M. E. Aldrich Rope
# M. E. Aldrich Rope

M. E. Aldrich Rope (Margaret Edith Rope) (29 July 1891 – 9 March 1988) was an English stained-glass artist in the Arts and Crafts movement tradition active between 1910 and 1964. She was a cousin of Margaret Agnes Rope of Shrewsbury, another English stained glass artist in the same tradition active from 1910 until the Second World War. By comparison, she was the more prolific as an artist, with an approach that evolved in her later years from a recognisable Arts and Crafts school style into something simpler and more modern.

## Life

Margaret Agnes Rope and Margaret Edith Rope were cousins, sharing a grandfather, George Rope of Grove Farm, Blaxhall, Suffolk (1814–1912) and grandmother, Anne (née Pope) (1821–1882). The younger Margaret was the fifth child of Arthur Mingay Rope (himself George and Anne's fifth child: 1850–1945) and Agnes Maud (née Aldrich: 1855–1943), born on 29 July 1891. She had a number of artistic relatives in Leiston and Blaxhall, Suffolk. Apart from her cousin Margaret Agnes Rope, she had an uncle, George Thomas Rope, R. A., a landscape painter and naturalist, an aunt Ellen Mary Rope, sculptor, and a sister Dorothy, another sculptor. Another cousin was Henry Edward George Rope, later to become a prominent Roman Catholic priest, writer and archivist. Her nickname in the family was "Tor", for tortoise, and she used a tortoise to sign some of her windows, particularly in her later years.

Rope was educated at Wimbledon High School, Chelsea School of Art, and the LCC Central School of Arts and Crafts, where she specialised in stained glass under Karl Parsons and Alfred Drury. From about 1911 she worked at The Glass House (Fulham) with her cousin, Margaret Agnes Rope, for example on the set of windows for SS Peter and Paul, Newport, Shropshire. To distinguish herself from her namesake cousin, she used the professional name of M. E. Aldrich Rope (incorporating her mother's maiden name) or M. E. A. Rope. One of her friends was J. Harold Gibbons (church architect) and this connection led to her first major commission for St Chad's Church, Far Headingley, Leeds, which is among her greatest works.

Rope joined the Women’s Land Army in World War I.

For much of her active artistic life she lived in various houses in Deodar Road, Putney, which was something of an artists' colony in that period. Around 1926 she moved to No. 61, also occupied by stained glass artists Caroline Townshend and Joan Howson. She was a close friend of stained glass artist Wilhelmina Geddes.

Later, during World War II, she moved to No. 81, until it was bombed. She also cared for evacuee children at three hospitals in North Wales during World War II with Townshend & Howson, before moving to Storrington in Sussex.

In the post-war period she was at No. 89, where she had a studio, workshop and kiln (also used by Rachel de Montmorency). She shared the house with Clare Dawson, a friend and pupil. Late in life, she became a Roman Catholic. In mid-1978, at the age of 87, she left Putney and returned to live in Suffolk on the family farm. She died on 9 March 1988, aged 96, having suffered a protracted period of Alzheimer's disease.

## Works

Spanning a period of over 50 years, her artistic production was largely destined for Anglican churches (especially Anglo-Catholic), with a few Roman Catholic ones as well. Listed first are windows in the United Kingdom, followed by those in other countries, in alphabetical order of county or country. Inaccessible windows have been omitted. Asterisks indicate windows of particular importance.

