Our Stained Glass Windows

Our stained glass windows were erected in August 1985 and were financed by a gift donated in memory of Mrs Grace Bradley, a life-long member of the United Reformed Church on Loddon Bridge Road, Woodley. They are therefore a very real symbol of the coming together of our two congregations here at Christ Church [in 1982].

The designs have grown out of our experience as part of the worshipping community in this area over the years, and depict scenes and symbols which make them special to this church.

As you face the sanctuary area, the window on your left shows a pastoral scene, much as the village of Woodley may have looked a century ago [mid-19th Century]. The symbolic tree which is the logo of Woodley Town Council is in evidence and there is a stretch of water reminding us of the North and South Lakes, which were a feature of the area before the North Lake [the other side of Crockhamwell road from the church] was drained to make land suitable for [housing] development. In such a place there would have been much wild life and many birds. We can see two of them: the kingfisher which hovers over the water and reminds us of the place of the lakes in Woodley's history, and the pheasant, a game bird. Legend has it that Woodley was rife with poachers in the early days, but there was a marked decrease in poaching when the gospel came to Woodley, many were converted, and the United Reformed Church, [formerly the Congregational Chapel] the earliest in the village, was established about one hundred and fifty years ago [in 1834].

Woodley was quite famous for the beauty of its rhododendron bushes and the Loddon Lily which can be seen in the bottom left of the window.

In the right hand window, [then] near the pulpit, the scene has changed to a modern urban community. A pylon towers above the town and among the roofs can be seen the distinctive turret of the United Reformed Church [formerly the Congregational Chapel] and the cross above Christ Church. Both remind us that the Church of Jesus Christ is very much the centre of this busy urban community, and must at all times be a loving, caring presence and witness to Jesus in the town. The plane overhead draws our attention to the part that air travel has played in the development of Woodley [at the former Woodley Airfield and the Miles aircraft factory].