside - the exterior gives nothing whatsoever away, but, inside the tiny church, the illuminated windows were a sight to behold. The first of them was comissioned by the parents of a local girl who died tragically at the age of 21 and they wanted it to commemorate her young life. They, at the time, lived in the nearby house 'Summerhill' which subsequently became a well known and controversial free school. It was reading a book about the school's founder, when I was a teenager, that inspired me to home school my children for a portion at least of their (my!) education. I can't wax lyrical enough about this wonderful place, but should you ever be in the area, I would definitely recommend you make a visit there. In fact, I'd suggest that, even if not in the area, you go take a look. My pictures cannot possibly do the place justice but I hope they provide a glimpse ... Make sure you take your camera - I was there for half an hour and took over 100 photographs of flagstone floors, bits of chipped wall, lettering, panerls, columns etc - it was a photo opportunity par excellence!