| Location | Details | Notes |
| - | - | - |
| Buckinghamshire: Edlesborough St Mary | Nativity 2 lights 1933 | |
| Buckinghamshire: Lane End, Holy Trinity | Annunciation and Nativity 1 light | |
| Cambridgeshire: Ely, Cathedral Stained Glass Museum | Visitation, Franciscan Boy and A Vision of Heaven (2 panels) | |
| Cambridgeshire: Ickleton, St Mary Magdalene | Crucifixion with SS.Mary Magdalene and Etheldreda (3 lights, e; 1929) | ** |
| Cambridgeshire: Molesworth,S.Peter | Christ in Majesty with Nativity, Crucifixion &c (3 lights, e; 1929) | ** |
| Clwyd: Wrexham, Holy Trinity | 2-light window 1950 | |
| Cornwell:Polperro, St John the Baptist | "No man cometh ..." (1956) | |
| Cornwell: Polperro, St John the Baptist | Jesus and disciples (1959–60) | ** |
| Derbyshire: Chesterfield, St Mary and All Saints | Good Samaritan with Virgin and Child 1953 (3 lights) | |
| Dorset:Bournemouth, Moordown, St John the Baptist | 2 lancets: Florence Nightingale, Edward Jenner | |
| Dorset: Hinton Martel, St John | Eight panel painted screen | |
| Durham: Roker, St Andrew | Mural, walls and ceiling with Macdonald Gill) | |
| Hampshire: Hartley Wintney, St John the Evangelist | Carol themes(4 lights,1939) | |
| Herefordshire: Hereford, All Saints | Expulsion from Eden, Annunciation, Nativity, Crucifixion (4 lights 1933) | ** |
| Herefordshire: Hereford, All Saints | Virgin and child with St Martin of Tours, St George (5 lights 1933) | ** |
| Herefordshire: Hereford, All Saints | St Anthony the Hermit (3 lights 1947) | ** |
| Herefordshire: Hereford, All Saints | Nativity with children (3 lights 1944) | ** |
| Herefordshire:Hereford, All Saints | 2 lancets: SS Joseph and David | ** |
| Hertfordshire: Bishop's Stortford, St Michael | 2 lancets in porch: SS Botolph and John of Beverley (1950) | |
| Kent: Whitstable, All Saints | SS Christopher & Anne (1927) | * |
| Lancashire: Royton, St Paul | Annunciation with Joseph and John the Baptist (3 lights 1929) | * |
| London: Bromley, SS Peter & Paul | 4 lancets: the archangels | * |
| London: Bromley,SS Peter & Paul | East window (3 lights 1953) | * |
| London: Bromley, SS Peter & Paul | Te Deum (2 lights and rose 1959) | * |
| London: Chelsea, Bourne St, St Mary | Eight titles of Mary (rose window) | * |
| London: Chiswick, SS Peter & Paul | SS Peter & Paul, Life of St Peter, Life of St Paul(1955) | * |
| London: Dollis Hill, St Francis of Assissi, Gladstone Park | Ecce Agnus Dei | * |
| London: Dollis Hill, St Francis of Assissi, Gladstone Park | SS Dominic and Francis | * |
| London: Dollis Hill, St Francis of Assissi, Gladstone Park | St Clare | * |
| London: Fulham, All Saints Putney Bridge Road | Virgin and child, scenes from Jesus's early life (1938) | * |
| London: Grange, St Peter | 8 clerestory windows (1957–60) | * |
| London: Grange, St Peter | 4 chancel windows:life of Christ (1960–63) | ** |
| London: Grange, St Peter | Lady chapel "Mary hath chosen that good part" (1957–60) | |
| London: Grange, St Peter | 10 small Saints windows (1966–73) | * |
| London: Haggerston, St Saviour's Priory, entrance | SS Paul and Margaret originally in St Augustine, Haggerston, also depicting everyday scenes of east end life (1934) | *** |
| London: Haggerston, St Saviour's Priory, chapel | 3 windows: early life of Christ | * |
| London: Highgate, S.Augustine, | Nativity | ** |
| London: Highgate, S.Augustine, | Christchild with birds | * |
| London:Highgate,S.Augustine, | Christ the King | |
| London: Munster Square, St Mary Magdalene crypt | 6 Saints windows from St Augustine, Haggerston | *** |
| London: Munster Square, St Mary Magdalene crypt | Coronation of BVM, Mary and child | * |
| London: Northolt Park, St Barnabas | East window (1954) | * |
| London: Northolt Park, St Barnabas | West window (1957) | * |
| London: Victoria and Albert Museum | Small panels: Nativity | * |
| London: Victoria and Albert Museum | Roundel: St Anthony preaching to fishes | * |
| London: Putney, Christ the King Polish church | Nativity: 3 lights (1951) | * |
| London: Wapping Lane, St Peter, London Docks | Rose window with bells of London | ** |
| London: Wapping Lane, St Peter London Docks | 2 lancewts: SS.Peter & Paul (1949) | |
| London:Wapping Lane, St Peter London Docks | Good Shepherd, 3 lights (1954) | ** |
| London: Wapping Lane, St Peter London Docks | 4 circular lights: 1st 4 vicars | * |
| London: Wapping Lane, St Peter London Docks | 7 Sacrament windows ex Haggerston | *** |
| Manchester: Ardwick, St Benedict (now deconsecrated) | Window in Lady Chapel, 3 lights | |
| Manchester: Ardwick, St Benedict (now deconsecrated) | Lancet:St Francis (1935) | * |
| Norfolk: Clippesby, St Peter | Suffer little children (1919) | See Gallery |
| Norfolk: Quidenham, Carmelite Monastery | 16 clerestory windows designed by cousin | * |
| Norfolk: Quidenham, Carmelite Monastery | 7 roundels designed by cousin | * |
| Oxfordshire: Oxford, SS Mary and John, Cowley Road | 3 lights "Bread from heaven" | * |
| Oxfordshire: Oxford, SS Mary and John, Cowley Road | Lancet: Virgin and child | * |
| Shropshire: Wistanstow, Holy Trinity | 2 lancets: SS Wistan and Anne | * |
| Somerset:Bicknoller, St George | Life of St Paul(1952) | * |
| Stirlingshire: Falkirk | 3 lights, Virgin and child (1929) | |
| Stirlingshire: Falkirk | 4 minor windows largely decorative (c. 1935) | |
| Suffolk: Barnby, St John the Baptist | East window (1963) | *** |
| Suffolk: Barnby, St John the Baptist | 4 painted roundels | * |
| Suffolk: Blaxhall, St Peter | Porch window (with cousin) | ** See Gallery |
| Suffolk: Chediston, St Mary | SS George and Felix (1947) | |
| Suffolk: Earl Soham, St Mary | 2 lights, SS Edmund and Felix | * |
| Suffolk: Kesgrave, Holy Family and St Michael | 3 English Catholic martyrs | * See Gallery |
| Suffolk: Kesgrave, Holy Family and St Michael | Virgin & child, Walsingham (with Clare Dawson) | * |
| Suffolk: Leiston, St Margaret | 3 lights, St Luke | ** |
| Suffolk: Leiston, St Margaret | 3 lights, St Matthew | ** See Gallery |
| Suffolk: Little Glemham, St Andrew | Nativity with Gospel episodes) | ** |
| Sussex: Bolney, St Mary Magdalene | Holy Sacraments, 1 light (1947) | |
| Sussex: Chichester, former Bishop Otter College | 2 lancets, St Francis | * |
| Warwickshire: Coventry, St John | Expulsion from Eden, Annunciation | *** See Gallery |
| Warwickshire: Leamington Spa, St Mary | S.Mary and the risen Christ | ** |
| Wiltshire: Lydiard Millicent, All Saints | "All ye works of the Lord" (1963) | ** |
| Yorkshire: Leeds, St Chad, Far Headingly | Creation (1922) | *** See Gallery |
| Australia: Geraldton, WA, St Francis Xavier Cathedral | two windows | |
| Australia: Mullewa, WA, Our Lady of Carmel and SS Peter and Paul | Gloria in excelsis | |
| Australia: Mullewa, WA, Our Lady of Carmel and SS Peter & Paul | Pater Mi, Pater Mi (1923) | |
| Malta: Sliema, Holy Trinity | St George (1947) | |
| S.Africa, Ofcolaco | 2 lights (1951) | |
| Sri Lanka: Passara, St Barnabas | 2 lights (1953) | |
| Trinidad: Port of Spain, St James the Just, Sangre Grande | originally 5 windows, some now lost | |

