Category Geelong

Jul 27 2014

1873: Christ Church Anglican, Geelong, Victoria.

The John Rendall Morris (1820-1872) Memorial Window.

In October 1872 the committee of Christ Church in Moorabool Street, Geelong, requested the Ferguson & Urie stained glass company of North Melbourne to provide some designs for a memorial window to be erected in the liturgical north transept.

“Members of almost every denomination have contributed to the memorial window which it is proposed to place in Christ Church to the memory of the late Mr. J. R. Morris, the total amount received to date being about £112. About £40 more will be required, but, as several friends of the deceased have not sent in their subscription, and as others have intimated their willingness to increase their subscriptions, if found necessary to do so, the committee have requested Messrs Urie and Ferguson to furnish two designs, which are expected to arrive shortly.”[1]

The window was to be a memorial the memory of their much respected Church Warden and Trustee, John Rendall Morris who died aged 53 on the 15th September 1872.

An extraordinary list of prominent citizens of Geelong, including the Mayor, Sir Charles Sladen, was formed as the committee for the erection of the window[2].

By the end of November 1872 a total of £145 had been subscribed for the window of its reported total cost of £160[3] and by early December a design by the Ferguson & Urie stained glass company was on public display at the establishment of Henry Franks, stationer and book seller, of Malop Street in Geelong:

“The coloured design for the stained glass window to be placed in the north transept of Christ Church as a memorial of the late Mr J. R. Morris is now being exhibited at Mr Franks’s. In the centre of the design there is a representation of the Transfiguration of our Saviour, Moses and Elias being on either side, and Peter, James, and John underneath as witnesses. In the tracery there are figures of Abraham, Joshua, and David – representative characters of the patriarchs, judges, and kings of Israel. Next are busts of the twelve minor prophets, and on the outer side lights there are figures of the four greater prophets – Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel.”[4]

On the 23rd of December 1872 a meeting of the subscribers was held at the Market-Square offices of Geelong accountant, George Bowes Fraser (1810-1881)[5] , for the purpose of approving Ferguson & Urie’s proposed design[6].

The extremely ambitious and complex design contains the figures of twenty six prophets and saints and has the memorial text at the base;

“TO THE GLORY OF GOD – AND IN MEMORY OF – JOHN RENDALL MORRIS – CHURCHWARDEN & TRUSTEE – WHO DIED SEPTR 15 1872”

Exactly when the window was erected or dedicated in early 1873 has not yet been determined but 140 years later, in November 2013, mindless vandals managed to smash the lower centre area of this window and many others with bricks.

The Caulfield stained glass studio of Geoffrey Wallace is undertaking the repair and conservation work.

Photos taken between 2010 and 2013.

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The twenty six saints and prophets depicted in the window with Christ are:

Top Row:

ABRAM, ISAAC, JACOB, JOSHUA, SAMUEL, DAVID

2nd Row:

JOEL, AMOS, OBADIAH, JONAH, MICAH, NAHUM, ZEPHANIAH, HABAKKUK, HAGGAI, ZECHARIAH

3rd Row:

ISAIAH, MOSES, (CHRIST) IMMANUEL, ELIJAH, EZEKIEL,

4th (bottom) Row:

JEREMIAH, ST JAMES, ST PETER, ST JOHN, DANIEL


John Rendall Morris (1820-1872).

John Rendall Morris was born 23rd January 1820, Islington, Middlesex, England, the son of John Morris and Jane Frances Watkins[7].

As a young man in his early 20’s he immigrated to Australia where, on the 6th of April 1843, he married Annie Wesley Morris nee Howe (c.1824-1866), daughter of a founder of the Sydney Gazette, Robert Howe, at St Lawrence Church, in Sydney[8].

Circa 1852 they moved to Geelong where he was appointed manager of the Bank of Australasia[9]. He was very active in community and church circles and in 1860[10], 1862[11] and 1869[12] he held appointments as Territorial Magistrate for Geelong. In 1861 he was a member of the Committee of Management for the Geelong Infirmary and Benevolent Asylum[13] but known to be involved in some capacity with that institution as early as 1858. He was also a well-respected member of the Anglican Church community and held the position of Trustee and Warden of Christ Church Geelong where his memorial window is located.

On the 5th June 1866 his wife Annie died at the age of 42[14] and two years later he married Priscilla Emily Ryland at Christ Church Geelong, on the 12th November 1868[15].

John Rendall Morris died on the 15th September 1872 aged 53[16]. He was buried at the Geelong Eastern cemetery on the 17th with his first wife Annie, who died in 1866 and second wife Priscilla, who died in 1891[17]. He is not known to have had any children by either marriage.


Significant transcriptions:

Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Tuesday 24th September 1872, page 2.

“It is proposed to place a large stained glass window in the north transept of Christ Church, in memory of the late Mr J. R. Morris, who was a constant attendant at the church, and an indefatigable office-bearer. That the window will be a valuable one may be judged from the fact that the following influential committee has been formed to carry out the object in view, and will receive subscriptions in its aid, viz:- The Hon. C. Sladen, the mayor of Geelong, and Messrs D. C. Macarthur, J. Bell, M. Elliott, E. Morrah, F. G. Smith, J. Galletly, J. Simpson, A. Buchanan, S. V. Buckland, S. A. Bryant, F. Shaw, M.D., J. B. Wilson, M.A., G. F. Belcher, T. C. Harwood, A. Douglass, C. Ibbotson, T. Roadnight, H. Franks, and G. A. Stephen. Mr A. S. Park, of the Colonial Bank, has been appointed treasurer, and Mr. G. Fraser, hon. secretary of the committee.”

Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Friday 18th October 1872, page 2.

“Members of almost every denomination have contributed to the memorial window which it is proposed to place in Christ Church to the memory of the late Mr. J. R. Morris, the total amount received to date being about £112. About £40 more will be required, but, as several friends of the deceased have not sent in their subscription, and as others have intimated their willingness to increase their subscriptions, if found necessary to do so, the committee have requested Messrs Urie and Ferguson to furnish two designs, which are expected to arrive shortly.”

Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Thursday 19th December 1872, page 3.

“A MEETING of Subscribers to the Memorial Window to be placed in Christ Church, in memory of the late Mr. J. R. Morris, will be held at the office of Mr. G. B. Fraser, Market-Square, on Monday, 23rd instant, at 4 o’clock, to approve of the design. A. STEELE PARK, Hon. Treasurer.”

Other historic Ferguson & Urie windows in Christ Church:

1869: The Chancel window.

1872: The Anglican Diocese 25th Anniversary window.

Footnotes:

[1] Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Friday 18th October 1872, page 2.

[2] Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Tuesday 24th September 1872, page 2.

[3] Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Saturday 30th November 1872, page 2.

[4] Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Monday 9th December 1872, page 2.

[5] Vic BDM: 4555/1881, age 71. Geelong Eastern Cemetery EAS-COE-OLD-A-807-355.

[6] Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Thursday 19th December 1872, page 3.

[7] Vic BDM: 6921/1872.

[8] The Sydney Morning Herald, NSW, Friday 7th April 1843, page 3.

[9] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Monday 16th September 1872, page 5.

[10] Victorian Govt Gazette 58, Friday 11th May 1860, page 881.

[11] Victorian Govt Gazette 140, Tuesday 9th December 1862, page 2507.

[12] Victorian Govt Gazette 1, Tuesday 5th January 1869, page 4

[13] Ninth Annual Report of the Committee of Management, Geelong, 1861.

[14] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Wednesday 6th June 1866, page 4.

[15] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Monday 7th December 1868, page 4.

[16] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Tuesday 17th September 1872, page 4.

[17] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Friday 16th October 1891, page 1.

