Category Melbourne

Mar 26 2012

04-10-1881: Christ Church, South Yarra, Melbourne, Victoria

The foundation stone for Christ Church at South Yarra was laid on Saturday 26th April 1856 by Major General Macarthur[1] .Further enlargements were conducted in the following years and the new North Aisle was opened on Thursday 22 August 1889[2]. The three windows in east wall of the sanctuary were created by Ferguson & Urie and depict the crucifixion, in the centre, mother Mary in the left window and what I believe is Mary Magdalene in the right window. There are three other individual windows by Ferguson & Urie installed at later dates. The two in the south wall of the sanctuary were installed in March 1882, and depict St Peter & St John converting converts at Samaris and the other is Christ  commissioning St. Peter. In the north transept is a memorial window to ‘Justice Thomas Howard Fellows’ depicting the Good Samaritan.

Photos taken 25th March 2012. All six windows are included in the slideshow.

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The Argus, Melbourne, Tuesday 4th October 1881, page 6.

“ENLARGEMENT OF CHRIST CHURCH SOUTH YARRA. …”

“… At the eastern end has been added a sanctuary of very pleasant proportions, lighted by three dwarf windows, in which there will be stained glass …”.

Justice Thomas Howard Fellows had long associations with the Queenscliff congregation and had, in 1866, donated the magnificent east window of St Georges Church in Queenscliff, and the Twelve Apostle windows in the nave, which were also crafted by Ferguson & Urie.

On the 12th April 1938 the Argus reported[3] (in relation to Christ Church South Yarra) “Historic Church may have to be closed …”. Obviously this never eventuated.

Related posts:

17-03-1882: Christ Church, South Yarra.

07-04-1882: St George’s Church, Queenscliff.

29-01-1866: St Georges Church Queenscliff.

Footnotes:

Mar 24 2012

02-01-1882: Church donations.

The Argus. Melbourne, Monday 2nd January 1882, page 7.

St John’s Anglican Church Toorak, Victoria.

“THE ANGLICAN CATHEDRAL […]”

“The following additional promises and payments have been received at the Diocean Registry:[…]”

“[…]Messrs Ferguson and Urie £3.3[…]”

Over many years Ferguson & Urie made liberal donations to many institutions and churches. Although they were staunch Presbyterians they made no distinction between the faiths when it came to charitable donations.

Mar 20 2012

07-05-1880: St. George’s Presbyterian Church, St. Kilda East, Victoria.

St George’s Presbyterian East St Kilda opened for divine service on Sunday 3rd October. This was the second opening of the church after extensions. It includes the burning bush window in the north transept. All other windows were also made by Ferguson & Urie.

The Argus, Melbourne, Friday 7th May 1880, page 5.

“The foundation-stone of the enlargement of St. George’s Presbyterian Church, St Kilda East, will be laid at 4 o’clock this afternoon by Sir James McCulloch, in presence of the moderator and other leading clergy of the General Assembly. This church is little more than three years old. Since the arrival from England of its first clergyman, the Rev. J.L. Rentoul, M.A., in June of last year, the building has become overcrowded, and it is now to be enlarged to twice its present size. The nave is to be extended, and chancel and transepts added. The organ chamber will be at the end of the south transept. The chancel will have a beautiful stained-glass memorial window, the gift of lady McCulloch.”

The Australasian Sketcher with Pen and Pencil, Melbourne, Saturday 23 October 1880, page 278.

“… All the windows are filled with stained glass by Ferguson & Urie, the principal windows being gifts from friends of the church…”
“…This church was commenced in 1877, the memorial stone being laid by Sir James McCulloch on 21st April in that year…”

A considerable number of the original Ferguson & Urie windows still exist in St George’s and these are all included in the slideshow.

Photos taken: 6th March 2011.

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An interesting coincidental note:

The son of the Rev John Laurence Rentoul, John Noel Rentoul, married James Ferguson’s granddaughter, Elsie May Auld, in 1911. Elsie was my Great Grandmothers sister.

