Stained Glass

The stained glass windows of St. Anne's not only highlight certain biblical stories, but also tell of the dedication of some of St. Anne's earliest families. Several original windows have survived or elements of those windows have been incorporated into others. The Henry Hall, M.D. window is the oldest one remaining in the church.

1937 Windows
Five memorial windows were installed in the church in 1937 as part of extensive rebuilding and refurbishing. The rector at the time, Reverend V. M. Durnford, requested a set of windows, each of which would depict Jesus as the central figure. Several parishioners answered the call. Hence, the three Kains windows plus the Hayward and Shore windows, were donated and placed in the church. All of them were manufactured by Robert McCausland Limited of Toronto. When you choose the linked family name, a pop-up window will open to view images of the windows and their story: William and Sarah Cotton; William Robert and Sarah Matilda Hart; Charles and Eliza Hayward; Archibald and Mary Kains; Frederick Kains; Isabella Gray Kains and Mary Zebby Kains; and Harry and Marion L. Shore.

Note that the two memorial windows flanking the altar window appear noticeably shorter than those in the nave. The lower portions of these windows, which are plain glass, are hidden by the chancel panelling.

Three windows were in memory of the Kains family - one of the original pioneer families who settled in and around the village of Byron.

In 1976 the one remaining large window was filled with a memorial window to Alan C. Shepherd, a lon-time Layreader at St. Anne's.

Over the church's entrance dootr is a large transom window installed in 1988 as a memrial to Florence and Bill Lang.

Parish Hall
The three windows, mounted and illuminated on the south wall of the Heritage Room, were reconstructed from previous St. Anne's windows. The early stained glass windows, rather plain in design, were removed from the church in 1937 when pictorial windows were installed. The old windows were stored away for four decades. Part of that time, they were kept in a barn belonging to parishioner Marian Trestain.

In 1978, the year of the church's 125th anniversary, the windows were retrieved. Parishioners Jack Sherwood, with help from his son, John, took five or six windows, pieced them together, and came up with three windows to fit the Heritage Room space. They make a tangible reminder of past generations.