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The Baxter window was installed
between Monday, 15th and Thursday 18th September 2003. It
was designed by Petri Anderson of Chapel
Studio and commemorates William
Baxter (1877-1973) and his wife Ethel (1883-1963) both of whom
were devoted members of Gordon Chapel.
The window represents
Christ and the Fishermen as well as the countryside around and
wildlife of Fochabers. As the Reverend Canon Wiffin pointed
out the Sunday after the installation of the window this reminds
us that Christ can be found in all places and all ages.
To understand the
symbolism of the window it is best to quote directly from Gordon
Baxter, the elder son of Willilam and Ethel.
"My brother, Ian,
and I wished to commemorate our parents who did so much to
preserve Gordon Chapel as a sacred place. Around 1948, two
entrepreneurs made an offer to purchase the building for
conversion to a cinema for the village of Fochabers. My
mother heard that the local factor might be persuaded to dispose
of the building and she intervened with her usual determination
and vigour. The small Gordon Chapel congregation, then
numbering less than 10, supported her. The help of Canon
Clarence A.E. Wolfe of Aberlour Orphanage, was sought by my
father....and the entrepreneurs when eventually repelled!
I agreed with Petri
Anderson of Chapel Studios that he would design a window in
harmony and, indeed, to complement the splendid Burne-Jones
windows provided in earlier years by the ducal family for Gordon
Chapel. The theme of Christ and the Fishermen seemed
appropriate. We got the necessary approval to proceed.
Osprey, squirrel,
grouse, pheasant and Spey salmon were to become integral subjects
of this special commission. To this end, Petri and I spent a
whole day touring Fochabers and its environs - the Spey at the
Earth Pillars above the Aultdearg Burn, we thought, would provide
the perfect backdrop.
My family and I are,
of course, delighted with the final outcome and this seems to be
pretty widely shared among local folk"
GORDON
BAXTER, September 2003
Indeed it is
and the Baxter Window is a wonderful addition to Gordon Chapel's
world-famous stained glass.
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