This window was paid for by money raised by 670 parishioners in memory of surgeon George Wood of this parish. Christ’s healing ministry is portrayed. Sir John Ninian Comper is well known for his stained glass. It was one of Comper's idiosyncrasies that he always showed Christ as clean-shaven. PLAN
82. EFFIGY OF A KNIGHT
This is one of only 94 similar wooden effigies in Great Britain. The knight wears mail coat and coif dating him to around 1280. The carving is very similar to stone effigies of the same period. It is often stated that the legs being crossed at the ankles means that the knight was a crusader; however there is no evidence to support this. It is thought the knight may have been a member of the de Warenne family which had strong links with the church at this time.
83. NORTH CHOIR AISLE IV
We are now arriving at the end of the North choir aisle. There is one further item of interest before we enter the retrochoir.
84. HUMBLE MONUMENT
The monument shows Alderman Richard Humble and his two wives Elizabeth and Isabel. Humble was a member of the Church Vestry of St Saviour's and got into trouble for grazing his sheep in the churchyard! The monument is a typical example of the ‘Southwark School’ of monuments made by a group of Flemish refugee sculptors who lived and worked on Bankside.
86. RETROCHOIR NORTH WINDOWS
There are two small windows on the North wall of the retrochoir. The window at left shows Mary holding the baby Jesus. The right window shows the risen Christ, with the text ‘We have an Advocate with the Father’.
87. NORTH WALL PLAQUES
These two matching plaques declare that: ‘Underneath are the Everlasting Arms’, and ‘God is Love, God is Light, God with us’.
88. RETROCHOIR LARGE NORTH WINDOW
This interesting window is in honour of King Charles I, a benefactor of the poor of this parish; St Thomas a Beckett, Archbishop; and William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury and friend of Bishop Andrewes. .
89. RETROCHOIR
The 13th century retrochoir is the oldest surviving Gothic building in London. This area was used as the Bishop’s Court, and during the reign of Queen Mary I heresy trials were held here. There are four chapels across the West wall, each consisting of an altar with a three-lancet window behind.
90. ST ANDREW’S CHAPEL
St Andrew’s Chapel is one of four chapels in the Retro-choir, decorated and furnished by the Edwardian architect Sir Ninian Comper. This chapel now commemorates those people who suffer from or are affected by HIV conditions and AIDS. A communion service is held for them every Saturday and a memorial book of names is nearby. It was in this chapel that Bishop Stephen Gardiner sentenced seven men to death for heresy during the reign of Queen Mary.
91. ST CHRISTOPHER CHAPEL
The second chapel is St Christopher’s Chapel designed as a children's chapel. The painted panel behind the altar includes butterflies, symbols of resurrection and human souls. The chapel floor contains memorial tablets to former Provosts and Vice Provosts of the Cathedral.
92. LADY CHAPEL
The third chapel is the Lady Chapel. Once the whole Retro-choir was known as the ‘Ladye Chapel’. This chapel originally extended much further east and was known as the Bishop's Chapel as it contained the monument to Lancelot Andrewes. It was demolished when the approach road to the new London Bridge was constructed in the 1830s.
93. SS FRANCIS AND ELIZABETH CHAPEL
The last chapel (St Francis and St Elizabeth of Hungary) commemorates those employed in social work.
94. SCREEN
The chapels are separated by metal screens, each with an ornate gilded top decoration.
95. RETROCHOIR WINDOWS
On the South side of the fourth chapel is an impressive abstract stained glass window by Alan Younger (left). At right is the Diamond Jublilee Window – a window designed by Leifur Breidfjörd for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2012. It completes the range of stained glass found in this area of the Cathedral.
96. HILL MEMORIAL AND CHAIR
The tablet is in memory of Robert Hill, his wife Elizabeth, daughters Sophia and Maria, and granddaughter Elizabeth. The chair is in memory of Bishop Arthur Llewellyn Preston – described as a man greatly beloved.
97. RIDER MEMORIAL WINDOW
This window in the South wall commemorates the builder of the 1985 nave. It show's scenes from the Cathedral’s history. Clockwise from top left: the nun's ferry; the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child; Bishop Yeatman-Biggs surveying the building of the new nave in 1895; portraits of donors throughout the ages; Bishops Giffard and Talbot; Bishop Peter des Roches surveying the smoking ruins of the priory in 1212. Various artisans can be seen in the background.
98. GWILT MEMORIAL
This tablet is in memory of Charles Perkins Gwilt. Charles Gwilt (1809 – 1835) is described as an antiquarian writer. He was the eldest son of Joseph and Louisa Gwilt.
99. WEST WALL OF RETROCHOIR
As we prepare to leave the retrochoir we look behind to see an unusually shaped memorial and a horseman with a list of names beneath.
100. IN MEMORY OF ...
At left is a memorial to another member of the Gwilt family – George Gwilt (1775 – 1856), buried in the St Saviour’s Ladye Chapel. We recall that the retrochoir used to be named the Ladye Chapel. At right is an Honours Roll of men from the parish who died in WWI. We see that the emblem above is in fact St George and the dragon. It was designed by Sir Ninian Comper. .