Description
In “Saints, Sinners, and Scots”, the 2003 bicentennial history of The Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul, The Rev. J.S.S. Armour expressed a wish that the “Memorial Book” – our illuminated manuscript – be given a story of its own. The book is a record of all the donors to the clerestory window project and so much more. But where to begin?
The first piece of the puzzle was provided by the calligrapher herself. In 2016 Sheila Waters revealed to a small, rapt audience the techniques and challenges she faced in designing and executing the manuscript.
The second piece of the puzzle was a treasure-trove of documents from the Archives of the Church. Begun as a “pandemic pastime,” Dr. Armour rediscovered and shared with me the minutes of The Clerestory Window Committee, the eleven Orders of Service for the unveiling of the ten clerestory windows, and the Memorial Book.
The last piece of the puzzle was Bruce Bolton’s retrieval of the digitized images of the Memorial Book photographed by the late Brian Merrett for the 2003 bicentennial calendar. Although the basic elements were now known to me, much “assembly” was required.
The Clerestory Memorial Windows in The Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul, the official title of the manuscript, is usually referred to as either the Memorial Book or the Book of Remembrance. It is a technical triumph. Equally inspiring are the pages of names that represent the coming together of the congregation to achieve such an ambitious project – the financing and installation of all ten clerestory windows. Each of these names deserves their own story.
I joined the A&P Choir in 1972, the first year of Wayne Riddell’s tenure as Director of Music and the last year of Rev. R.J. Berlis’s Ministry. The choir sings the final “Amen” each Sunday from the Memorial Tower, unaware of the treasure in the locked cabinet embedded in its stone base. I was one of those choristers, but now I am so grateful to have discovered the secrets of our “buried treasure” and want to share them with the reader.