RENTOUL Elsie May Auld - John Noel Rentoul 01a

RENTOUL:  Elsie May Auld &  John Noel Rentoul, married Melbourne 1911

External links:

Biography: Sir James McCulloch (1819-1893)

Biography: Rev John Laurence Rentoul (1846-1926)

Shortlink to this page: https://wp.me/p28nLD-tR

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Mar 17 2012

30-01-1879: Melbourne Hospital, West wing, 1879.

This post has been superseded by an new/updated article I posted on 13th Feb 2013. See: https://wp.me/p28nLD-1BO

In 1878, the well known flamboyant and controversial surgeon of the Melbourne Hospital, James George Beaney, donated £150 towards a Ferguson & Urie stained glass window to be erected in the west wing of the Melbourne Hospital.

The Argus, Melbourne, Thursday 30th January 1879, page 10.

 “… Contributions amounting to £868 4s. 8d. have been paid to the building fund, which have been further augmented by the kind and liberal donation of £105 from Mr. Jas. Geo. Beaney, one of the honorary surgeons, who, previous to his departure for Europe on leave of absence, expressed his wish to present a stained-glass window, to be placed in the west wing of the hospital. The committee had much pleasure in assisting to give effect to his generous offer, and entrusted the work to Messrs. Ferguson and Urie, who executed the commission to the satisfaction of the donor. This acceptable present has greatly improved that portion of the building….”

James George Beaney (1828-1891), was a senior surgeon at the Melbourne Hospital who, by most accounts, it would seem, was regarded as a ‘quack’. His flamboyant clothing included adornments such as diamond studs, rings, pendants and other expensive paraphernalia that earned him the much lampooned title of ‘Diamond Jim’. His other title, ‘Champagne Jimmy’, was undoubtedly due to his generous hospitality at the conclusion of his lectures and operations where he would distribute copious quantities of champagne and claret. His first claim to notoriety was the charge of murder of a St Kilda barmaid in 1866 in which the post mortem indicated he had performed an illegal abortion but the charge was dismissed due to insufficient evidence. In the following years he had to defend himself at further three times against various charges of perceived medical negligence.

Regarded by his conservative peers as crass and egotistical, he was also dubiously noted as a competent surgeon and would regularly perform risky major operations, with varying degrees of success that his peers would not dare to attempt. In his will of 1892 will left a considerable sum of money for the establishment of two Scholarships in Pathology and Surgery which still exist to this day.

Further alternate research is required to ascertain a better perception of the subjects character and correct place in history.

The Melbourne Hospital has moved a number of times since the laying of the first foundation stone on the corner of Swanston and Lonsdale street in 1848. This has also made it difficult to ascertain whether the window may still have existed. Fortunately it does and was relocated to the Chapel at the Monash Medical Centre at Clayton in Victoria in 1988.

The Royal Melbourne Hospital records the following information about the movements of the window between 1878 and 1888;

“In 1878, Beaney donated a large stained glass window to the Melbourne Hospital. Fabricated by Messrs. Ferguson and Urie at a cost of 150 pounds, the window was originally housed in the west wing of the hospital when it was located on Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. When the hospital was rebuilt on the same site in 1913, the window was relocated to the Chapel facing Russell Street. It remained on this site following the move of The Royal Melbourne Hospital to Parkville in 1944, and the occupation of the buildings by the former Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital from 1946 to 1988. In the late 1980s following the closure of the Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital, the window was transferred to the Chapel of Monash Medical Centre’s Clayton Campus.”

A very special thanks to Laurel Clark for her assistance and contributing these images of the Beaney window, taken on the 18th May 2012. An article, with updated information and photos from the Monash Medical Centre at Clayton can be seen here (Monash Medical Centre Clayton)

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Note: The upper portions of this window has been reinstalled in the frame in reverse (most likely done in 1988) so the text and images are actually seen in reverse. To show correct perspective, the closeup cropped images have been ‘mirrored’ so that the text can be read from the correct perspective.

