powell's stained glass recreates the elegance, the refinement, the brevity that is seen in some of the finest examples of glass, sculpture and illumination of the 13th and 14th centuries. he utilised the flowing, curving lines, the flourish of drapery, the calligraphic brushstrokes and pure colour. however, powell's work was not, like many stained glass designers, merely imitative. his designs are original innovations in the gothic style. the quality of hardman's church windows, particularly in the 1850s and 1860s, was superb.