The 'Wheel of Life' stained glass window

Background Information

The 'Wheel of Life' stained glass window was designed by Stanley Kennedy North for the Maternity Wing and donated to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital by the Colman family in 1938. It was one of three windows he designed for the wing, the others being the 'Tree of Life' and the 'Geoffrey Russell Rees Colman Memorial Window'.

Stanley Kennedy North was a leading art conservator in the 1930s, famed for his pioneering techniques. He spent several years treating the Colman family's collection of Norwich School art (later bequeathed to Norwich Castle Museum) and became a close friend of Russell Colman during this work; this led to his selection as artist for the stained glass windows. Prior to his career as a conservator Kennedy North had been a 'decorative painter'; it is not known whether any further examples of his work survive.

After a colourful history the 'Wheel of Life' has now found a prestigious place of rest beside the reception desk in the West Atrium.

The 'Wheel of Life' was returned to the Hospital in 1995 after it had been miraculously spotted at Keys auction house by one of our retired consultant surgeons. The "Wheel of Life" had no documentation at this time.

The restoration of the 'Wheel of Life' by G. King and Son was generously funded by many donations from individuals and grants from The Sir Timothy Colman Trust, the Norwich Town Close Estate Charity, the United Norwich Hospitals Nurses League, Adriene May and through a Hospital Arts Project raffle.