Douglas Strachan

Douglas Strachan Hon. RSA (26 May 1875, Aberdeen, Scotland – 20 November 1950) is considered the most significant Scottish designer of stained glass windows in the 20th century. He is best known for his windows at the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands, at Edinburgh's Scottish National War Memorial and in cathedrals and churches throughout the United Kingdom. He is also known for his paintings, murals, and illustrations.

Early life and education Strachan was born in Aberdeen in 1875. He studied art at Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen from 1893 to 1894 while he worked as an apprentice to the Aberdeen Free Press as a lithographer. He later studied art at the Life School of the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh from 1894 to 1895.

By 1909, Strachan had produced a number of stained glass works. He was hired as the head of the Crafts Section of the Edinburgh College of Art. He supervised the Applied Art department of the College, which included classes in stained glass. Strachan, and his brother Alexander, who was hired as the technical instructor of stained glass, opened a stained-glass studio-workshop in Edinburgh. The added stress of working on his own stained glass commissions while teaching and acting as department head led Strachan to resign his position at the school in 1911. From 1911 until he retired in the 1940s, Strachan worked primarily on stained glass commissions.

By 1929, Strachan had won international acclaim for his work, including his four windows of 1911-13 at the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. He also added to his international reputation as an influential stained glass artist for his war memorial windows for the Scottish National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle. Strachan, a contemporary of Harry Clarke (1889–1931) in Ireland and Christopher Whall in England, is seen as one of the three most important stained glass artists working in Great Britain and Ireland at the end of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century.

Private life

Strachan died in Pittendreich House in Lasswade, Midlothian, and is buried in the central section of the 20th century extension to Dean Cemetery in Edinburgh.

Works

Although Strachan was interested in Futurism, Cubism and Vorticism, his work shows little influence of this. Strachan often composed his windows in areas of pure colour which were then defined by areas of silvery white. His largest commission was to design the windows for the Scottish National War Memorial in Edinburgh Castle in the late 1920s.

Strachan's work can also be seen at: St Aidan's Church, Bamburgh, Northumberland St Andrew's United Reformed Church (incl. War Memorial Window – "Sacrifice"), Hampstead, London All Saints, Jesus Lane, Cambridge All Saints' Church, St Andrews The Peace Palace at The Hague, Netherlands Humbie Parish Church, East Lothian Baptistery windows at St James, Goldenacre, Edinburgh. King's College Chapel, Aberdeen St Machar's Cathedral, Aberdeen New Machar Parish Church, Newmachar, Aberdeenshire St Lawrence's Church, East Rounton, North Yorkshire (memorial window to Gertrude Bell Fraserburgh Old Parish Church (1906) East window (St Andrew) in the Thistle Chapel, St Giles Cathedral (1909–11) St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, Orkney (1912) Nairn Old Parish Church, Nairn "David being anointed by Samuel", Dirleton Kirk (1916) St Margaret's Chapel, Edinburgh Castle (1922) Bedrule Church (1922) "Christ Walking on the Water", St Giles Cathedral (1922) St Giles Cathedral, saint windows (1932–35) Westminster College, Cambridge Bothwell Parish Church, South Lanarkshire, Gilchrist Window, for Marion Gilchrist St Margaret's Church, West Hoathly, Sussex St Thomas' Church, Winchelsea, East Sussex St Michael and All Angels, Waterford, Hertfordshire Paisley Abbey main east window (his largest work) St John's Kirk, Perth, Scotland University of Glasgow Chapel Finnart St Paul's Church Greenock, Scotland PA16 7UR University of Glasgow Bute Hall Kilbrandon and Kilchattan Kirk, Argyll St Mary of the Angels, Brownshill, Gloucestershire. St Andrew's Episcopal Church, Kelso, Scottish Borders St Oswald's Church, Hotham, East Yorkshire (which contains 6 windows by Strachan) All Saints Church, North Cave, East Yorkshire The Katherine Graham Memorial Chapel situated at Dr. Graham's Homes in Kalimpong, West Bengal, India. Contains six windows by the artist. St Mary, Kemsing, Kent Memorial window to John Cruickshank in Victoria and Albert Museum, Dundee (formerly in Marischal College, Aberdeen Struthers Memorial Church (formerly Westbourne Free Church), Glasgow.