 

Jul 9 2014

1872: Christ Church Anglican, Geelong, Victoria.

The 25th Anniversary Window.

The second historical Ferguson & Urie stained glass window to be erected in Christ Church at Geelong was a three light Gothic decorated design by the company’s senior stained glass artist and partner John Lamb Lyon. It was erected in the liturgical north side of the nave in Christ Church circa August 1872 which was a year before Lyon departed the firm for his own ventures in Sydney.

The instigator for the erection of this window was the Parish Incumbent, Canon George Goodman, who served as Vicar of Christ Church and other ecclesiastic appointments for 51 years from 1855 to 1906. His wife Margaret is credited with the momentum and collection of subscriptions for the window, which cost £50 with a further £5 required for its wire protection.

The three light window was erected to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Melbourne diocese and Prelacy of Bishop Charles Perry [1]. It depicts the biblical images of the alter egos of the four evangelists, with the Agnus Dei or Paschal Lamb in the centre light carrying the victory banner.

All of the text on the window is in Latin and the text at the base loosely translates as:

“Feast of St Peter’s Day (29th of June) 1872. Episcopate of Melbourne’s 25th year”.

Photos were taken between 2010 and 2013.

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Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Friday 16th August 1872, page 2.

“A few weeks ago it was mentioned that Mrs. G. Goodman was actively bestirring herself collecting subscriptions for an ornamental window, which it was proposed should take the place of a window on the north side of Christ Church, through which the summer sun occasionally shone too powerfully. In addition to this she is desirous that a memorial window should be placed in the church to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Right Rev. Dr. Perry’s prelacy. The sum required was £55, not much in itself, but large when the many calls that are being made upon the congregation are taken into consideration, and unassisted, Mrs Goodman accomplished her task. A window was ordered of Messrs Ferguson, Urie, and Lyon, of Melbourne. The artistic talents of Mr Lyon, who has lately returned from following medieval studies in the various cathedrals of Europe, were called into requisition, and the result was that during the past week a window has been placed in Christ Church that cannot fail to be admired. Many may consider there is a preponderance of green about it, but this colour was deemed the best for the powerful sun to shine through. The window, which is of the early decorated order, consists of three light, with two quatrefoils and a small oblong in the arch. The groundwork is a combination of faint yellow, with passion flowers outlined in black, so as to give a greenish hue, which as before hinted, subdues the glare of the northern sun. In a centre light, in a ruby ground, is the lamb and flag emblem of the Agnus Dei, within a vesica piscis. Four circular medallions with green borders are placed in the centre and side lights, so as to combine with the vesica in a cruciform arrangement, containing emblems of the four evangelists, viz.- the human face for St. Matthew, the lion for St. Mark, the ox for St. Luke, and the eagle for St. John. The wings of these emblematic creatures are of a cold blue, edged with green, to act as a foil to the bright ruby and violet distributed over the window. The inscription intimates that the window is erected in honour of the completion of the 25th year of the diocese of Melbourne, bearing date St. Peter’s Day (June 29th), 1872. The words of the inscription, like those of the evangelists’ names and of the Agnus Dei, are in Latin – “Festo S. Petri, MDCCCLXXII, Episcopatur Melbornsi, XXV annos condito.” The net cost of the window was £50, but £5 more was required for protecting it with wire.”

The instigators for the erection of the window:

Margaret Elizabeth Goodman (nee Mortlock 1821-1901) was former governess for the Marquis of Normanby and married Anglican clergyman George Goodman (1821-1908) in St. Bride’s, Fleet Street, London on the 1st July 1853. Just over three weeks later they departed Bristol for Australia aboard the ‘Corfield’ on the 23rd July 1853 and arrived in December of 1853[2].

Margaret died 26th September 1901 aged 80 and Canon George Goodman died 25th June 1908 at the age of 87. Both were interred in the Geelong Eastern Cemetery along with four of their children [3] – [4].

Of Christ Church itself, it is the only Church in Victoria designed by architect Edmund Blacket. It was opened and dedicated on the 27 June 1847 and consecrated on 25 October 1859.

Other references:

NLA Obituary: Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Friday 26th June 1908, page 3.

Australian Dictionary of Biography: Canon George Goodman (1821-1908).

Other Ferguson & Urie windows in Christ Church:

Other Ferguson & Urie stained glass windows in Christ Church include the Chancel window (c. Nov 1869) and the ‘John Rendall Morris’ memorial window in the liturgical north transept (c.1873).

Footnotes:

[1] Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Friday 16th August 1872, page 2.

[2] http://www.archerfamily.org.uk/family/goodman.htm (accessed 6 Jul 2014). Note: This reference can not be substantiated from any shipping registers.

[3] Geelong Cemetery Register: 5967, EAS-COE-OLD-A-807-051

[4] Geelong Cemetery Register: 4709, EAS-COE-OLD-A-807-072

 

© Copyright

Nov 11 2013

1874: Sacred Heart College, Newtown, Geelong, Victoria.

Sacred Heart College at Newtown, Geelong, contains a number of historic stained glass windows created by the Ferguson & Urie Stained Glass Company circa 1874.

Originally established as a Convent and boarding school by the Sisters of Mercy in 1860 it was extended over a number of years and in 1874 a Gothic chapel was built to the designs of Melbourne architect Thomas Anthony Kelly and was formally opened on the 24th of May 1874 [1].

The liturgical east end of the chapel contains one of the most unique stained glass windows produced by the Ferguson & Urie Company and was designed by the firm’s senior artist David Relph Drape (1821-1882). What is probably even more remarkable is that the original design for this window still exists amongst a collection of sketches by Drape at the State Library of Victoria.

“The most outstanding feature of the ornate domed sanctuary is a large stained window on the rear wall above the altar. The window was a gift to the sisters from the families of the early boarders.”[2]

Photos taken: 17th October 2013.

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The liturgical east window is technically known as a five light window with a series of smaller stained glass windows in the tracery above. The two outer lights depict the fourteen scenes of the Stations of the Cross which represent the significant events Jesus endured in the hours leading to his death.

Each of the fourteen scenes have been intricately designed and painted by Drape to closely represent the scenes as they have been represented in many publications over the centuries.

The scenes are:

1st:  Jesus is condemned to death

2nd: Jesus carries His cross

3rd: Jesus falls the first time

4th: Jesus meets his mother

5th: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry his cross

6th Veronica wipes the face of Jesus

7th: Jesus falls the second time

8th: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem

9th: Jesus falls a third time

10th: Jesus clothes are taken away

11th: Jesus is nailed to the cross

12th: Jesus dies on the cross

13th: The body of Jesus is taken down from the cross

14th: Jesus is laid in the tomb

The centre light of the window contains a life size depiction of Jesus and his Sacred Heart and below that is the Pelican in the act of self sacrifice feeding its young with blood from her chest.

The smaller windows in the tracery above contain a quite complex series of biblical symbols which mostly represent some of the Instruments of the Passion. The symbolism represented in the upper tracery of the window are;

The Scourging Post, 

The Seamless Garment,

The Bread of Life or Holy Sponge?

The Holy Chalice & Host,

The Crown of Thorns with the Three Nails,

The La Salette Crucifix with pincers and hammer on either side.

The four evangelists depicted as their winged biblical representations;

Mathew (the Angel), Mark (the Lion), Luke (the Ox) and John (the Eagle).

The centre of this arrangement of windows in the tracery contains the “Agnus Dei” – Lamb of God carrying the victory banner with cross to represent the risen Christ, triumphant over death.

In the south wall near the east window are another two Ferguson & Urie windows set in rose or wheel shaped tracery. Each window contains three quatrefoils with biblical scenes and smaller windows around the edges contain cherubic angels to give the whole arrangement the appearance of a round window.

