Archbishop of York leads 50-bishop visit to Stanley Spencer’s religious masterpieces

The Archbishop of York – accompanied by about 50 bishops – graced the Stanley Spencer Gallery with a visit earlier this month to celebrate the Cookham artist’s faith-inspired works.

Coming to Cookham for their House of Bishops conference at The Odney Club, the group were encouraged by Archbishop Stephen Cottrell – a big Stanley Spencer fan – to visit the gallery on their night off.

Currently, the gallery is showing its summer exhibition – ‘That Marvellous Atmosphere: Stanley Spencer and Cookham Regatta’ – until November 2.

It delves into Spencer’s ‘last, great painting’: Christ Preaching at Cookham Regatta.

Painted in 1952-59, this huge but unfinished work draws on Spencer’s childhood memories of the Regatta and its Grand Evening Concert.

His painting imagines Christ preaching from the old Horse Ferry Barge. This is exhibited alongside 28 related works.

There are paintings and drawings from this flourishing time in Spencer’s artistic career, as well as major loans from Tate and National Museums Liverpool.

The bishops visited on October 6 while the gallery was closed to the public and were greeted by chair of trustees, Scot McKendrick. They also received a talk from the exhibition curator Dr Amy Lyn.

Gallery custodian Keith Le Page said: “Stephen Cottrell encourages them to come and have a look at the Stanley Spencer paintings to be inspired.

“[Looking at] Christ Preaching at Cookham Regatta, inevitably there was a discussion about his religious ideas.”

The bishops also visited the gallery two years ago but since the exhibition changes every six months, this one offered a different selection of paintings.

For example, the gallery currently has Stanley Spencer’s ‘The Last Supper’ piece.

In it, Christ sits before the wall of the grain bin in a Cookham malt-house, while John rests against him at the moment of the breaking of the bread.

“Spencer imagines this taking place in the malt houses that he could see from his bedroom window,” said Keith.

“There used to be malt houses and a brewery in Cookham 200 years ago, and even when Stanley Spencer was growing up, there were still the malt houses there.

“The malt houses for him were always slightly a mysterious place.

“He regarded them as a bit of a holy place, and when he did manage to get inside to see them, he thought that this would be an ideal setting for his Last Supper.”

This painting in particular generated much discussion among the bishops and the meaning behind it.

The visit also offered an opportunity to educate those less well-versed in Spencer’s life and works – unlike Archbishop Cottrell.

“You don’t really show Stephen Cottrell around because he’s such an expert on all the paintings and drawings. He knows as much about them as I would,” said Keith.

In other news, Christ Preaching at Cookham Regatta is going to be moved for the first time in decades.

At the moment it’s up high – but it’s going to be brought down to eye level, Keith said.

Come November, a conservator will look at the painting and determine if any work needs to be done on it. Then it will become the centrepiece of the winter exhibition.