Tag Archives: 1883

Oct 19 2012

10-03-1883: St John’s Church, Ballan, Victoria.

The Bacchus Marsh Express, Vic, Saturday 10th March 1883, page 3.

“BALLAN.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT)”

“THE stained glass window in memory of the late Mrs. Ocock has been put in St. John’s church. It is small but very handsome. It represents on one side the figure of the Good Shepherd, holding a lamb in his arms, and on the other, the figure of St. John the Evanjelist. The inscription under the former is “I am the Good Shepherd,” and under the latter “Little children love one another,” and below these “In memoriam, Rebecca Ocock, died 23rd August 1882.” The whole is most tasteful and handsome, and is executed in Ferguson & Urie’s well known style. The window was presented by the relations and connections of the deceased lady”.

Photos dated: 10th April 2011.

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St John’s Anglican Church is located in Simpson Street Ballan. Tenders for the erection of the Leonard Terry designed church were advertised in March 1860 [1] . Mrs Juliet Vivian Lyon (nee Anderson) laid the foundation stone in 1861 and the church was completed in early 1862 [2]. In March 1883 Ferguson & Urie erected a two light memorial window to the memory of Rebecca Mary Ocock [3] who died at Ballan on the 23rd of August 1882 in her 79th year. She was the wife of well known[4] and respected Ballan Solicitor Richard Ocock who died eleven months after her at Bungeeltap-house, on the 10th of July 1883 aged 79 [5]. They are both buried in the Ballan cemetery. The stained glass window depicts Christ as the Good Shepherd in the left light and St John in the other.

Note: Elizabeth, daughter of Rebecca Mary & Richard O’Cock, married Ballan Councillor Dougald MacPherson and she co-donated the liturgical west stained glass window of St Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Ballan , also created by Ferguson & Urie c.1866. See: 28-07-1866: St Paul’s Presbyterian Church, Ballan, Victoria.

Footnotes:

Sep 26 2012

08-12-1883: St Paul’s, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia.

The Capricornian, Rockhampton, QLD, Saturday 8th December 1883, page 13.

“The stained glass window for St. Paul’s Church, towards which the officers and work men of the Central Railway subscribed to liberally, has been set in position, and is a great ornament to the interior of the building. It forms the centre of the five windows facing William-street. In the centre is a figure of the Saviour, 6 ft. 3 in. high, clad in robes of varied hues, holding in one hand a ball, representing the world, while the other points up ward to a descending dove, in the centre of a number of rolling spheres of a silvery and golden tinge. Under the figure is the motto, ‘ I am the law, the word, the truth, and the life.’ Immediately below is an Agnus Dei in the centre of a sphere. The window, which is 13 ft- 7½ in. high and 2 ft. 8½ in. wide, was formally handed over on Saturday by Mr. I Linthwaite on behalf of the officers and work men on the Central Railway. The cost of it was about £130, and was made by Messrs. Ferguson and Urie of Melbourne, at a cost of  £2 2s. per superficial foot. It will always be a memento of the liberality of the men working on the railway, who subscribed freely when requested to do so by Mr. F. Linthwaite. All paid up well what they promised, a fact pleasingly commented on by Mr. Linthwaite. He stated that when the list was returned to him £120 15s. was written down, whilst the cash forwarded was £120 13s. 6d”.

Photos taken: September 2012. Thanks to Mr Mark Spearing, Gladstone, Qld.

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The text in the lower region of the window reads:

“I AM THE WAY THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE”

“A GIFT BY THE OFFICERS AND WORKMEN OF THE QUEENSLAND AND CENTRAL RAILWAYS”

Note: This article also appeared in the Morning Bulletin, Rockhampton, QLD, Monday 3rd December 1883, page 2.

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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 5 2012

26-06-1863: John Knox (Church of Christ), Swanston Street, Melbourne.

In the heart of Melbourne, opposite the State Library in Swanston Street, stands the former John Knox Free Presbyterian Church built in 1863 to the designs of Charles Webb. It contains many original Ferguson & Urie stained glass windows that are now over a century and a half old. The three-light Gothic decorated window facing Swanston Street is also rare, being one of only five extant windows known to have the Ferguson & Urie company name on it.

Photos were taken 16th January 2011.

