One of the main areas on the agenda of the Tours, Trails and Monuments Working Party is the existence of stained glass windows depicting John Bunyan and scenes from The Pilgrim’s Progress.
These can be found in some very prestigious settings, such as Southwark Cathedral (The Bunyan Window, Southwark Cathedral, by C. E. Kempe), where a depiction of Christian at the foot of the cross is shown under portrait of Bunyan and above an angel bearing a copy of the book. Another appears in Westminster Abbey (John Bunyan | Westminster Abbey) where the author lies sleeping among scenes from The Pilgrim’s Progress.
But small churches and chapels also commemorate John Bunyan, often alongside John Wycliffe or William Tyndale, heroes of Christian Dissent against the establishment. This year marks the five hundredth anniversary of Tyndale’s translation of the Bible, for which he was persecuted, imprisoned, like John Bunyan, and eventually executed.
Janet Wootton, chair of Bunyan 400, recalls “I have come across some of these windows, in small chapels, as I have travelled to lead Sunday worship. I have been taking services at Hinckley United Reformed Church for many years, and never noticed their lovely window, with Bunyan and Wycliffe standing side by side, until one Sunday I mentioned Bunyan 400. After the service, members of the congregation brought out a huge step ladder and took down the protective covering to reveal this lovely window.”
Since we have been exploring this topic, several other churches have sent photos of, or information about windows, and of course there are many more to be discovered. Tyndale and Bunyan are commemorated in post-war windows in Tyndale Baptist Church, Bristol, rebuilt in 1955 after the Second World War, with windows by Arnold Robinson.
St Andrews Street Baptist Church, Cambridge has a large memorial window, to the fallen in two world wars, illustrating Freedom (the burden falling from Christian at the foot of the cross, Truth (Mr Valiant for Truth) Faithfulness (Faithful at the Stake) and Self-Sacrifice (The Celestial City). (St Andrew’s Street Baptist Church : Our History).
Bunyan400 is based in Bedford, where the beautiful nineteenth-century church has built up a fine collection of stained glass windows over the years. These now form part of the tour of John Bunyan Museum and Church. You can explore them and learn their history in the Hidden Highlight The Story Behind our Stained Glass Windows by Helen Kennedy.
Not far from Bedford is Bunyan’s birthplace, the village of Elstow. The congregational church there is lit by an enormous window, taking up almost the entire back wall.
If you are interested in learning more, or if you know about Bunyan windows in your own neighbourhood or elsewhere, please get in touch – we’d love to hear from you.
Link with The Stained Glass Museum, Ely
We were delighted to make a link with the Stained Glass Museum, Ely, and its curator, Jasmine Allen. Jasmine has recently contributed a chapter to a book: Global Bunyan and Visual Art, ed. Angelica Duran and Katherine Calloway. (London: Bloomsbury Publishing), November 2025. In the March 2026 newsletter we review this book and invite you to a talk by Jasmine Allen, hosted by the Friends of the John Bunyan Museum and Library, due to take place on May 7th 2026.