For the third time in the month I’ve ventured into a church. This time the Church of St Lawrence in East Rounton, to look at the memorial window dedicated to Gertrude Bell, the renown archaeologist, writer, mountaineer and the ‘Queen of the Desert’. For a potted history of her life see here. The window was designed by Douglas Strachan, an artist specialising in stained glass. The window has two lights but to me it is the sandstone jambs and lintel which are the most striking with their Arabic inscriptions, believed to be a poem by Hafiz which was translated by Bell. The stained glass depicts various aspects of Bell’s life: Magdalen College, Oxford, where she studied; the Matterhorn; a view of Khadimain, Baghdad, to represent her contribution in the creation of Iraq; and a camel train symbolising her wide travels throughout Arabia.
Out and About ... 