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This is the second church erected on the site for the Free Presbyterians; the foundation stone of the first church was laid on Wednesday the 17th November 1847 on the corner of Little Lonsdale and Swanston Streets, Melbourne[1] and opened on the 8th May the following year.

Vandalism was a common occurrence in Colonial Melbourne and the Swanston Street Church was not immune. Four days after Christmas day in 1848 the windows of the church were the target of a supposed band of drunken bushmen who demolished the windows. A reward of three guineas was offered by the trustees for the apprehension of the sacrilegious perpetrators[2]. Fortunately, there is no historical attachment to these windows as there is no record of any historic stained glass this early in Melbourne’s history.

Twenty-six years later the church was deemed unsafe and at a public meeting circa 1862, it was resolved to build a new church on the same site, the foundation stone of which was laid on the 13th February 1863.[3]

The new church was reconstructed to the Neo-Gothic designs of architect Charles Webb and built by contractor Peter Cunningham and opened a mere six months later by the Reverend William McIntyre on the 26th of July 1863.

At a public meeting three days later the treasurer’s report was read:

“…Mr WILLIAM M. BELL, merchant, treasurer to the congregation, then read the report of the managers on the opening of the new church, which was as follows:- “The church built in 1847 having become unsafe, it was found necessary either to repair it at great expense, or build a new one. At a meeting duly called, it was resolved to build a new church, and we procured plans and specifications which were laid before, and approved of, by you. The foundation stone was laid by our pastor, on Friday, the 13th February last.…”[4]

This new church was decorated throughout with ornamental stained glass windows by the historic Ferguson & Urie stained glass company of North Melbourne and were described as follows:

“The stained glass for the ornamental windows was supplied by Messrs Ferguson and Urie, Curzon street, North Melbourne, and is of such a character as will not fail to secure for the firm a high position among the producers of this style of art manufacture….”[5]

All the stained glass windows are likely to have been installed at the time of the church construction in 1863 and the three-light window facing Swanston Street is a rarity amongst the early ecclesiastical windows created by the company as it is one of a rare few found to this date that has the company’s name on it, located in the lower edge of the centre light.

Since 1879 the church has been the home of the Church of Christ congregation and in 1883 the Presbyterians sold the building at auction which the Church of Christ took possession of at £4,500[6].

Significant tabloid transcriptions:

The Argus, Melbourne, Friday 24th July 1863, page 8.

“JOHN KNOX CHURCH, Swanston-street.- The NEW CHURCH will be OPENED for Divine Service upon Sabbath, the 26th inst. The Rev. WILLIAM MCINTYRE, of Sydney, will preach in the morning, at 11 o’clock, evening at 6.30; and the rev WILLIAM MILLER, Minister of the congregation, at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. A special collection in aid of the building fund will be made at these services. A public meeting of the congregation and friends will be held in the church upon Tuesday, the 28th, at 7 o’clock p.m., which will be addressed by several ministers and gentlemen.”

The Age, Melbourne, Vic, Wednesday 29th July 1863, page 6.

“JOHN KNOX FREE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, SWANSTON STREET.

A public meeting, in connection with the John Knox Free Presbyterian Congregation, was held yesterday evening, in the new church, which has been built by that body, in Swanston street. The new building, as our readers are aware, was opened for public worship on Sunday last. This edifice, if not of a most imposing character, is an exceedingly neat and elegant erection, and forms an addition to the architectural ornaments of the city, for the design of which Mr Charles Webb deserves much credit. It is in the early decorated style of Gothic architecture; the basement story is constructed of bluestone, the superstructure being of brick, which is already partially, and will be wholly finished with Portland cement. Internally, the church is 76 feet in extreme length, and 41 feet wide. The height of the walls is 21½ feet. The roof is of one span, and is open to the ridge so as to show the construction, and has a very fine effect, the trusses being ornamented with Gothic tracery and pendants. The timbers are stained in a light oak color. The pulpit and precentor’s desk are placed on a platform at the west end of the church, and are constructed of polished cedar, as are also the seats. In the basement story there are erected a vestry, session-house, and rooms for the residence of the beadle. The principal front of the building, facing Swanston street, presents the chief architectural features, consisting of a large “entrance doorway,: approached by a flight of nine steps, and enriched with Gothic columns with foliated capitals; and a handsome three-light window with Gothic tracery, and glazed with ornamental glass. The centre of the front projects so as to form the entrance lobby, and has at each angle an octagonal turret, of very handsome design rising to the height of 62ft. In the rear or west end of the building there is a handsome wheel window, glazed with ornamental glass, and the apex of this gable is surmounted by a neat bell turret. As we have already mentioned the architect was Mr Charles Webb, Collins street, and the contractor was Mr Peter Cunningham, Nicholson street, whose work has been performed most creditably. The stained glass for the ornamental windows was supplied by Messrs Ferguson and Urie, Curzon street, North Melbourne, and is of such a character as will not fail to secure for the firm a high position among the producers of this style of art manufacture….”