The first rose window contains the following three scenes:

1. St Christopher with Jesus on his shoulders – Christopher was known as a man of great strength who devoted himself to Jesus by helping travellers cross a dangerous river. One day a child asked to ride on Christopher’s shoulders across the river, but the child grew heavier and heavier with every step. When they arrived on the other side, the child identified himself as Christ and told Christopher he had just carried the weight of all the sin of the world. St Christopher is best known as the patron saint of travelers!

2. The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple – This event is described in the Gospel of Luke (2:22-40). Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem to complete Mary’s ritual purification after childbirth and to perform the redemption of the firstborn. Luke explicitly says that Joseph and Mary take the option provided for poor people (those who could not afford a lamb –Leviticus 12:8), by sacrificing a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. One was for the burnt offering and the other for a sin offering.

3. The Flight into Egypt – The Flight into Egypt is described in Matthew (2: 13-23), in which Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt with baby Jesus after learning that King Herod intended to kill all the infants of the area in the hunt for the baby Jesus.

(The Flight into Egypt scene in this window has also been matched to one of the original drawings by Drape located at the State Library).

The second rose window contains the following three scenes:

1. The Nativity – The baby Jesus is shown in the manger with emanating rays of light.

2. The Annunciation – This is described in Luke (1:26-38) where the Angel Gabriel was sent from God to visit the Virgin Mary and told her that she was with child who was the son of God and to name him Jesus.

3. Visit of Mary to Elizabeth – The Visit of Mary to Elizabeth (Luke 1. 39-56).

Outside the chapel, above a door in the hallway, is a round window by Ferguson & Urie depicting the Madonna and Child and at the far end of the hallway at the landing of the first flight of stairs are two single light windows. One depicts the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the other a monogram of the letters “AM” (Auspice Maria).

 

The founder of Sacred Heart – Mother Mary Cecilia Xavier [Elizabeth Maguire] (c.1819-1879)

Elizabeth Maguire was the eldest daughter of Richard Maguire and Margaret McCann and was born in County Meath Ireland circa 1819 [3].

She entered the Mercy Convent in Baggot St, Dublin, Ireland on the 1st May 1843, took the name Sister Mary Cecilia Xavier and was professed on the 26th November 1845. Three of her younger siblings also followed in her footsteps [4].

On the 25th May 1855 she was elected as Mother Superior of the Baggot Street Convent for a term[5] and in 1859, Archbishop James Alipius Goold of Melbourne, petitioned the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin to establish a community in Australia at Geelong.

Mother Maguire, in the company of five other Sisters of Mercy; Sherlock, Mullally, Lynch, Manly and Ryan, they departed Liverpool in ‘Saloon Class’ aboard the Ocean Chief on the 7th September 1859[6].

On the 28th November 1859, after 83 days at sea, the ship arrived in Hobson’s Bay and the following day the ships passengers penned a testimonial letter of thanks to Captain William Brown of the Ocean Chief to which “The Six Sisters of Mercy” were a signatory to[7].

After a short stay in Melbourne as the guests of Mother Ursula Frayne at the Nicholson Street Convent in Fitzroy, they boarded the train for Geelong and arrived at St Augustine’s Orphanage on the 3rd of December;

 “ARRIVAL OF NUNS.- Amongst the passengers by the Ocean Chief were Mrs. McGuire, the superioress or the principal of Bagot-street convent, Dublin, and five other nuns of the Order of Mercy. Their ministrations will be confined for the present to Geelong, whither they go to-day, and they will assume the control and conduct of the St. Augustine’s Orphanage, and other charities of the town. Ultimately, as the sisters become more intimately acquainted with the district, their sphere of action will be extended.- Herald.”[8].

The Sacred Heart Convent of Mercy began in a house named ‘Sunville’ in the Mercer’s Hill estate at Newtown, Geelong, which was formerly owned by the wealthy Geelong solicitor Joseph William Belcher (1784-1865). As early as January 1855 agents for Belcher, who had returned to Ireland in 1852, had been advertising the property ‘to let’ with the advertisements describing it as;

“…Being a large and commodious House, is very suitable for a Boarding School, or Seminary for young ladies…”[9].

It wasn’t until January 1859 that Sunville was eventually to be used as a boarding school when Mrs Sarah Scales (c.1821-1884) [10], the wife of independent congregational minister Reverend Alfred Scales (c.1814-1893)[11], moved her pupils from their premises in Virginia street[12] to Sunville on the 18th January 1859 [13]. Mrs Scales’s boarding school was still at Sunville as late as July 1859 [14] but within a few months of the arrival of the Sisters of Mercy in December, the Sunville mansion and twelve acres of the surrounding Mercer’s Hill estate would become the home of the Convent of Our Lady of Mercy.

On the 17th of February 1860 the Argus Newspaper reported;

“The house and grounds known as Sunville, on Mercer’s Hill, have been purchased for a convent by the Catholic clergymen here. There are about 12 acres of pleasure-grounds attached to the mansion, which is in every respect well adapted for the purpose. Six ladies of the Order of Mercy, who were sent out from the parent house in Dublin by Mrs. Cecilia Zavier McGuire [sic], have arrived in Geelong, for the purpose of establishing this new institution. Some of these ladies are said to have been in the Crimea on the same holy errand. They will attend the poor, the maimed, the sick, and the dying at their own homes, and in the public hospitals, and will superintend a boarding and day school to be attached to the institution. Mrs. McGuire is the founder of the Mater Miserecordia [sic] Hospital also. The house and grounds of Sunville are beautifully situated for the purpose for which they have been brought.”[15]

In late April 1860 the Sisters advertised for their first boarders and Mother Mary Cecilia Xavier Maguire would be the first Mother Superior of the new institution[16].

The following fourteen years saw the rapid expansion of the convent buildings with the Orphanage building erected in 1864, the boarding school in 1869 and the chapel in 1874.  The construction of the chapel was not without mishap as the newly erected belfry-wall and corridor-gable blew down in a storm on the 19th December 1873[17]. They decided not to continue with the construction of the belfry and within six months the building was ready to be opened.

The official opening occurred on Sunday the 24th May 1874 and the Melbourne Argus reported;

“The new conventual church at Newtown-hill was formally opened this morning, in the presence of about 400 persons. The dedication ceremony was performed by the vicar-general. Previous to this the children of the convent formed a long procession, and marched several times through and around the church. They were all dressed in white. The children of St. Mary’s headed the procession, wearing wreaths of blue flowers and scarfs of the same colour. The children of the Sacred Heart followed, wearing rich crimson regalia. Then came the children of St. Catherine’s, with brilliant green scarfs, followed by the Orphan and Industrial School children. The effect altogether was very striking. After the dedication ceremony, High Mass was celebrated by the Archdeacon Slattery, assisted by the Rev. Fathers Kelly and Hegarty. The Rev. Father Kelly afterwards preached a sermon suitable to the occasion. About £300 was obtained from the collection. During the afternoon two young ladies took the veil.”[18]

On the 30th August 1879 Mother Mary Cecelia Xavier Maguire died at the age of 60 and was interred in the Convent cemetery[19].

Today the historical establishment founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1860 is known as Sacred Heart College which celebrated its 150th anniversary in April 2010.

Acknowledgements:

Thanks to Claudette Brennan, Archivist of Sacred Heart College, for inviting us to see and photograph the windows and for her very generous time to show us around and impart her extensive knowledge of the history of the College.

Footnotes:

[1] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Monday 25th May 1874, page 5.

[2] Mercy Girls, The Story of Sacred Heart College Geelong 1860-2010, Watts, Turnbull, Walsh, 2010, Sacred Heart College 2010. P22.

