Last Saturday I travelled down to Sheffield to a dedication service at St. Mary's Church on Bramhall Lane.

That's an odd thing for an aetheist to do, I sense you thinking, but it felt a great honour to see this marvellous piece of artwork, a huge stained glass window, and two sculptures, being dedicated by The Archbishop of York, The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Dr John Sentamu.

The window was designed by Helen Whittaker, artist and designer at Barley Studio in Dunnington.

The Canon at St. Mary's had previously seen Helen's stained glass and sculptural work at Beverley Minster and had decided that she had the right philiosophy and design ethos to replace a window at St. Mary's in Sheffield.

The original stained glass had been removed from the church during the War for safekeeping, and stored down a coalmine - so the story goes. After the War, nobody could remember where it was kept and any records had been destroyed. This was a point not lost on the Archbishop who joked that, "if ever you have to remove this window, they please try to keep a note of where you leave it!" He's a card isn't he?

His Grace also noted the path of pilgrimage depicted through the abstract design of the window, beginning with one copper-sculpted pilgrim on one side of the church, taking a path of enlightenment through the window and becoming 'whole' and 'centred' on the other side. Clearly this message is lost on a Heathen like me, but it is a most exquisite piece of glass.

Open this PDF file (370k) for full details of the design by Helen Whittaker.

York can be proud of its creative industries. We are fortunate to have such depth of knowledge or these crafts and the talent to expand those skills in contemporary and abstract forms that look so beautiful and will stand as a testament to these times for centuries to come.

Unless some idiot loses it down a coalmine, of course.