The chancel, St Laurence Upton cum Chalvey.
The church leaflet says that St Laurence Church in Upton cum Chalvey (a parish of Slough) ‘may justly claim to be the oldest building in Slough’. The oldest part is the chancel, rebuilt in the twelfth century on top of Saxon stonework and redecorated during the nineteenth century restoration of the church. Under your feet but hidden by the carpet under the bell tower (in the foreground above) is the grave of the musician and astronomer William Herschel (1738 - 1822), who lived in Slough for the last part of his life when he was King’s Astronomer to George III.
Left, the south aisle, with Andrew Taylor’s window to William Herschel, 2000. Right, the figure of William Herschel from the bottom of the right hand lancet.
The Victorian restoration also added a south aisle to the church where in 2000 a window was commissioned from the artist and stained glass maker Andrew Taylor to celebrate Herschel and his discovery of Uranus. This planet glows beautifully from the top window, surrounded by fragments of blue and pink with stars and streaks. The two lancets continue in the same vein, where you find the other planets, Herschel’s telescope and the biblical verses that were stipulated in the brief and that have been worked into the design in a subtle way that is also legible. The appearance of the figure of Herschel was reportedly at the suggestion of local school children - the artist managed to include him in a way that doesn’t weaken the design and that gives a sense of scale to his Great Forty Foot Telescope. It’s great to see the model of this and also the design for the window in this part of the church that acts as history and social centre, cafe and shop.
Left, Andrew Taylor’s window design. Right, lower left panel with text from Psalm 8: Verses 4 & 5.
The windows in the chancel, all by James Powell and Sons from the 1890s to the 1920s, are wonderful too, delicate enough for this low, quiet space. Here are pale, almost monochrome angels behind the richer figures of saints on jazzy painted backgrounds, full of stars.
Either side of the altar, St Lawrence and St Stephen, James Powell and Sons 1895
Detail from the bottom of St Stephen
North side of the chancel, St John Evangelist, James Powell & Sons 1902