 

Dec 13 2012

27-04-1862: St Giles Presbyterian Church, Geelong, Victoria.

Situated on the west side of Gheringhap street, between Little Ryrie and Myers street in Geelong is the former St Giles Presbyterian Church, also known as the West End or High Church. Ferguson & Urie created the five light west window, which is one of a rare few that have the company name on it, as well as the Burning Bush window at the east end which includes the date “A.D. 1862”.

Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Tuesday 29th April 1862, page 3.

“…The windows in the front elevation (Gheringhap-street) will be of stained glass, five lights each and traceried; they are being prepared by Messrs Ferguson and Urie of Melbourne, a very handsome and elaborate design, and will not be ready for a few weeks…”

The designs of architect Nathaniel Billing were chosen as a result of a competition entry[1] and Boynton & Conway of Geelong were the building contractors. Although initial designs included a spire, this was never built. The foundation stone was laid on Tuesday the 9th of July 1861 by the treasurer of the new church, Thomas Brown Esq[2], and it was formally opened on Sunday 27th April 1862 [3]. By 1938 St Giles had no minister and it was suggested that it should be pulled down[4] and re-erected in place of the wooden Scots Church in Pakington street Geelong West. This never eventuated and the church continued to serve the congregation for another forty years. St Giles was last used for services in 1977 when the Uniting Church classed the building as redundant and it was sold in 1988. It was then used as an entertainment venue which hosted many live bands and performances by famous rockers such as Jimmy Barnes. How the stained glass windows survived unscathed during this period is remarkable! Photos taken 6th January 2012, except the last two photos in the slideshow which show the full perspective of the liturgical west window, and the Burning Bush window at the liturgical east end. These two photos have been contributed by Geoffrey Wallace, taken in 2006 before the internal office space construction began.

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The latest transformation of the former St Giles church was it’s conversion to offices and it now hosts a medical clinic. The liturgical west window facing Gheringhap street still exists in fairly good condition and can be seen from inside from the landing of an internal staircase. The window is also one of a very rare few early Ferguson & Urie stained glass creations that has the company name on it, located at the base of the centre light. The four lobed round window at the east end depicts the Burning Bush with the motto of the Church of Scotland, “NEC TAMEN CONSUMEBATUR” (Latin – ‘Yet it was not consumed’, an allusion to Exodus 3:1-22 and Moses and the Burning Bush), and also has the year “A:D: 1862”.

Significant newspaper transcriptions:

The Sydney Morning Herald, NSW, Monday 15th July 1861, page 3

“The foundation stone of the new Presbyterian High Church of Victoria was laid on Tuesday, at Geelong, in the presence of a numerous concourse of people. The site of the new building is adjacent to the Presbyterian school on the western side of Gheringhap-street. The ceremony was performed by Mr. Thomas Brown, treasurer to the new church, the Rev. Mr. Fraser commencing the proceedings with singing and prayer. The design of the church is early gothic; it will hold 500 persons, and the entire cost of the edifice with steeple will be £5000. – Herald”

Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Tuesday 29th April 1862, page 3.

“HIGH CHURCH, GHERINGHAP STREET. THIS handsome structure which forms such a prominent feature amongst the ecclesiastical and public edifices of the “west end” of our town may now be pronounced complete. At least, it is complete in so far that it has been devoted to the purpose of its erection, having been consecrated to Divine Worship on Sunday last in presence of a very numerous congregation. The plan comprises the nave, transepts, vaulted recess for rostrum, vestry, two porches, and a tower and spire; and the style of architecture is of the “early decorated” period of Gothic. The tower, and spire, and vestry are not yet built, which, of course, give the edifice externally an unfinished appearance; nor are the nave and transepts, which are to provide the complete seat accommodation; but these are in progress and will be finished by the original contractors. The walls are of bluestone; while the gables, window and door coigns, copings, pinnacles, and dressings to buttresses, &c, generally are of Barrabool freestone. Interiorly – the roof is open to the ridge, supported by arched trusses, the wall-pieces bearing on moulded and carved stone corbels; and all the roof timbers and boarding is stained of a uniform colour and varnished. Ventilation is amply provided by a series of perforated pinnacles and louvred openings, in addition to which the side windows are each made to open partially, and gratings in the passages and in the plinth are arranged with slides to open or shut with pleasure as the state of the weather may require. The windows in the front elevation (Gheringhap-street) will be of stained glass, five lights each and traceried; they are being prepared by Messrs Ferguson and Urie of Melbourne, a very handsome and elaborate design, and will not be ready for a few weeks. The side windows have two lights each with traceried heads, and those to the transepts three lights each. There are also two small gable windows of chaste design. The rostrum and the precentor’s desk and their enclosing railing are of Australian cedar selected with exceeding taste to show the valuable adaptability of this favorite wood for ornamental purposes; and in design the whole is in strict keeping with the other parts of the church. The benches are open, with cut and moulded ends terminating with fleur de-lis; they are all stained and varnished. The whole of the workmanship of the building and its furnishings, inside and out, is of the most creditable character. Mr. Billing, of Melbourne, is the architect, and Boynton and Conway, of Geelong, the contractors for carrying out the works. The church occupies one of the most commanding sites of the town, and, approached by land or seas it will always form a prominent object in the view. It is capable of accommodating about fifteen hundred people.             As we said above, the church was consecrated for Divine Worship on Sunday last. The “opening services” of the day were three – morning, afternoon, and evening. The first and last were conducted by the Rev William Henderson, of Ballarat, and the afternoon service by the Rev Joseph Dare. As an earnest of the interest felt by the congregation in their new church, above L60 was contributed as the customary collections. The opening services will be continued next Sunday by the Rev T. W. K. Frazer, the pastor of the church, the Rev A. J. Campbell, and the Rev A. Love.”

Footnotes:

Short link to this page: http://wp.me/p28nLD-1uJ

Nov 15 2012

17-04-1867: St Paul’s Anglican Church, Latrobe Terrace, Geelong, Victoria.

St Paul’s Anglican Church in Latrobe Terrace, Geelong has a two light Ferguson & Urie stained glass window dedicated to the memory of Frederick & Emma Hawkes who perished in the wreck of the ‘Jane Elizabeth’ off the coast of Tasmania in 1867.

The window depicts Christ as the Saviour of the doomed, appearing at the scene of the wreck of the ‘Jane Elizabeth’. It has the memorial text:

“IN MEMORY OF FREDERICK HAWKES AGED 35 YEARS AND HIS WIFE EMMA AGED 30 YEARS WHO WERE LOST AT SEA APRIL 17, 1867”.

Photos taken: 18th December 2010.

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On the afternoon of the 17th of April 1867 the schooner, ‘Jane Elizabeth’, left the Circular Head wharf for Launceston at half-past 1 o’clock with a light westerly wind [1]. Later in the evening the ship was seen just off ‘Table Cape”. The wind had changed to west nor’-west and soon reached a gale. Amongst the passengers were the Geelong couple, Frederick Hawkes and his wife Emma (nee Horwood) who had only eighteen months earlier married in London.[2]

The following day some wreckage from the Jane Elizabeth was found near Tamar Heads, amongst which, was a broken case with a shirt marked “F. Hawkes” and a lady’s handkerchief marked “E. Horwood.”[3]

These were the only remaining identifying items of the couple.

No survivors or bodies were ever found.

The stained glass memorial window depicting St Peter and St Paul was erected in St Paul’s by Thomas Hawkes, who was Frederick’s brother and also a member of the Geelong hardware an Iron Mongers firm “Hawkes Bros” [4], to whom Frederick also belonged.

