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Charles Eamer Kempe was born on June 29th. 1837, at Ovingdean Hall, near Brighton. Brought up by a devout mother at the time of the Tractarian revival in the Church of England, Kempe hoped to become a clergyman but, as an undergraduate at Pembroke College, Oxford he realised his severe speech impediment would prevent him from passing on the Christian message by word of mouth.

His career began while studying the rudiments of architecture in the firm of his friend George Frederick Bodley, the already popular young Tractarian architect. An apt pupil with an innate sense of the light motif he was soon trusted with the decoration of the walls and ceiling of the churches Bodley was building or refurbishing in the "correct" Gothic manner. It was, however, to stained glass that Kempe was particularly drawn as a means of expressing his christian message, and at this time he studied the art and craft with the highly respected studios of Clayton & Bell.

This 15th century stained glass inspired Kempe’s style as the most suitable to harmonise with the atmosphere of old or new churches, and its influence was to appear in all his ecclesiastical stained glass work. The style of design, the use of mainly green, blue and ruby glass, the delicate and detailed painting of figures and their settings, and the masterly use of large areas of silver stain, all combined to produce a new refreshing interpretation in Victorian stained glass, which quickly gained in popularity.

In 1869, dissatisfied with the quality of the work produced for him, Kempe started his own workshop at Millbrook Place, London. The idea for a design would first be drawn by Kempe, and then the full size cartoon would be produced in his studios by his chief draughtsman and a team of artists who added the detailed decoration. The cartoon was then taken to his Millbrook works for glass cutting, painting and leading. The glass was always carefully selected, supplied by either messrs Miller Beal & Hilder Ltd, or James Hetley & Co. at 35 Soho Square, who reserved a room for Kempe’s glass.
In 1888 the studios and offices moved to 37 Nottingham Place in Central London., and by the end of the century he employed over fifty people.
Such success and demand was bound to lead to repetition , and some of Kempe’s later work involved adapting earlier designs. But unlike other large Victorian studios he never allowed the quality or individuality of his work to deteriorate. The senses are always thrilled by the spirituality of his stained glass.

Some of Kempe works

STAINED GLASS AT:

• St Wulfran, Ovingdean, Sussex. 1869
• St Ethelburgh, Bishopgate, London. 1871
• St Mary, Folkestone. 1873---1877
• St Mungo, Simonburn, N’thumberland. 1877
• St Tyrnog, Llandyrnog, Clwyd. 1877
• ST Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh. 1878
• St Bridget, West Kirby, Cheshire. 1878
• Gloucester Cathedral. 1878---1887
• All Saint’s, Stanhoe, Norfolk. 1879
• St Congar, Badgeworth, Somerset. 1879
• St Peter, Heswall, Cheshire. 1881
• St Mary, Monmouth, Gwent. 1882
• St Peter & Paul, Tring, Herts. 1886
• All Saints, York, Yorks. 1887
• St John Baptist, Burford, Oxon. 1887---1907
• St Mary, Eastham, Cheshire 1889---1903
• Holy Trinity, Stirling, Scotland. 1890---1906
• Lichfield Cathedral. 1894---1904
• Eton School, Lower Chapel. 1895---1897
• St Michael, Ledbury, Hereford. 1895---1898
• Southwark Cathedral, London. 1895---1907
• All Saints, Wraxall, Somerset. 1896---1897
• Winchester Cathedral. 1897---1900
• St David, Exeter, Devon. 1900---1902
• Malvern College, Herefordshire. 1902---1906
• St Hilda, Whitby, Yorks. 1902---1906