The Stained Glass Windows
There are two commemorative windows near the entrance, one inside the shop and the other at the foot of the steps. Both were designed and executed in 1961 by Leonard Evetts of the Fine Arts department at Durham University (Newcastle Division). He was a leading artist and craftsman in stained glass and used mediaeval recipes for colouring, together with varying thickness of glass that gave each piece a jewelled appearance. His lead work departed from the Victorian geometrical patterns and developed mediaeval irregular shapes. The windows are thus an echo of an earlier period in St Nicholas' history.
The right hand window was given in memory of Alderman John Pattinson and his wife. He was Mayor of Durham in 1930 and was made an Honorary Freeman of the city by the Town Council in 1950. The City of Durham crest at the foot of the left-hand panel symbolises his service for the community. The shield at the foot of the right hand panel marks Mrs Pattinson's membership of the Salvation Army.
The subject of the window may seem puzzling but there are clues to its meaning. The centre panel is based on Isaiah chapter 6. The prophet Isaiah kneels in the temple. Above him stands one of the seraphim, with six wings, who cries, 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory.' The window thus depicts the story of a man who went to the Temple to pray, encountered God in all his majesty, received His cleansing for sin and was given a task which took up all his energies for the rest of his life. You never know what may happen when you open up yourself to God!
The side panels are based on two of the most famous chapters in the book of Isaiah. The left-hand panel echoes chapter 11. A tree rises from the Star of David and leads to the cross of Christ. 'A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse (ie King David's father) and from his roots a branch will bear fruit.' The star at the top recalls Isaiah 9:2, 'The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light'. It thus points to Christmas and Christ's taking on human form (the incarnation). The right hand panel is based on chapter 53 and contains images of the suffering servant - a whip and a cross. 'He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.' The rose at the top symbolises the joy of salvation - 'the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose' - and points to Easter and redemption.
The left-hand window can be seen from the shop or from the balcony. It commemorates the faithful service of Mrs Ethel Pape, a Sunday school teacher for forty years and depicts Christ scattering seed, a reference to the parable of the sower in Mark's gospel chapter 4, verses 1-20. A grain of wheat is shown at Christ's feet. On the left hand panel are images of sowing, growth and harvest -wheat in a field, a heart devoted to Christ (carrying the letters IHS, the first three letters ofJesus in Greek) and a sheaf reaped. The right hand panel depicts rejection of the word. Thorns grow instead of wheat, a purse hints at the silver of betrayal, and at the top fires of judgement beckon. The dove represents the harvest of the Spirit referred to in Galatians 5:22. At the very top you can see the shields of St James (the pilgrim's shell) and St Nicholas (the pawnbrokefs golden balls). Each Sunday the gospel is taught and preached in churches all over the country. This window poses the question for each of us: 'What is the harvest of my life?'
You never know what may happen when you open yourself to God.