Significant transcriptions:

The Cornwall Chronicle, Launceston, Tas, Wednesday 24th April 1867, page 3.

“The following telegram was received from the Tamar Heads at one o’clock yesterday. Messrs. J. H. and B. H. Stutterd of table Cape report the following list of crew and passengers per “Jane Elizabeth.” Crew – Mr. Andrew Soresson, (master and owner); Seamen – Miller, and cook known as George. Passengers from Table Cape – Frederick Hawkes, aged 32; Emma Hawkes, age 30; Charlotte Rebecca Stutterd, aged 16. From Circular Head – One man from the wrecked schooner Rose Ann, Constable Shanassy and Michael Dempsey a prisoner.”

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Friday 26th April 1867, page 5.

“It is believed at Geelong that there is great reason to fear that Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Hawkes of that town, were amongst the passengers of the schooner Jane Elizabeth, which is supposed to have been lost during the recent gales on the passage from Circular Head to Launceston.

The Cornwall Chronicle, Launceston, Tas, Wednesday 1st May 1867, page 5.

“The Melbourne Age says – There is some reason to fear that Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Hawkes, of Geelong, were amongst the passengers of the schooner Jane Elizabeth, which is supposed to have been lost during recent gales, on her passage from Circular Head to Launceston. Ten days ago, as we learn from the ‘Advertiser,’ Mr. Thomas Hawkes received a letter from his brother, who was then staying at Circular Head with his wife’s uncle, Mr. Stutterd, to the effect that there were no other means of reaching Launceston to catch the steamer than by making a journey across the country which would have to be done on horseback, and would occupy six days, or to go round in the schooner, and that he would come by the latter route, if the weather was fine. Among other articles found on the beach was a pocket-book, evidently belonging to young Mrs. Stutterd, Mr. Hawkes cousin. From subsequent accounts, it would appear that the rumoured loss of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Hawkes is only too true. This young couple had not been long from England, and were very happy and prosperous in Geelong.”

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Wednesday 1st May 1867, page 4.

“HAWKES.- Lost at sea, on the 17th ult., by the wreck of the schooner Jane and Elizabeth, Frederick Hawkes, of the firm of Hawkes Brothers, of Geelong, aged thirty-five. Also, at the same time, his wife Emma, daughter of the late Henry Horwood, Esq., London, aged thirty. Both sincerely regretted by a large circle of friends.”

Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Tuesday 18th February 1868, page 3.

ST. PAUL’S CHURCH, GEELONG.

This church has during the last week received an addition to its treasures in the form of a handsome stained glass window, placed in the north aisle opposite to the reading-desk, the work of Messrs Ferguson and Urie of Melbourne. This window represents the figures of St Paul and St Peter, both life size – St Paul habited in a dark tunic and holding the double headed sword of the Spirit in his hand; his more delicate features (drawn from reliable authority), seeming to indicate tenderness of feeling and depth of thought. St Peter, a more ordinary figure, according to the usual tradition. with the keys of the Church in his hand. Over their heads an angel is holding a scroll with these words upon it, “Praise ye the Lord.” Below is the inscription of the window;- “Erected by the brethren of the Masonic Order and Geelong Volunteer Fire Brigade and other friends, in affectionate remembrance of Thomas Thompson, who died march 20, 1887, aged 35 years.” Immediately above the inscription are the emblems of the Masonic Order and the initials of the Geelong Volunteer Fire Brigade.   It is in contemplation to complete the series of windows in the church, numbering twenty-four loghts. The subjects are to represent the rest of the Apostles, and scenes from Scripture alternately.  At the present time Messrs Ferguson and Urie are executing a window to be erected in Memory of Mr and Mrs Frederick Hawkes, who perished last year by drowining on the coast of Tasmania.”

Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Saturday 25th April 1868, page 3.

“ST. PAUL’S CHURCH.

Sometime ago we gave our readers a description of the “Thompson Memorial Window” which has been placed in this church by the friends, of the deceased. Another window has, been placed by the side of this- to the memory of Mr and Mrs Frederic Hawkes, who perished at sea, off the coast of Tasmania, about this time last year, a disastrous event which was generally so much deplored. In looking at the window we are much struck with the appropriateness of the design, as well as the manner of its execution. The window is divided into two lights; in the eastern light there is an illustration of the narrative of the “Walking on the sea,” as given by St. Matthew, in his Gospel, (chapter 14, verses 22—33). The artist has thrown into St. Peter’s face an expression of terror as he feels himself sinking, and as we view the figure of the Saviour laying hold of the doubting disciple with His left hand, while he has the forefinger of His right hand erect, we feel that the illustration brings out the idea of the sacred words—”And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him, and said unto him, ‘Oh thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” In this light, of course, the chief figures are those of the Saviour— which is 3 ½ feet in length—and that of St. Peter, but in the distance can be seen the boat which St. Peter has just left, and three men, brother disciples, in charge of it. In the western light there is an artistic description of the miraculous “Stilling of the Tempest,” founded on the narrative of St. Matthew (chap. 8, vers. 23—28). The expression of the sleeping Christ in the fishing boat, weary with the toils of the day, is well given, and the fear in the hearts of the disciples, and the possible consequences resulting from the “great tempest in the sea,” may be read from the marked expression of their countenances while we can well imagine their earnest words, “Lord save us, we perish.” At the top of these two lights is an angel with outstretched wings, holding a, scroll with the divine inscription, “The sea gave up the dead.” The filling up is good in design, and the colours harmonise well throughout. There are twelve figures in all in this window, with floral decorations. At the base of the window is the following inscription:—” In memory of Frederic Hawkes, aged 35 years, and his wife Emma, aged 30 years, who were lost at sea, April 17,1867.” – This window has been placed in this church by Mr Thomas Hawkes, of this town, as a small tribute of brotherly affection for the many estimable qualities they both possessed.”

Note: The Thompson memorial window described in the first part of the report is included in another article which can be seen [here]

Related posts:

14-02-1868: The Thomas Thompson window at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Latrobe Terrace, Geelong.

Foot notes:

 

Short link to this page: http://wp.me/p28nLD-1py
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Nov 2 2012

14-02-1868: St Paul’s, Latrobe Terrace, Geelong, Victoria.

The Thomas Thompson memorial window, erected in St Paul’s Church of England, Geelong,  on Friday 14th February 1868.

St Paul’s was erected in Latrobe Terrace at Geelong between 1850-1855. The church was built in the early English Gothic-style to the design of architect, Charles Laing. Local architects, Snell and Kawerau (1853) and later Snell and Prowse (1855), were responsible for its completion and architect Leonard Terry designed the square tower which was extended in 1865.

On the Friday 14th February 1868 a two light Ferguson & Urie stained glass window was erected in St Paul’s Church of England in Latrobe Street Geelong. The window was erected to the memory of Thomas Thompson, a local Geelong Oil & Colour merchant and respected foreman of the Geelong Volunteer Fire Brigade.

The window depicts St Paul and St Peter and has the memorial text at the base which reads:

“IN AFFECTIONATE REMEMBRANCE OF THOMAS THOMPSON WHO DIED FEB 24th 1867 AGED 35 YEARS. ERECTED BY THE BRETHREN OF THE MASONIC ORDER. THE G.V.F.B AND OTHER FRIENDS”.

Also below the saints are small roundels which have, beneath St Paul, the lettters ‘GG’ (Greater Geelong) and the Masonic symbol of the compass imposed over an open book. Beneath St Peter are the letters ‘GVFB’ (Geelong Volunteer Fire Brigade) and the Masonic symbol of the compass with a five pointed star (Pentagram) in the centre.

Photos taken: 18th December 2010.

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Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Saturday 15th February 1868, page 2.

