John Ward Knowles
Encyclopedia
John Ward Knowles was a prominent York
stained glass
manufacturer, and commentator on local art and music.
After training in art, Knowles dabbled in photography. On his marriage to Jane Annakind in 1874 he moved to Stonegate
in York, the old ‘Sign of the Bible’, which then became a Knowles family home for the next one hundred and twenty years. He renovated the building which became a hub of artistic endeavour with workshops producing not only stained glass but all kinds of ecclesiastical decoration including beautiful embroideries and tapestry work produced by the Knowles daughters.
The building still retains much of Knowles’ work, installed when he lived here including a collection of priceless late Victorian and Edwardian stained glass.
The family continued the craft traditions into the twentieth century but also moved with the times and John Ward Knowles’ son John Alder Knowles spent some time studying glass manufacturing methods in the USA before the First World War. Enthused by the work of Tiffany he attempted an English version of the famous lamps, but charming though his prototypes were, they lacked the delicacy of the originals and failed to catch on.
John Ward Knowles continued to live and work here until his death at the age of 93 and his sons continued the business up to 1953. The building remained in the Knowles family until 1999 when it was purchased by Jonathan Cainer
to become the world’s first Psychic Museum.
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
manufacturer, and commentator on local art and music.
After training in art, Knowles dabbled in photography. On his marriage to Jane Annakind in 1874 he moved to Stonegate
Stonegate
Stonegate may refer to:* Stonegate, Colorado* Stonegate, Fort Worth, Texas* Stonegate, a neighborhood of Davis, California* Stonegate-Queensway, a neighborhood of Toronto, Ontario* Stonegate, a rock band from Finland...
in York, the old ‘Sign of the Bible’, which then became a Knowles family home for the next one hundred and twenty years. He renovated the building which became a hub of artistic endeavour with workshops producing not only stained glass but all kinds of ecclesiastical decoration including beautiful embroideries and tapestry work produced by the Knowles daughters.
The building still retains much of Knowles’ work, installed when he lived here including a collection of priceless late Victorian and Edwardian stained glass.
The family continued the craft traditions into the twentieth century but also moved with the times and John Ward Knowles’ son John Alder Knowles spent some time studying glass manufacturing methods in the USA before the First World War. Enthused by the work of Tiffany he attempted an English version of the famous lamps, but charming though his prototypes were, they lacked the delicacy of the originals and failed to catch on.
John Ward Knowles continued to live and work here until his death at the age of 93 and his sons continued the business up to 1953. The building remained in the Knowles family until 1999 when it was purchased by Jonathan Cainer
Jonathan Cainer
Jonathan Cainer is a British sun-sign astrologer who writes a daily column on his website, which is reproduced in Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun newspapers in Australia and the Daily Mail newspaper in Britain, in addition to a variety of Internet sites in five or so different languages, including...
to become the world’s first Psychic Museum.