An explanation of what I see in the Beaney window:

The top roundel has the text “Hope” with a biblical scene.

The heads of two Greek Gods are shown on the left and right edges of the window with the text:
“HYGIEIA” – Greek – The daughter of god of medicine “Asclepius”. The name “HYGIEIA” forms the modern word “Hygiene” (the goddess/personification of health, cleanliness, and sanitation)
“ESCULAP” – Greek – Also written as “Asclepius” – Greek God of Medicine and Healing.

The central image in the window has the text: “SHE TOOK UP HER SON – AND WENT OUT – 2Kings 4-37“ with scene depicting the sick.

The bottom roundel on the window has the text “Hope” with biblical scene.

At the very bottom of the window, left and right corners, is the depiction of a shield or coat of arms and the other corner looks to be a woman holding a wand over a man tending a sick person.

The donor’s text is at the bottom of the window and reads:
“THE GIFT OF JAMES GEORGE BEANEY F.R.C.S HONORARY SURGEON OF THIS HOSPITAL 1878”.

The brass plaque on the wall in the vicinity of the window reads:

THE BEANEY WINDOW (CENTRAL PANEL) (1879) A GIFT TO THE (ROYAL) MELBOURNE HOSPITAL BY MR. JAMES GEORGE (JIM) BEANEY F.R.C.S. (EDIN) AND HONORARY SURGEON OF THE HOSPITAL. FABRICATED BY MESSRS. FERGUSON & URIE AT THE COST OF 105 POUNDS AND HOUSED IN THE WEST WING. THE SIDE PANELS (1867) WHICH FLANKED THE LONSDALE STREET ENTRANCE AND THE BEANEY WINDOW WERE REHOUSED IN THEIR PRESENT FORM IN THE HOSPITAL CHAPEL DURING THE 1910/13 REBUILDING.
ACQUIRED BY THE QUEEN VICTORIA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL (MONASH MEDICAL CENTRE) THROUGH OCCUPATION OF THE LONSDALE STREET BUILDINGS (1946) FOLLOWING THE RELOCATION OF THE ROYAL MELBOURNE HOSPITAL TO PARKVILLE (1944). TRANSFERRED TO CLAYTON SITE, 1988.

 

Melbourne Hospital, Swanston Street, 1867

Melbourne Hospital, Swanston Street, 1867 (in-line image from NLA)

Related posts:

1988: Monash Medical Centre, Clayton, Victoria.

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

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Mar 16 2012

21-09-1878: St. Phillip’s, Collingwood, Victoria.

The foundation stone of  St. Phillip’s was laid by the Governor on the 29th December 1863.

The Age, 28th April 2005, reported that St Phillip’s had been demolished in October 1968 at the instigation of the Bishop Geoffrey Sambell in defiance of a National Trust order.

A new bluestone church was built on the site of the old church hall circa 1999. The new church’s main window is now an eight-metre-high stained glass window facing Hoddle Street, designed by Christopher John of Phoenix Glass, at Box Hill, at a cost of $96,000.

The windows of the original church were made by Ferguson & Urie over a number of years and were relocated before the 1968 demolition:

The Church of England Messenger, Melbourne, Vic, Thursday 7th October 1875, page 4-5.

“ST. PHILIP’S MELBOURNE.- At a recent meeting of the friends of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, Gold-street, it was resolved to contribute £100 per annum towards a curate for St. Philip’s parish, to assist the rev. J. Caton. It was also resolved to make an addition to the church by enlarging the present vestry, and making it available for a class-room. The appointment of a curate will be, it is hoped, a great acquisition to the parish. Hitherto Mr. Baker, a lay helper, has conducted services, but failing sight renders it desirable he should have rest. Messrs. Ferguson and Urie have just completed and erected in St. Philips Church a very pretty specimen of their artistic skill in stained glass, in the shape of a “memorial window,” made to order of the incumbent, the Rev. John Caton. During the late fatal visitation of measles and their after effects, the parsonage was not exempt, and a younger son of the rev. gentleman was carried off by death. The following is the inscription:- “Erected by the Rev. John Caton to the glory of god, and in memory of his beloved son, Herbert Henry Carus, who died Feb. 3rd, 1875, aged two years and four months.” The window is a great ornament to the sacred edifice, and a lasting memorial of parental love and affection to the little blossom snatched by death and rescued from this world of sorrows to enjoy the bliss of the courts of heaven.- From the local papers.”