“The memorial window in memory of Mr Thomas Thompson, late foremen of the Geelong Fire Brigade, was yesterday placed in St. Paul’s Church, on the left hand side of the reading desk, looking to the chancel. This handsome memorial has been supplied from subscriptions from the friends of the late Mr Thompson, and from the Fire Brigade.”

Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Tuesday 18th February 1868, page 3.

ST. PAUL’S CHURCH, GEELONG.

This church has during the last week received an addition to its treasures in the form of a handsome stained glass window, placed in the north aisle oppsite to the reading-desk, the work of Messrs Ferguson and Urie of Melbourne. This window represents the figures of St Paul and St Peter, both life size – St Paul habited in a dark tunic and holding the double headed sword of the Spirit in his hand; his more delicate features (drawn from reliable authority), seeming to indicate tenderness of feeling and depth of thought. St Peter, a more ordinary figure, according to the usual tradition. with the keys of the Church in his hand. Over their heads an angel is holding a scroll with these words upon it, “Praise ye the Lord.” Below is the inscription of the window;- “Erected by the brethren of the Masonic Order and Geelong Volunteer Fire Brigade and other friends, in affectionate remembrance of Thomas Thompson, who died march 20, 1887, aged 35 years.” Immediately above the inscription are the emblems of the Masonic Order and the initials of the Geelong Volunteer Fire Brigade. It is in contemplation to complete the series of windows in the church, numbering twenty-four lIghts. The subjects are to represent the rest of the Apostles, and scenes from Scripture alternately. At the present time Messrs Ferguson and Urie are executing a window to be erected in Memory of Mr and Mrs Frederick Hawkes, who perished last year by drowning on the coast of Tasmania.”

Note: The windows mentioned as to the memory of Mr & Mrs Frederick Hawkes is included in a different article and can be seen [here]

Other significant transcriptions:

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Monday 25th February 1867, page 4.

“THOMPSON.- On the 24th inst., at Clare-street, Geelong, Thomas Thompson, oil and colour merchant, aged thirty-five years”.

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Monday 25th February 1867, page 5.

“Mr. Thomas Thompson, for many years foreman of the fire brigade in Geelong, and respected by all classes there, died somewhat suddenly yesterday morning”.

The Ballarat Star, Vic, Tuesday 26th February 1867, page 2.

“Mr Thomas Thompson, for many years foreman of the Fire Brigade in Geelong, and respected by all classes there, died somewhat suddely on Sunday morning. During Monday, the flags of the Ballarat fire brigades were lowered to half-staff high in reference to Mr Thompson’s demise.”

Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Friday 17th May 1867, page 2.

“The sum of 20 has been subscribed by the brethren of the Masonic Order towards the Memorial Window proposed to be erected in St Paul’s Church to the memory of the late Thomas Thompson, and last night at the meeting of the Fire Brigade a motion was carried recommending the managing committee of the reserve fund to devote £10 to the same purpose. The window is not expected to cost more than £50, so that these two amounts make more than half towards the total sum.”

Gippsland Times, Vic, Tuesday 21st May 1867, page 3.

“That there is considerable esprit de corps among our volunteer firemen has never been doubted, and another illustration of this fact occurs in the proposal of the Geelong Volunteer Fire Brigade to erect a memorial window in St. Paul’s Church to the memory of their late foreman, Mr. Thompson, an old and much respected member of the company. Fifty pounds is spoken of as the maximum of the cost of the proposed work.”

The Ballarat Star, Vic, Monday 17th February 1868, page 2.

“Saturday’s Adertiser states – “The memorial window in memory of Mr. T. Thompson, late foreman of the Geelong Fire Brigade, was yesterday placed in St. Paul’s Church on the left-hand side of the reading desk looking to the chancel. This handsome memorial has been supplied from subscriptions from the friends of the late Mr Thompson, and from the Fire Brigade.”

Related posts:

17-04-1867: The Hawkes memorial window, St Paul’s Anglican Church, Latrobe Terrace, Geelong, Victoria.

Aug 26 2012

03-12-1869: Christ Church, Moorabool St, Geelong, Victoria.

The first Ferguson & Urie stained glass window to be erected in Christ Church at Geelong was the five light Chancel window which depicts Christ in the centre light, flanked by the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke & John with their biblical alter egos beneath their figures. This window gained quite a bit of notoriety and comment in the tabloids of the time of its erection. Despite significant vandalism in the past 145 years, the most recent attack being in November 2011, it has somehow survived the test of time and is certainly a significant artifact for Christ Church and should be considered for heritage listing.

The Church of England Messenger, 3rd December 1869, page 7

“CHRIST CHURCH, GEELONG.- A handsome chancel window has recently been put up in this church, at a cost of £120, from the workshops of Messrs. Ferguson, Urie and Lyon, of Curzon-street. The style of architecture is that known as late perpendicular, the complicated mullions and tracery admitting as many as eight-and-twenty lights. Of these, the five principal compartments are thus appropriated:- In the centre, to accord with the designation of the church, the Saviour is represented enthroned, having in his left hand the globe and cross, and elevating the right in the attitude of blessing; whilst the compartments on either hand are occupied with erect figures of the four Evangelists. Those who have examined former efforts of this enterprising firm will be struck by the improved purity and brilliancy of colour displayed. The utmost skill has been shown in the harmony of arrangement”.

Photos taken 24th Oct 2010. (Date of Historical photo unknown).

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Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Wednesday 10th November 1869, page 2.

“A gratifying specimen of colonial art may be seen in the chancel window, recently put up in Christ Church, by Messrs Ferguson, Urie and Lyon, of Melbourne. The window, which is about fourteen feet high by ten feet wide, belongs to the order of Gothic, which architects term late perpendicular. it consists mainly of three rows of light, the lower row containing five openings eight feet and a half in height, the mullions of which rise perpendicularly to the top of the window. The second row contains a continuation of these lights, divided into twelve by narrow mullions, these openings being two feet in height; above these is a row consisting of three pairs, rather higher than the middle row. There remain seven small openings supplementary to the complete design. The great feature of a window of this style, and involving a manifest difficulty with which the glass-stainer has to grapple, is the large proportion of stone in the mullions, probably not less than a third of the entire surface. The designer has in this instance shewn his judgement in not attempting a general subject, which would have been broken by the heavy stone framing, as he has made each opening a complete picture in itself, and to a certain extent, independent of the adjoining ones. At the same time there is not wanting a unity of subject. The five principal lights are appropriated to the glorified Saviour, flanked on either side by two Evangelists. At the foot of each of these five figures, is introduced the corresponding symbol, viz., in the centre the pelican wounding her own breast to feed her young; and the evangelistic symbols, the human head, the lion, the ox, and the eagle, under Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, respectively. The three pairs of lights at the top of the window are appropriately filled up with three cardinal graces and their emblems, viz., faith and the cross, hope and the anchor, charity and the heart. The quatrefoil at the apex of the arch is filled in with the dove. The twelve smaller windows in the middle row remained to exercise the designer’s ingenuity, their small size and large number having occasioned some apparent difficulty. On these we find national emblems, the rose, shamrock, and thistle, besides stars, which may be regarded as generally emblematic of whatsoever things are lovely and of good report. Those who have examined former efforts of this enterprising firm will be struck with the improved purity and brilliancy of colour displayed. The utmost skill has been shown in the harmony of arrangement. The draperies of all the principal figures are particularly well managed, that of the centre being a brilliant mass of ruby red, carried off to the margin in each in each direction by yellows and greens of intermediate warmth terminating at the circumference in cold blue or grey. The effect at the western entrance into the church is a rich flow of light and colour, on which the eye rests with pleasure, and has to complain of no unequal predominance of any one tint. The individual figures are alike bold and dignified in outline, but the execution of the features while in the highest degree creditable, falls short of that depth and sublimity of expression with which the old masters have familiarised us. It is indeed the merit of the whole composition that it attempts the symbolical and heraldic rather than the historical. Its excellences are such as can be best appreciated from a distant point of view. We are told that the entire cost of the window is £120, to meet which collections are to be made on Sunday next.”

