Category St James

Oct 14 2012

20-07-1872: St James Church, Drysdale, Victoria.

St James Church at Drysdale was constructed between 1871-72 with bricks donated, and made locally in Portarlington, by Thomas Henry Widdicombe. The architect was Andrew McWilliams from Geelong

The first stained glass window to be erected in the church by Ferguson & Urie was the three-light chancel window in 1872 and subscribed for by the parishioners. Twenty years later, in 1892. the single light memorial window to John Drake and his wife Susannah Tomazin (nee Avery) was erected by their family.

Photos dated: 14th October 2012.

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The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Saturday 20th July 1872, page 5.

“A handsome little place of worship, designated St. James’s Church, and situated about a quarter of a mile from the township of Drysdale, is to be opened to-morrow by the Right Rev. the Bishop of Melbourne. The building is in the pointed Gothic style, with lancet windows, having a tower on the south-west gable and finished pinnacles. The walls are built of bricks made by Mr. Widdicombe, of Drysdale, and the dressings are of white pressed bricks from the same maker. The chancel and vestry are on the north-east side of the building, the whole presenting the appearance of a fine little country church. In the chancel is placed a beautifully curved stained-glass window, the chief subject presented being the four Mary’s at the tomb. The nave lights are of yellow-tinted cathedral glass. The table, reading-desk, chairs, &c., are of Gothic pattern, and varnished. The platform for the harmonium is elevated, and has a neat painted screen, upon which is painted the words “Let all the earth praise the Lord.” Upon the walls and other parts of the interior are inscribed other appropriate texts from the scriptures. The building was designed by and erected under the supervision of Mr. McWilliams, architect, of Drysdale.”

Geelong Advertiser, Vic, Wednesday 8th October 1873, page 3.

“…,The stained window in the chancel has the centre piece, the women at the tomb after the Resurrection, and the words “He is not here, He is risen,” underneath. The nave windows are filled with thick cathedral and colored glass. The whole work is tasty and reflects credit on the congregation…”

In 1892 another Ferguson & Urie single light window was erected in the south wall of the nave to the memory of the Drake family:

The Church of England Messenger for Victoria and Ecclesiastical Gazette for the Diocese of Melbourne. No.289 Vol.XXIV Melbourne November 4, 1892, page 191.

“Drysdale.  ‘A very handsome stained-glass memorial window has been placed in St. James’ Church, Drysdale.  The subject of the window is “The Raising of Lazarus”, and a special service to inaugurate the opening of the window was conducted by the Rev, S.C. Kent on Sunday October 16th.  The text on the window (John XI. 43-44) formed the subject of an interesting and instructive sermon.  There was a large congregation, both morning and evening.  The inscription on the window is –To the Glory of God, and in memory of Mr. and Mrs. John Drake. Erected by their family. The work was executed by Messrs. Ferguson & Urie.”

John Drake (1828-1892) was born in Devonshire, England, to William Drake and Mary Pillar. He married Susannah Tomazin Avery (1827-1887) in Devonshire circa 1852 and they emigrated to Australia sometime between 1852-54. They took up farming on the Bellarine Peninsula near Drysdale and had a further six known children between 1857 and 1867. Many of their descendants still reside in the area to this day.

Susanna died on the 11th of July 1887 at the age of 60 and John died in at the age of 64 on the 24th April 1892. On October the 16th 1892, the stained glass window by Ferguson & Urie was unveiled to their memory in St James Church in Drysdale by their children. Based on the glass painting style I suspect this window was painted by Charles William Hardess who began his apprenticeship with Ferguson & Urie as a boy.

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Jun 5 2012

23-07-1883: St James’s Old Cathedral, Melbourne.

The foundation stone of St Jame’s was originally laid in 1839 by the newly appointed Superintendent of the Port Phillip District, Charles La Trobe, later to be Governor of the Colony of Victoria. The Church was opened in 1842 and the first Bishop, Charles Perry, installed in 1848.

In 1883 the church underwent extensive renovations and one of the alterations was the replacement of the plain chancel window with a “handsome stained glass window, enriched with scripture texts” which was made by Ferguson & Urie of North Melbourne.

In 1891 St James’s status changed back to that of a Parish church when St Paul’s Cathedral opened in Swanston Street. When the church was condemned in 1913 there were concerns that the parish could not afford the repairs or rebuilding of St James’s on the current site. Considerable funds were subsequently realised for the sale of the land which enabled the church to be dismantled and moved to a new location. Whelan the Wrecker was contracted to perform the move in 1913 and so it was relocated stone by stone to its present site on the corner of King and Batman streets under the direction of Messrs Thomas Watts and Son, architects. The church was re-consecrated by Archbishop Lowther Clark, and opened on the19th of April 1914.

A close inspection of the stained glass window in the chancel clearly shows that it had been shortened from its original height and this would have most likely occurred as a result of the ceiling height being reduced when the church was reconstructed in 1914.