Mercury and Weekly Courier, Victoria, Saturday 21st September 1878, page 2.

“… numerous memorial stained glass windows gives the church a very solemn and beautiful appearance. A portion of another memorial window to the memory of the late Rev. B.S. Walker, first incumbent, is now in course of execution by Messrs. Fergusson [sic] and Urie, and will comprise a full length figure of St. Phillip, the patron saint of the church.”

Fortunately seven of the original historic Ferguson & Urie stained glass windows still exist and were subsequently installed in the chapel of the Swan Hill Pioneer Settlement.

Photographs courtesy of Mrs Noelle Nathan, taken at the Swan Hill Pioneer Settlement Chapel 06/04/2012.

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External links:

Trove Obituary: Rev. B. S. Walker

Trove: St Philips Collingwood, 1866.

Short link to this page: https://wp.me/p28nLD-s0

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Mar 16 2012

26-07-1878: Reward for Lost Deeds and Plan.

The Argus, Melbourne, Friday 26th July 1878, page 1.

“TEN SHILLINGS REWARD – LOST, DEEDS and Plan, Elizabeth and Victoria streets. Apply Ferguson and Urie, 10 Collins-street east”.

I have no idea what relevance this is or whether it was actually anything to do with Ferguson & Urie or an employee who may have lost the “deeds”. The address “10 Collins-street east” is six years before the Ferguson & Urie seven storey building was erected on the site in 1884.

Related posts:

22-08-1884: The Ferguson & Urie New Premises at 281-283 Collins Street.

Mar 16 2012

13-12-1877: McNeill’s Art-Union.

The Argus, Melbourne, Thursday 13the December 1877, page 8.

An advertisement appeared in the Argus for “McNeill’s Art-Union”. Signatures of the Committee of Drawing include a “Mr. J. Ross” from “Ferguson & Urie”.

I don’t have any recorded information about an employee named J. Ross who may have worked for the company. His photo doesn’t appear anywhere in the 1887 employee dinner poster so the assumption is that he has left the company sometime between 1877-1887.

Mar 16 2012

15-08-1877: Advertisements.

The Argus, Melbourne, Tuesday 15th August 1877.

 Advertisements for Ferguson & Urie appear as “Hotham” instead of “North Melbourne”.

On the 18th of December 1874, “Hotham” was proclaimed a town in its own right and thirteen years later changed back to “North Melbourne” on the 26th of August 1887. Ferguson & Urie’s competitors in the glass trade, “Brooks Robinson & Co”, are at this stage, still advertising themselves as just plate glass merchants. A European competitor in the trade, Vander Poorten of Brussels, has now implanted a family representative in Melbourne and has begun to advertise themselves for their overseas studio from an address at 4 Darling Terraces in Drumond street, Carlton.

 

4 Darling Terrace, Drumond Street Carlton. 17/03/2012.

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Mar 16 2012

06-12-1876: Scots’ Church, Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria.

This article covers the two largest stained glass windows in Scots Church, Collins Street, Melbourne. Both windows were made by the North Melbourne stained glass firm, Ferguson & Urie.

The window facing Collins Street depicts the “The Eight Episodes from the Gospels” and was donated by Sir Samuel Wilson in 1876. The window in the liturgical south transept, facing Russell street, depicts “The Last Supper” and was donated by John Wilson (brother of Sir Samuel) in 1879.

The Argus, Melbourne, 6th December 1876, page 5.

