LINSLADE, Bedfordshire – St Barnabas. 

Lady Chapel, Vestry, North aisle; Lectern, font 1912

The date for the work done on the Lady Chapel, vestry and North aisle is unconfirmed, but mentioned in an article of 1913 (see below) from the Luton Reporter.

The lectern was made by Robinson’s of Bloomsbury.

Observation and implication indicate that Fellowes Prynne may have also been involved in the design of the windows, as most of them were executed by Percy Bacon Brothers. His brother Edward almost certainly painted the altar panels.

Unusually, given the probable attribution of the altar panel paintings to Edward Prynne, the stencilled altar itself does not appear to be George Fellowes Prynne’s work, although it was purchased at around the same time as the rest of the work done in the sanctuary.

The Luton Reporter of 15 September 1913 reported on the “Improvements Scheme” at Linslade:

Thanks to Mrs. Simpson’s benefaction the enlargement of St Barnabas’ Church at Linslade by the completion of the north aisle has been satisfactorily carried out, and as a certain sum of money still remains besides the capital sum invested for the repairs and upkeep of the building, the churchwardens have agreed that something can now be done to the east end of the church.  They have assented to the wish of the Vicar that the work should be supervised by Mr. Fellowes Prynne, a noted church architect, skilled in the difficult work of adapting old ecclesiastical buildings to modern requirements, and one whose father designed the lady chapel, vestries and part of the north aisle…

This report implies that this later phase of work was entrusted to George’s architect-son, Harold.

The advertisement for the firm of H. C. Tanner of Hanwell, fashioners of marble, granite and mosaic, mentions this church specifically as one on which they worked with Fellowes Prynne.  I would surmise that this work related at least to the work in the Lady Chapel.  An illustration of this advertisement is shown in the entry for Little Chart church.