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The stained glass and dalle de verre (slab glass) at Ratcliffe College, Leicestershire, made in 1960–62, is the largest ensemble of glass by Jonah Jones anywhere. The main cupola and side lights of the chapel are adorned with dalle de verre, while the Lady Chapel has exquisite stained-glass windows. The crowning glory of the whole building, however, is the great north-east window. As an entire composition it is spectacular and full of eye-catching detail.
Originally it was planned to have three such windows in the chapel. Speaking before the project was scaled back, Jonah said: “I think of it as my life’s work[…] There at Ratcliffe, I felt life as a permanent thanksgiving. And that was my theme for these windows.” The north-east window was inspired by the Benedicite passage in the Book of Daniel, where all created things are exhorted to praise the Lord. It radiates a great joy in life and a deep Christian faith – surely one of Jonah’s single greatest pieces of work.
For the small Emery Chapel in another part of the school Jonah also made a set of six stained-glass windows depicting the life of Christ. His work at Ratcliffe also included slate Stations of the Cross, several stone figures, various wood carvings including a great wooden rood cross, two baldacchinos (one destroyed, the other survives), and even a metal organ grille.