 “The large window in front of Scots’ Church, Collins-street, has just been filled in with stained glass. The window is in four compartments, with Gothic tracery over each of them. Each compartment is filled in with two Scripture illustrations, with canopies and ornaments in accordance with the style of architecture. The subjects in the first compartment are “Christ Preaching to the Multitude from the Ship”, and the parable of “The Sower”. In the second compartment “Christ Rebuking the Pharisees”, and “The Pharisee and the Publican in the Temple”; in the third “Christ at Meat in the Pharisee’s House”, and the parable of “The Lost Sheep”; and in the fourth, “Christ Weeping over Jerusalem”, and the parable of “The Un-just Steward”, The tracery is filled in with angels bearing scrolls. The subjects illustrated were suggested by the Rev. C. Strong, the minister of the church and in the style of decoration was under the superintendence of Messrs. Reed and Barnes, architects. The work was executed by Messrs Ferguson and Urie, Collins-street, at the cost of £500, to the order of Sir Samuel Wilson, and bears the following inscription at the bottom of the window:- “Presented to Scots’ Church by the Hon. Sir Samuel Wilson, A D, 1876”

Riverine Herald, Echuca, Vic, Tuesday 19th December 1876, page 3.

“A magnificent new stained glass window has been completed to the order of Sir Samuel Wilson, and fitted in the front of Scots’ Church Collins street. It is a beautiful work of art, the design being appropriate, and the execution exquisite.”

The second largest window in Scots church, “The Last Supper”, in the south transept, was also the work of Ferguson & Urie and was donated by Samuel Wilson’s elder brother, John Wilson, in 1879.

Photos taken 12th December 2010;

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THE EIGHT EPISODES FROM THE GOSPELS:

The west window is known as “The Eight Episodes from the Gospels” and has its own individual National Trust Classification granted in November 1992. It was donated by Sir Samuel Wilson and installed in 1876 at a cost of £450 (this differs from the newspaper articles reported cost of £500).

At the very top of the tracery is a trefoil with the cross and crown depicted. On the lower left and right off that are floating angels with ribbons of text that read:

‘HOSANNA | HALLALUIAH’

Further down are two quatrefoils depicting angels with ribbons of text that read:

‘THY KINGDOM COME | THY WILL BE DONE’

The text at the bottom of the window reads:

‘THIS WINDOW WAS PRESENTED | TO THE SCOTS CHURCH BY THE | HONBLE SIR SAMUEL WILSON | ANNO DOMINI 1876.’

The scenes, chapters, and verses displayed on the window are; from top left to right and bottom left to right are:

1:  (Matt 13-2) Jesus teaching the people from a boat.
2:  (Luke 11-37) Jesus teaching the people.
3:  (Luke 7–37) A woman wiping Jesus’ feet with her hair.
4:  (Luke 19-41) Jesus weeping over the City of Jerusalem.
5:  (Matthew 13–3) The parable of the Sower.
6:  (Luke 18–10) The parable of the Pharisee and the Publican.
7:  (Luke 15 -3) The parable of the Shepherd with Lost Sheep.
8:  (Luke 19-20) The parable of the Talents (or Minas).

THE LAST SUPPER WINDOW:

The Last Supper window is the second largest window in the church and was gifted by John Wilson. Esq, J. P of Woodlands (brother of Sir Samuel), it cost of £350 and was installed in the South Transept in 1879.

There were some reservations about who should be commissioned to create the window. Mrs Judith Kilmartin from Scots Church kindly provided this information 7th February 2011:

An excerpt from the Scots’ Church Board of Management Minutes of 9th August 1878 reads:-“The subject of the gift of a stained glass window for the East (South) Transept promised by Mr John Wilson came up for discussion and fear was expressed lest its execution should be trusted to inferior makers.  Eventually, Mr B??  moved that the Board convey to the Trustees the expression that the manufacture of this window should be entrusted to some leading English firm”.

Obviously the trustees ignored the advice of the board and the work was subsequently entrusted to the local Melbourne firm Ferguson & Urie who had previously done the magnificent eight episodes from the gospels window in 1876. Why the board were considering an English firm to create the window will probably remain a mystery forever!