Note: This building was classified under the Historic Buildings Act 1974.

Footnotes:

[1] The Melbourne Argus, Vic, Friday 19th November 1847, page 2.

[2] The Argus, Melbourne, Friday 29th December 1848, page 2.

[3] The Age, Melbourne, Vic, Wednesday 29th July 1863, page 6.

[4] The Age, Melbourne, Vic, Wednesday 29th July 1863, page 6.

[5] The Age, Melbourne, Vic, Wednesday 29th July 1863, page 6.

[6] South Australian Register, Adelaide, Wednesday 14th March 1883, page 5.

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Article updated: 6th Oct 2014.

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May 15 2012

26-03-1883: St Luke’s Anglican Church, South Melbourne.

The foundation stone of St Luke’s Church of England was laid by Sir Henry Barkly on the 9th of  March 1857 at South Melbourne (at which time it was known as Emerald Hill).  The land the church now resides on was reserved in the original township plan back in 1852. The church was designed by Francis White and had a frontage to Clarendon Street before the church later sold it for retail development in the 1900’s which changed their address to the Dorcas street frontage. Architect Charles Webb added Transepts to the church in 1862 and it is the North Transept that has the Ferguson & Urie stained glass window.

The window depicts “Jesus in the House of Martha and Mary” and was installed in March 1883 to the memory of Mary Skeats (1817-1879) and has the memorial inscription “In Loving Memory of Mary the beloved wife of Charles Skeats, July 24th 1879.”

Photos taken 13th May 2012.

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Record, Emerald Hill, Vic, Friday 30th March 1883, page 3.

“…A very fine memorial window has also been placed in the church by Messrs. Ferguson and Urie in their most expensive style, to the order of Mr. Charles Skeats, in memory of his wife, Mary. The subject he has, therefore, very appropriately chosen, is Christ with Mary and Martha – “Mary hath chosen that good part,” &c. It is placed over the seat where Mrs. Mary Skeats used to sit in the church.”

The Argus, Melbourne, Monday 26th March 1883, page 5.

“Great improvements have been recently effected in St. Luke’s Church, Emerald-hill. The temporary arrangements of the east end of the church have been entirely altered, the choir seats, pulpit, and Communion table have all been rearranged, and a carpet and cedar reredos, with Gothic paneling, provided. A memorial window of stained glass has been also placed in the north transept by Mr Charles Skeats, in memory of his wife Mary Skeats, who used to sit in that part of the church. The subject is. “Mary hath chosen that good part,” &c.” 

The Argus, Melbourne, Saturday 26th July 1879, page 1.

SKEATS – On the 24th inst., at No. 10 Romsey-terrace, St Vincent place, Emerald hill, Mary, the beloved wife of Charles Skeats, Esq., aged 61 years. Deeply regretted.

The Argus, Melbourne, Friday 25th July 1879, page 8.

“THE Friends of CHARLES SKEATS, Esq., are respectfully invited to follow the remains of his beloved wife to the place of interment, the Melbourne General Cemetery.
The funeral is appointed to leave his residence, No 10 Romsey-terrace, St Vincent place south, Emerald-hill, on Saturday, the 26th inst., at two o’clock. THOMAS RENTLE, undertaker, 77 Napier-street, Emerald-hill”.

The Mary Skeats gravestone is located at the Melbourne General Cemetery, CofE, section W-189, but it has unfortunately fallen over sometime in the past century. Some of the text is still readable via digital images from beneath.

STH MELB St Lukes 98a

STH MELB St Lukes 98b

 

Attached documents:

09/03/1857: The Laying of the Foundation Stone of St Luke’s

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