Photos taken 21st August 2010.

 

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The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Monday 23rd July 1883, page 5.

“St. James’s Church, which has recently undergone extensive repairs, was re-opened yesterday morning by the Bishop of Melbourne, assisted by the Dean. There was a very large congregation. The bishop preached the sermon. One of the alterations is the substitution of a handsome stained glass window, enriched with scripture texts, for the plain coloured glass window that was formerly in the chancel. There is also a new altar cloth, in red velvet, beautifully decorated by some young ladies of the congregation, and the drapery of the reading-desk and pulpit is likewise new and of the same material. The bishop’s throne has been re-covered and the chancel has been re-carpeted, and the whole interior of the church has been brightened up. In the renovations the organ has not been neglected. A tablet in memory of the late Rev. M. H. Becher, who was incumbent of the church for 22 years, has been affixed tot he walls by parishioners. A very interesting relic in this church is the marble font which was formerly in St. Catherine’s Church, London, but was secured by the late Governor Latrobe when that church was pulled down in order to make room for docks, and presented to St. James’s. The age of the vessel is not known, but it has been in use in St. James’s for 35 years.”

The Argus, Melbourne, Wednesday 21st May 1913, page 12.

“ST. JAMES’S OLD CATHEDRAL”

“POSSIBLE DEMOLITION”

Those citizens of Melbourne who are interested in the historic landmarks of the city in the shape of old buildings, will regret to hear that St James’s Old Cathedral, situated between William and King streets, in Little Collins street, Melbourne, is marked for destruction. The information was made public by the incumbent of St James’s, the Ven. Archdeacon Hindley, vicar-general of the diocese, during the course of his sermon on Sunday. The Archdeacon stated that the building had been condemned as unsafe, and that the conduct of services therein would have to be discontinued. It appears that recent rains had left pronounced damp stains on the walls of the chancel, and the trouble became so aggravated that an expert architect’s advice was sought. A close inspection of the building disclosed the fact that the chancel was in imminent danger of collapse. The chancel arch was discovered to be not an arch at all, but a lath and plaster screen covering the stone wall, and resting for support upon an Oregon pine girder. This girder in turn was found to rest upon a layer of mortar, which is crumbling away. The girder itself is badly affected with dry rot, and the whole position was found to be so unsatisfactory that the church wardens decided to suspend worship in the church rather than run any risk of accident. The foundation stone of St James’s Church was laid on November 9, 1839, by Governor C. J. Latrobe, and the church at one time filled a very prominent place in the religious life of the city. However, the residential population which might provide a congregation for St James’s has long since ebbed far out from its area. The question of the reconstruction or demolition of St. James’s church is one for the council of the diocese to settle, and that body will probably consider the matter at its next meeting on June 7. It is certain that the present casual congregation could not raise the funds necessary either for the repair or rebuilding of the church. When speaking on the subject yesterday afternoon, the chancellor of the diocese, Mr. McLennan, said that for a long time past a great city mission, under the aegis of the Anglican Church had been talked of, and this projected movement might influence the determinations with regards to St. James’s. He did not speak officially, but his own views were that the St. James’s site might be found of great value in relation to such a scheme, while the church, as a place of worship, was admittedly very near the Cathedral for rebuilding. In any case, great interest attaches to the fate of the historic edifice”.

 Annear, Robyn. 2005: A City Lost & Found: Whelan the Wreckers Melbourne; Black Inc Publisher, Melbourne, pages 21-22.

 “It was Jim Whelan’s task to dismantle the church and cart it in pieces to the new site, less than a mile away. The solid stones of the outer wall were kept – each one carefully numbered for re-erection – but the inner walls, of compacted shells and rubble, were replaced on the new site with reinforced concrete. Changes were made, too, in the old cathedral’s design. The ceiling was lowered, supporting columns omitted, and the tower altered once more, this time to improve the peal of the bells – it was a long time since it had been safe to ring them.

One stone that didn’t make it to the new site was the foundation stone of the old St James’. Charles La Trobe, newly landed Superintendent of the Port Phillip District, had laid the stone in 1839. There being no monumental mason in the town at that time, the foundation stone had gone unmarked. The words that ought to have been inscribed theron were read aloud by La Trobe from a parchment which, along with a few coins, was poked into a bottle and thence into a niche in the foundation stone. Seventy-five years later, neither bottle nor foundation stone came to light. It was supposed that, being unmarked, the stone had simply escaped notice in the course of relocation and its contents lost – or else, that both had been missing since 1850 when the original foundations were replaced. In 1929, however, the then-minister of St James’s claimed to have discovered the truth of the matter.

‘I found that the carter who transferred the material to the new site was responsible for destroying the foundation stone. He accidentally broke it and then threw the parts on the rubbish heap and gave the contents to his friends, keeping the most valuable himself’.