## Gallery

* Creation window, S.Chad,Far Headingley,Leeds, 1923
* Detail from the Creation window, S.Chad,Far Headingley,Leeds, 1923: Left hand light
* Detail from the Creation window, S.Chad,Far Headingley,Leeds, 1923
* Detail from the Creation window, S.Chad,Far Headingley,Leeds, 1923: Right hand light
* Detail from the Creation window, S.Chad,Far Headingley,Leeds, 1923
* Detail from the Creation window, S.Chad,Far Headingley,Leeds, 1923: Adam & Eve
* Detail from the Creation window, S.Chad,Far Headingley,Leeds, 1923:Deer in Paradise
* Window by M. E. Aldrich Rope (left) and Margaret Agnes Rope (right) in the period when they shared a studio at the Glass House
* S.Matthew window in S.Margaret, Leiston, Suffolk, memorial to her parents
* Detail from S.Matthew window in S.Margaret, Leiston, Suffolk, showing the Minsmere marshes and ruined chapel
* Detail from S.Matthew window in S.Margaret, Leiston, Suffolk, showing her childhood home, Lower Abbey Farm, Leiston, Suffolk
* S.Peter,Clippesby: Detail of "Suffer little children to come unto me" (first commission, 1919)
* 3 local English Catholic martyrs, a theme more typical of Margaret Agnes Rope, at Kesgrave Catholic church, near Ipswich, Suffolk
* East window, S.John, Coventry, Warwickshire, a late large commission: lower half - "As in Adam all die"
* East window, S.John, Coventry, Warwickshire, a late large commission: upper half - Annunciation
* Student piece: Dick Whittington
