After several weeks of meticulous planning and careful scheduling of appointments with guides, a small group of U3A members interested in the Arts and Crafts Movement arrived at Lockerbie Station to find that the 8.30am train to Edinburgh had been cancelled. After initial disbelief, Plan B was put in place and the swift arrival of taxis from Carlisle and the wonder of mobile phones, allowed arrangements to be reorganised en route so that by the time we arrived at Waverley Station our agenda was back on track.
We were in Edinburgh to look at mural paintings in the Song School of St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral and in the erstwhile Catholic Apostolic Church (now the Mansfield Traquair Centre) which were created single handedly by Phoebe Anna Traquair between 1888 and 1901. These are major works of art on a colossal scale which link the spiritual, secular and physical realms. In the Song School the theme of the decoration is the Benedicite in which angels with trumpets and the heavenly host rub shoulders with known choirboys, clerics, workmen and notable Victorians set against recognisable landscapes and a lawn spread with flowers. The north and south walls of the Catholic Apostolic Church are decorated with panels illustrating episodes from the New and Old Testaments. The chancel arch, soaring to 22m, shows the signs of the evangelists, above them four Great Cherubim, the worship of heaven by the perfected church and a large choir. Equally spectacular is the west wall seen by the congregation on leaving church which depicts the Second Coming.
Phoebe Anna Traquair was a notable creator not only of murals but also of monumental embroideries, delicate enamelled jewellery, enamelled triptychs and caskets, illuminated manuscripts, book bindings, illustrations and painted furniture.
Although she was recognised as an influential figure in the art world before the First World War she suffered neglect until relatively recently but her star is rising again. Without doubt she is an outstanding Scottish artist whose exquisite works in an astonishing range of media are well worth seeking. To do so is to enter a world where the spiritual and the temporal meet and intermingle.
Peter Banks
The first signs of human habitation on the island dates back 4,000 years and would always have been a remote and isolated existence. The cleits are evidence of earlier habitation and the most recently inhabited dwellings are in “the Street”. The traditional way of life and the rich oral traditions declined as a result of the strict religious discipline imposed by the church and discontent with the way of life developed. People became more aware of the way of life on the mainland. Finally, on 29 August 1930 the island was evacuated.
Congratulations to Stewartry U3A members Vivien Dania and Pauline Saul who last week received the Epic Award for Scotland for their Arts and Crafts Trail which will celebrate it’s 12th year in August.