Note: The head of Christ in the centre light is not original Ferguson & Urie. This is possibly the third replacement since the window was created in 1869.

Restoration/Conservation:

The east five light window underwent restoration and conservation work in 2004 by Geoffrey Wallace’s stained glass studio.

This window and many others were unfortunately vandalised in November 2013 and will again be in the hands of Geoffrey Wallace for expert repair.

For updated and detailed photos of the full cycle of Ferguson & Urie windows at Christ Church in Geelong, See: http://www.flickr.com/photos/raysalmanac/sets/72157637900257313/

Short link to this page: https://wp.me/p28nLD-1ez

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Jul 8 2012

13-08-1867: St Peter & St Paul, Geelong, Victoria.

In the later half of 1867 James Urie of the stained glass firm ‘Ferguson & Urie’ of North Melbourne traveled to Tasmania to further expose the business throughout the Colonies. The Hobart Mercury provided detailed reports of his travels as well as mentioning  some of the establishments the company had gained commissions for, or those they had recently completed. One of those mentioned was the church of St Peter & St Paul in Geelong.

The foundation stone of the church was laid by Bishop Goold on the 17th January 1864 and was designed by architect William Wardell in the 13th Century Gothic form. The superintending architect was  J. A. Denny and the contractor was a Mr. Nash, of Geelong. The total cost of the construction exceeded £6000.

Photos taken 23rd August 2009.

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The three light window was erected as the principal east window in the chancel. The left light depicts St Peter with his crossed Keys to heaven. the centre light depicts Jesus in the act of the Ascension with the Holy Dove above and the right light depicts St Paul holding his book and sword and another symbol of the book below.

Freman’s Journal, Sydney, NSW, Saturday 21st July 1866, page 451.

“…The stained window of the altar was designed and executed by Messrs. Ferguson and Weir [sic] of North Melbourne, whose artistic talents have been successfully deployed in depicting not only a work of art, but one also befitting the dedication of the edifice. The window is the history: the ecclesiastical symbols, combined with the figures of the saints, are in severe taste, and the adjuncts in selection consistent. The coloring is cheerful yet sober, and the effect of that nature that shades come up reminding one of historic memories…”

“..Reverting to the stained window we may mention that it is a gift of the Very Rev. Dean Hayes, and we have ascertained that his munificence – not dwarfish on other occasions – has been exemplified in this instance by the outlay of £112…”

“The architect of this unique building is W. W. Wardell, Esq – the superintending architect, J. A. Denny, Esq and the contractor, Mr. Nash, of Geelong, to whom for promptitude and excellelence in workmanship every praise is due. The total cost of the erection exceeds £6000”.

“…The subdued light fell on the altar through the stained glass with just sufficient power to bring into relief the golden woven vestments of the celebrants…”

Unfortunately the images in the slideshow are from my earlier photographic attempts back in the days when I only had a pocket digital camera.

Related posts: 13-08-1867: James Urie visits Tasmania on Ferguson and Urie business.

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Mar 18 2012

30-08-1879: The Independent Church, Geelong, Victoria.

Illustrated Australian News, Melbourne, Saturday 30th August 1879, page 139.

“INDEPENDENT CHURCH, GEELONG.”

 “This addition to the ecclesiastical edifices of Geelong has been built by the congregation that for many years worshipped in the building in McKillop-street, and which has been purchased by the Government and converted into an orderly-room for the Geelong Volunteer Artillery. The new church occupies a commanding site at the corner of Ryrie and Gheringhap streets, opposite to the post office…”

 “… The church is beautified by three stained-glass windows, made by Messrs. Ferguson and Urie, of Melbourne, designed in the Gothic style, and placed on the northern, southern and eastern sides respectively. The northern one has a life figure of St. Paul designed thereon, and the southern a representation of St. John. Each is divided by two mullions into three sections, with trefoil light in each complete window. In each side section are worked [sic] Greek or Latin inscriptions. The third window is divided into four sections by three mullions. There are at the top three four-leaved lights, emblematic of faith, hope and charity. On the two inner sections of the window there are appropriate inscriptions. The cost of the three windows was £320″.

 “… there are also five small windows…”  “…The ordinary windows of ground glass, with stained glass margins…”

Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Tuesday 25th March 1879, page 3.

“The Independent congregation of McKillop-street will hold divine service in their new church in Gheringhap-street on Sunday next. The building has cost altogether£ 4650, and it will seat 500 persons. The structure is a handsome one, built in the Florentine-gothic style, of dark West Geelong bricks, relieved by Waurn Ponds ston dressings, with bluestone base courses. The roof is slated, and the foundations rest on a deep bed of concrete. The church is also beautified by three as good stained glass windows as could be procured in the colony. The makers are Messrs Ferguson and Urie, of Melbourne, and the windows are works of art. They are designed in the Gothic style, and are placed on the northern, southern and eastern (or street) sides respectively. The two former are almost facimilies of each other, with the exception that the northern one has a life figure of St. Paul designed thereon, while the other has a representation of St. John. Each of the windows in question is divided by two mullions into three sections, with a trefoil light in the apex of each compete window. In the centre sections are the figures as before stated, while in each side section are worked Greek or Latin inscriptions. The window facing the street is situated behind the gallery of the church, and is divided into four sections by three mullions. There are at the top three four leaved lights, emblematic of faith, hope, and charity. On the two inner sections of the window there are appropriate inscriptions. The cost of the three windows was altogether £320. The architect of the building was Mr. H. R. Caselli, of Ballarat, and the clerk of works, Mr. J. Matthews…”

The Argus, Melbourne, Tuesday 1st April 1879, page 6.

“The new Congregational Church in Gheringhap-street, which supersedes the old structure in McKillop-street, was opened yesterday for the first time. Special sermons were preached to large congregations, in the morning by the pastor of the church, the Rev. C. S. Y. Price, and in the evening by the Rev. T. McKenzie Frazer. A tea-meeting to celebrate the event was held in the Mechanics hall this evening, and a public meeting held subsequently in the church, when addresses were given by several clergymen, and selections of music rendered by the choir. The building, which is a very handsome one, is built in the Florentine Gothic style, of West Geelong bricks, relieved by Waurn Ponds stone dressings, with bluestone base coignes. It has cost £4,650, and will seat 500 persons. The seats are placed in the amphitheatre style, similar to those of the Collins-street Independent Church. There are three beautiful stained glass windows, made by Messrs. Ferguson and Urie, of Melbourne, the cost of them being altogether £320.”

Illustrated Australian News, Melbourne, Vic, 30th August 1879, page 141.

Independent Church, Ryrie Street Geelong, 30th Aug 1879.

Independent Church, Ryrie Street Geelong, 30th Aug 1879.

 

Feb 29 2012

05-02-1872: St Mary of the Angels Basilica, Geelong, Victoria.

The foundation stone of St Mary’s was laid in 1854 but work ceased in 1856 and the partial construction remained an eyesore in Yarra Street Geelong for seventeen years before the newly appointed Archdeacon Slattery resurrected the plan to have the new church built.  In January 1870 Archdeacon Matthew Downing commissioned T.A. Kelly to prepare plans for completion of the church .

Known as St Mary of the Angels Basilica, it was eventually opened by Bishop James Alipius Goold on the 4th of February 1872. 

