Stephanie Bradley was stunned to discover a stained glass window featuring her great-grandad Albert Fell, thought to have been destroyed in a 1990s church fire, has survived and was auctioned in Texas. Albert and his wife Florence, professionally known as Eve, were celebrated stained glass artists who worked at the famous Camm studio in Smethwick. Their artistry graces churches nationwide.
Albert’s son Peter, now 96, was particularly moved to learn a treasured family piece still exists. Albert, a former Royal Army Medical Corps serviceman who survived a gas attack during the war, had modelled for the ‘The Fallen Soldier’ window, designed in 1920 for the Ashbourne Road Church in Derby. The church was lost to fire in the 1990s, and the family believed the window was destroyed.
Stephanie’s husband, John-Paul, had previously found the original sketch of the window, a treasured wedding gift for Stephanie, which is now safely stored alongside a photograph of Albert. However, the recent Facebook discovery showed images of the same window framed and for sale in Texas, revealing it had apparently survived the blaze.
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Despite the Dallas Auction Gallery’s closure, Stephanie is determined to find the window’s current owner and see the piece in person. “Coming across it online was an ‘oh my god’ moment,” she said. “To know it still exists is absolutely amazing.”
Albert’s role at Camm’s extended beyond artistry to installation across the country. The window is one of the few family pieces with a complete history known to them. The family hopes antique enthusiasts and local contacts in Texas might aid in tracing the window.
Those with information or connections are encouraged to contact us at [email protected] to assist the Fell family in reuniting with this significant part of their heritage. Please share this story with anyone linked to Texas or Smethwick’s Camm studio.