By Arya D’Cruz
Trena Cox is a stained-glass artist who moved to Chester in 1924 and spent the rest of her life in the city, establishing her career. Cox’s work can be found throughout Cheshire, the north-west of England and northern Wales. Emerita artist in residence at the Chester Cathedral, Aleta Doran, is focused on bringing Trena Cox’s career to the forefront. In efforts to bring this artist who has been forgotten in time, Grosvenor Museum in Chester is exhibiting ‘Illuminated: Trena Cox in Chester’, curated by Aleta Doran.
Gallery 2 in Chester’s Grosvenor Museum has been transformed into an homage to Trena Cox. Artworks by different artists, with inspiration taken from Cox’s work, line the walls of the room with snippets into Cox’s life and work sprinkled throughout. Aleta Doran, along with other female contemporary artists, has captured the essence of Trena Cox’s life’s work to create a perfect collage of tribute.
Lindsey Kennedy, a mosaic artist based in Shrewsbury, has contributed two mosaic roundels titled ‘Westward’ and ‘Southward’. Lindsey, who is a jewellery maker turned mosaic artist, uses stained glass as her main material in her works. “Reading some of Aleta’s research showed that many of the churches that commissioned Trena Cox were located around the Wirral, Cheshire and Wales. As Shropshire nestles within that geographical area and is my home county and inspiration, I wanted to use the stunning vistas found across the county. It’s a link to the landscapes included in the backgrounds of Trena Cox’s stained-glass windows,” said Lindsey Kennedy about the inspiration behind her pieces.
Julie Colclough, another contributor to the exhibition, reimagines Chester’s Watergate Street in her piece inspired by Cox’s colour scheme for the street in 1948. “Her [Aleta Doran] research made me curious to discover more about Trena Cox, particularly as she lived and worked on Watergate Street, where I have a studio and gallery. As a local professional artist and with a long family connection to Watergate Street, I was intrigued to find out more. I created a sketch illustrating some of the colour scheme that Trena had devised for the buildings, including our gallery. It is surprising how many wonderful artists and illustrators of the past have connections to Watergate Street, such as Louise Rayner, Randolph Caldecott and Alfred Rimmer. Many visitors will not know these artists, but I am happy to help keep their names alive in Chester,” said Colclough.
Aleta Doran’s research and the museum’s exhibition have not only brought forward Cox’s artwork, but they have also helped shine a light on many wonderful female artists of today. The exhibition is a testimony to the importance of preserving the heritage of female artists – to help inspire women in the artistic field in the present and future. This Grosvenor Museum exhibition is one that every local should visit to see the wonderful history of Trena Cox, her contribution to the art field and how she brought female artists of today into this one room to celebrate her.
‘Illuminated: Trena Cox in Chester’ will be on display until the 18th of May 2025 and is free to visit.