The large rose or wheel window in the liturgical west end facing Yarra Street is the work of Ferguson & Urie of North Melbourne. The window measures more than three and a half meters in diameter and cost in excess of £300. The Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Patrick, St. Bridget, St. Augustine, and St. Francis Xavier are the six prominent subjects in the window and they are surrounded by angels, crowns and floral emblems. The Agnus Dei, or Paschal Lamb, is carrying the victory banner which takes place in the centre of the whole arrangement.

Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Thursday 14th December 1871, page 2.

“The new cathedral in Yarra-street is rapidly approaching completion, and the workmen for some time past have been busily engaged with the decorative works of the interior. The side and upper roofs of Ceylon pine, have been stained and varnished, and the timber looks very handsome. Above the pillared arches, the blaster work has been very neatly and artistically executed. Instead of £200, as originally contemplated, the memorial window in front is now to cost about £300. The stained glass is being prepared by Messrs Fergus[sic] and Urie, of Melbourne.”

The Argus, Melbourne, Monday 5th February 1872, Page 5.

“The Church of St. Mary, Geelong, the solemn ceremony in connexion with the opening of which was performed yesterday, stands at the upper end of Yarra-street, Geelong, on an eminence which renders it the most conspicuous object in the town…”

 “… a beautiful and elaborate wheel window, 12ft in diameter, considered the most beautiful in the colony, filled in with stained glass, illustrative of the patrol saints of the church with their appropriate devices…”

Photos taken 18th December 2010. (Updated photos from Nov 2013 can be see on Flickr)

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In 1855, one of the original architects, Richard Dowden, exhibited some proposed designs for stained glass prepared by Kearney & Co of Glasgow and intended for the church:

Geelong Advertiser and Intelligencer, Vic, Saturday 9th June 1855, page 2.

“…Mr. Dowden also exhibited two very beautiful designs for stained glass windows, sent from home by Messrs Kearney & Co, of Glasgow; one was intended for the front window between the towers in the Yarra-street elevation, and the other for one of the transepts; the first contains the Life of the Redeemer, pourtrayed in 12 elegant medallions; the other had four magnificently colored representations of the Virgin Martyr. He stated that they would cost on average, 500 each, which does not seem at all exorbitant, when we consider the elaborate beauty of the designs. We sincerely hope these designs or similar ones will be adopted, as it is of vast importance to cultivate a true taste for the higher classes of art in this country…”

None of the original 1855 designs for the stained glass windows by Kearney & Co were ever adopted. The west oriel or wheel window was eventually made by the Ferguson & Urie stained glass company of North Melbourne circa 1871 and was dedicated to Rev. Dean Hayes;

James Francis Hogan, “The Irish in Australia” (1887), Project Gutenberg transcription.

“…In after years the original design of the church was considerably modified to suit the altered circumstances, and a portion of the nave was com­pleted, sufficiently large to answer the requirements of the reduced population. Even in this incomplete condition, the building is the most conspicuous, commodious and elegant ecclesiastical edifice in the town. Its facade contains a beautiful circular stained glass window in memory of a popular pastor of the place for many years, the Very Rev. Dean Hayes, who was on a visit to his native Ireland when he died, after having just been designated as the first Bishop of Armidale in New South Wales…”

This article from April 1871 gives insight as to how the window came about!

Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Saturday 15th April 1871, page 2.

“A meeting of the friends and subscribers to the late Very Rev. Dean Hayes’ memorial fund, was held at the Town-hall, on Saturday. The attendance consisted of Mr Johnstone, M.L.A., and Messrs Noonan, Davoren, Mansfield, O’Brien, Kelly, and McGonigal. Mr R. de B. Johnstone was voted to the chair. It was announced that £117 was now lodged to the credit of the memorial fund at the Commercial Bank. The chairman stated that the object of the meeting was to decide in what manner the amount collected should be expended, with the view of perpetuating the memory of a great and good citizen. He referred at considerable length to the career of the late Dean, and the claim his good deeds had established. As the founder of the Catholic orphanages at a time when there were no other institutions in existence for the relief of destitute children, he had proved himself entitled to the gratitude of those who came after him. In a matter of this kind he left religious considerations entirely out of the question, and he was indifferent regarding the form the memorial might take, so long as a fitting tribute of respect was paid the the memory of a great and good townsman. It was then decided on the motion of Mr. Noonan, seconded by Mr Davoren, that the memorial should take the form of a stained window, to be erected in the new Roman Catholic Church, Yarra-street. A plan of the proposed window was exhibited, and certainly if the design is carried out it will be not only an embellishment to the sacred edifice, but a suitable monument to the deceased Dean. Archdeacon Slattery, and Messrs Johnstone and Nonan were appointed a sub-committee to carry out the erection f the memorial window which is to be inserted in the building over the main entrance. Some remarks were made about the erection of a marble tablet at the Catholic Orphanage, after which the meeting closed.”

At this point the actual window has yet to arrive and be installed in the tracery!

Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Monday 17th April 1871, page 3

“While St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church is rapidly undergoing demolition a large wooden structure at the rear is to escape destruction for the present, having been converted into a temporary place of worship. The altar belonging to the old building has been transferred thither, so that, instead of the schoolhouse, the members of the congregation who are unable to attend the Ashby Church will be able to celebrate early mass in a place set specially apart for the purpose. The construction of the new church is rapidly progressing, and some idea of its architectural beauty may now be formed. The design of the front entrance is elaborate, and the carved stonework has been executed with great care and accuracy. Above the doorway in the centre frame of the memorial window to be erected to the memory of the late Dean Hayes has been so far completed that only the stained glass is wanting to complete the design. The window is circular, and the stonework about it is carved in such a manner as to produce a striking and elegant effect.”

Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Wednesday 30th August 1871, page 2.

“Great progress is being made with the building of St. Mary’s. Nearly all the stonework of the windows has been completed, and sandstone ornamental work is now being placed on the walls. The designs of the windows are a fitting match for the Very Rev. Dean Hayes memorial window, and are very chaste.”

Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Monday 20th November 1871, page 2.

“It will be remembered that some time ago a meeting of the subscribers to the memorial intended to be raised in honour of the late Very Rev. Dean Hayes, was held at the Town Hall. It was then re solved that the money collected for the purpose by Messrs Johnstone and Noonan, amounting to £130, should be applied towards the erection of a memorial window in St. Mary’s Church, and the Rev. Archdeacon Slattery, Messrs R. de B. John stone and W. P. Noonan were appointed trustees of the fund. The whole of the ornamental stonework of the window has been completed, and is ready for the reception of the stained glass, but some additional funds are required to meet the expense. £230 is the estimate for the window, so that £100 has yet to be raised. Under the circumstances Messrs Johnstone and Noonan intend to resume their canvass, and it will be observed that subscriptions are invited.”

St Mary’s was opened on Sunday February 4th 1872 by Bishop Goold and the following article gave a bit of history, the ceremony, and a lengthy description of the church and the memorial window facing Yarra Street. The detail in the article also indicates that the memorial window of stained glass was the only figurative window erected in the church at that time and all other windows contained amber tinted cathedral glass. Today most of the windows are all filled with stained glass by many other stained glass studios but the two large windows in the north and south transepts are still original. The Rev Dean Hayes memorial window by Ferguson & Urie is the oldest stained glass window in the Church.

Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Monday 5th February 1872, page 3.

“…its magnificent wheel window, 12 feet in diameter. This window is filled with flowing tracery, slightly French in its idea, and glazed with stained glass, intended as a memorial to the late Ven Dean Hayes, the subjects represented being the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph, St. Patrick, St. Bridget, St. Augustine, and St. Francis Xavier, with their corresponding symbols…”

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