Had the carter unburdened himself, I wonder, or been unburdened on?. Aside from his fee, Jim Whelan didn’t carry much away from the St James’ job. The only lasting trace would be an in-house joke, that ran like this – One of Whelan’s men wrote to his folks in Ireland: “Australia’s a great country. Back home we wreck Protestant churches for nothing; here, they pay you to do it.” Years later, an alleged relic would occupy pride of place at Whelan the Wrecker headquarters. It was a wrecker’s bar with the inscription: “Used for wrecking Protestant churches.”

Related posts:

27-07-1885: St Paul’s Pro Cathedral, Flinders St, Melbourne, Victoria.

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Jun 1 2012

24-09-1924: The Rosalie Grundy window, St James Church, Glenburn (Delamere), South Australia.

In 1889 a memorial window was unveiled by the young boy Archie Grundy to the memory of his mother Rosalie Grundy in St James’s Church Glenburn (now known as Delamere). The window was created by Ferguson & Urie of Melbourne and supposedly took two years to make.

There are actually three windows in the chancel of St James that are by Ferguson & Urie and all are of similar design and layout. The left window is of St James Major, the centre light is of Jesus Christ, and the right light is of St John. It’s not known whether there is specific memorial text below each window that identifies which particular window either side Christ is the memorial to William Gerrard or Rosalie Grundy as the lower portions are obscured from view.

I disagree with the mention in the 1929 news article that the Grundy window “…took two years in making, because of the difficulty of matching the two new lights with the centre figure of St James…”. This is obviously wrong as the centre figure is of Christ not St James (St James Major) which is the left window. It does suggests that that each window was made at different times in history which is not unusual. I would suggest that the statement about the window being “two years in making” has been misinterpreted over the 35 years that followed. It’s more likely that the funds for the window took two years to raise, or it was simply created two years after the other two windows or something similar. It would difficult to imagine Ferguson & Urie not being easily able to match their own work to something they created earlier unless they had completely lost the designs of their earlier work for the church or the time frame between correspondence with Melbourne and Glenburn/Delamere in South Australia was a contributing factor.

Photos kindly contributed by Mrs Noelle Nathan, taken November 2010.

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Significant transcriptions:

The Register, Adelaide, South Australia, Wednesday 24th September 1924, page 12.

“… Rosalie Grundy died at the birth of her only son and child, now Archie Grundy, who has just sold his beautiful property at the Valley, intending to reside in town. In 1889 he unveiled a memorial window to his mother in St. James’s, Glenburn. The window was the work of Ferguson & Urie, of Melbourne, and took two years in making, because of the difficulty of matching the two new lights with the centre figure of St James.…”

Observer. Adelaide, SA, Saturday 11th February 1928, page 48.

“SOME OLD FAMILIES OF RAPID BAY.

By Miss L. Webb.

Among the old hands of Rapid Bay were the Grundy family, whose name has now passed out of the district. The late Joseph Grundy was a well-known pastoralist of the south, and his parents were there before him. His first wife was Rosalie, daughter of the late James Lord. She died a year after marriage, leaving a son, now Mr. Archie Grundy, of Glenelg. The second Mrs. Grundy was Miss Sophia Helen Shillabeer, of an old established family in the district. There were two daughters of this marriage. Mrs. Grundy was a keen war worker, and was on the committee of the Second Valley War Memorial. She was greatly attached to St James’s Church, Glenburn, in which she was confirmed, and in whose church yard she was buried. The east window of St. James’s is in memory of the first Mrs. Grundy, and was unveiled by her son, then quite a child, it was the work of Ferguson & Urie, of Melbourne…”

The Advertiser, Adelaide, SA, Wednesday 21st August 1929, page 15.

 “ST. JAMES’S CHURCH GLENBURN”

 “… The foundation stone was laid on September 19, 1870, by Dean Russell, assisted by the Revs. Green (Port Adelaide), Howell (Port Elliot), Howitt (Robe), and Morse. The building was designed by Mr. William Anderson, C. E., and was opened on May 4, 1871 by Bishop Short, the Governor of the Province (Sir James Fergusson) being present…”

“… The centre light of the east window represents our Lord. One of the sidelights is in memory of Mr. William Gerrard, a foundation member and benefactor of the church. He left it a sum which yields from £30 to £35 per annum. The other light was in memory of Rosalie, first wife of Joseph Grundy, of Second Valley, and was unveiled by her son and only child, Mr. Archie Grundy, then a boy. There are also windows in memory of Frederick William Collins and Egbert Bennett, both baptised and confirmed in the church, and who gave their lives in the Great War…”

Other references:

The Advertiser, Adelaide, SA, Wednesday 21st August 1929, page 15.

Publications not yet viewed:

The Anglican Church of St James, Delamere, 1871-2001 /​ Maurice V. Carter.