Text on the Last Supper window reads:

In the upper three trefoils. above the main five lights, are three trefoils with emblems representing Faith, Hope and Charity. Below that are two quatrefoils with an angel in each holding a ribbon banner with the text:

‘THIS IS MY COMMANDMENT | THAT WE LOVE ONE ANOTHER’

The main three lights read:

‘THIS IS MY BODY | WHICH IS GIVEN FOR YOU | THIS DO IN | REMEMBRANCE OF ME’

‘THIS WINDOW WAS PRESENTED | TO THE SCOTS CHURCH | BY JOHN WILSON ESQ J.P | OF WOODLANDS’

Sir Samuel Wilson’s mansion “Longerenong” (Crouch & Wilson 1862), and John Wilson’s mansion “Woodlands” (Crouch & Wilson 1867), both also contain magnificent secular stained glass windows created by Ferguson & Urie.

Related posts:

1868: John Wilson’s ‘Woodlands’ at Ararat

External links:

Biography: Sir Samuel Wilson (1832-1895)

Death Notice: John Wilson (1813-1888)

Wikipedia: Scots’ Church Melbourne

National Trust: Scots’ Church Melbourne

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

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Mar 13 2012

18-11-1876: St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, Richmond, Melbourne, Victoria.

The foundation stone of St Stephen’s Church was laid in June 1850 and the incomplete church opened in November 1851. In 1863 the north aisle, designed by Nathaniel Billing, was erected and the west wall rebuilt. The south aisle and chancel were erected in 1876 and the choir vestry in 1923.

The Argus, Melbourne, Saturday 18th November 1876, page 7.

“The Church of England in Richmond celebrated its 25th anniversary on Wednesday evening by a festive gathering in the local hall […]”.

 “….The following list of special gifts was also read:- Chancel and stone work of east window at two friends’ joint cost; chancel window, Mr. George Coppin, M.L.A…”

 “… The Rev. C. T. Perks, the incumbent, in his address, said that an old friend had, unsolicited, offered to give a handsome memorial window to commemorate the 25th anniversary. The work was entrusted to Messrs. Fergusson (sic) and Urie.…”

There are four instances of Ferguson & Urie windows in St Stephens church:

1. The west 25th Anniversary window (1851-1876) is a three light window with the outer lancets having geometric designs with the year 1851 in the left window and 1876 in the right. The centre light depicts the Ascension in the top half with the words “HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN” below it and the letters “IHS” in the lower half.  The text at the bottom of the windows reads:  ”GIFT OF JOHN AND MARY J PATERSON LONDON, MARRIED JULY 26th 1859″.

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Thursday 28th July 1859, page 4.

“On the 26th inst., at St. Stephen’s, Richmond, by the Rev. C. Perks, John Paterson, Esq., merchant, Melbourne, to Mary Jane, eldest daughter of the late William Mungo Glaister. Esq., London.”

2. The east five light window in the chancel  was donated by entertainer and politician George Selth Coppin. It depicts a full length figure of St. Stephen, the patron saint of the church, in the centre light. The outer lights, of geometric designs, have in each a medallion of the four evangelists, St Matthew as the winged man, St Mark as a winged Lion, St Luke as the winged Bull and St John as an Eagle. Above the five lights is a roundel depicting the Agnes Dei or Paschal lamb carrying the flag of St George and is surrounded by six round lobes of flora with the heavenly Dove in the top lobe.

3. On the South side of the church there is also a quatrefoil window that depicts the holy dove within a Hexagram, or Star of David, and surrounded by floral designs.

4. On the North side there is a quatrefoil that depicts the gold crown in the centre of floral designs.

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Related posts:

12-07-1862: The Shakespeare window at the Haymarket Theatre, Melbourne (also commissioned by Coppin).

External links:

Biography: George Selth Coppin (1819-1906)

Obituary : Coppin, George Selth (1819–1906) (I submitted this transcription to Obituaries Australia on 13-03-2012).

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

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