Born in Pollokshields, Glasgow Alfred Alexander Webster (1883–1915) was a Scottish stained-glass artist in the early twentieth century. He studied Architecture and Modelling at the Glasgow School of Art before studying under Stephen Adam (1848-1910) in Adam’s Glasgow studio. Sadly, Webster’s career was short-lived as he volunteered to fight for his country in 1915 during WWI where he was injured during a period of shelling at Ypres, France between 13 and 17 August 1915. On the 24th August 1915 he died of his injuries.

He produced over 20 stained glass windows during his short career and below is a selection of stained glass by Alf Webster. His work can be found throughout Scotland including in Govan, Linlithgow, Cathcart, and Kilmun. Websters Theatre in Glasgow’s west end is named after the stained glass artist. The church, now home to the Stand Comedy Club, houses McCowan memorial window (1913-1914) and the Templeton memorial window by Webster. The McCowan window is currently not on display, but the charity (FACT THREE), who are the caretakers of the building, are working towards the conservation and restoration of the window to reinstall it to its original place over the next couple of years.

His son Gordon Webster designed and executed a memorial window to Alf which was displayed in Stamperland Parish Church in the southside of Glasgow.

Find out more in The Notable Ornament Lansdowne Church: An Icon of Victorian Glasgow by Gordon R Urquhart.

Known Address:

40 Keir Street in Pollokshields, Glasgow

Known windows:

• 1910 Westruther Parish Church, Scottish Borders
• 1910 St Michael’s and South Church, Dumfries
• 1910 James Young Memorial Window, New Kilpatrick Church
• 1910 Janet Bulloch Young Memorial Window, New Kilpatrick Church
• 1910 First Fruits, New Kilpatrick Church
• 1910 Master of Waves, New Kilpatrick Church
• 1911 Tree of Life New Kilpatrick Parish Church
• 1911 St. David’s Ramshorn Kirk
• 1911 Lecropt Church, Dunblane
• 1911 Gartmore Parish Church
• 1912 The Woman Called Blessed, New Kilpatrick Church
• 1912 Cathcart South (Now trinity Church on Clarkston Rd)
• 1912 Kilmun Parish Church (now in storage)
• 1912 New St. Andrews Parish Church (formerly Gartsherrie Parish Church), Coatbridge
• 1913 Templeton Memorial Window & McCowan Memorial window, Lansdowne Church
• 1913 Shettleston Old Parish Church
• 1913 St Andrews & St. George, Edinburgh (formerly St. Andrews)
• 1913 Glendevon Parish Church, Perth & Kinross
• 1914 Marion Bell Memorial Window & Rev. James Watt Memorial Window, Cadder Parish Church
• 1914 Prayer & Praise, New Kilpatrick Church
• 1914 St. Anne, Edinburgh
• 1914 Adam & Christ, Dunlop Parish Church, East Ayrshire
• Unknown The Ascension of Christ, Fairlie Parish Church, Ayrshire
• Unknown Twynholm Parish Church, Kirkcudbrightshire

List of windows compiled and added to Wikipedia by the author in collaboration with David Robertson of FACT THREE.