Tag Archives: St. Mary’s

May 13 2015

1864: St Mary’s Anglican Church, Bulla, Victoria

Thirty kilometres north of Melbourne and eleven kilometres east of Sunbury is the township of Bulla which derives its name from the aboriginal word ‘Bulla-Bulla’ and means ‘two round low hills’ or ‘the two breasts.’[1] Most Victorians today probably know the name Bulla for its famous “Bulla Ice cream,” made by the Bulla Dairy Company since 1910.

In late 1842, Royal Navy Officer William Pomeroy Greene arrived in the Bulla area with his wife Anne and their seven children and a portable pre-fabricated house they brought out from England. They settled at ‘Woodlands,’ which is a few kilometres east of the town of Bulla and just north of the Tullamarine airport runway. The “Woodlands Historic Park” and restored homestead is now administered by Parks Victoria and is open to the public. It’s also home of the “Living Legends” which is the International Home of Rest for Champion Horses.

Anne Greene (nee Griffith) donated the land for St Mary’s Anglican Church at Bulla and in the presence of Bishop Charles Perry she laid its foundation stone on Friday 23rd July 1858.[2] The church was consecrated on the 2nd September 1864[3] at which time the new chancel was added and the liturgical east tripartite stained glass window by the North Melbourne firm Ferguson & Urie had been installed. This window was the gift of Anne’s sister in-law, Jane Catherine Griffith, the wife of her late brother Charles James Griffith.

St Mary’s Church was originally located on the corner of Oaklands and Bulla Roads, a few kilometres east of the town of Bulla and a short distance south of Woodlands, but more than a century later the church was in the path of the expanding Tullamarine airport runway. The introduction of the Jumbo jets, 24 hour airport operations, and the extensions to the runway was deemed a significant structural threat to the church and so it had to be moved.

On the 22nd January 1971 the final wedding ceremony was held in St Mary’s before it was dismantled and moved to its present site in the township of Bulla[4]. The church was reopened in its new location on the 24th November 1974 and was consecrated by Rev. Frank Woods in the presence of the Governor of Victoria, Sir Henry Arthur Winneke.

St Mary’s is no longer used for religious services and has been returned to the control of the Anglican Diocese property management. Its unknown what the future holds for the old church or what will become of the historic stained glass windows.

Photos taken: 17th April 2015.

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The stained glass window is an easily recognised work by the Ferguson & Urie company. The apex of the centre light depicts the descending Dove. The centre contains a crimson floriated cross with an azure blue background containing passion flowers and vine leaves. A  scrolling ribbon which flows around the cross contains the words: “I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVETH Job 19-25.” The scene in the bottom third of the window depicts the three Mary’s at the empty tomb with an angel proclaiming, as written in the text below the scene, “HE IS NOT HERE”. At the very base of this window is the dedicatory text: “Presented by Mrs Charles Griffith 1864.” The flanking side lights contain identical Gothic floral designs with diamond quarries filled with the Fleur-de-lys pattern. The centre design of these lights is the monogram “I.H.S.” in blue on a crimson background and incorporates the crown of majesty.

 

Anne Greene (nee Griffith 1795-1865).

Anne Greene laid the foundation stone of St Mary’s at Bulla in 1858 on land that she had donated for the church. Anne was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1795, the daughter of Richard Griffith and Mary Hussey Burgh. She married former Royal Navy Officer William Pomeroy Greene (c.1797-1845) in Ireland on the 31st March 1826. For the sake of William’s health they emigrated to Australia and arrived at Port Phillip aboard the barque Sarah on the 5th December 1842 accompanied by their seven children and a prefabricated portable house which would be erected at “Woodlands” near Sunbury. William died at Woodlands on the 5th March 1845.

Anne was the sister of Sir Richard Griffith (1784-1878) and Charles James Griffith (1808-1863). Anne died aged 69, on the 13th March 1865 at ‘d’Estaville,’ the residence of Sir William Stawell, at Barry Street Kew, Victoria.

Charles James Griffith (1808-1863):

Jane Catherine Griffith (nee Magee), the wife of Charles James Griffith, was the donor of the Ferguson & Urie stained glass window for the new chancel of St Mary’s Anglican Church at Bulla in 1864[5].

Her husband Charles was born in Millicent, Kildare, Ireland, in 1808, the sixth son of Richard Griffith and Mary Hussey Burgh and was educated in the legal profession at Trinity College Dublin and was admitted to the Irish bar circa 1831. On arrival in Australia in 1840 he settled at ‘Glenmore’ near Bacchus Marsh as a sheep farmer and never practiced in the legal profession in the colony. On a return visit to Ireland in the 1840’s he married Jane Catherine Magee in Dublin on the 16th December 1846. On their return to Australia he began his political career after nominations by Charles La Trobe in the early 1850’s. In 1854 Bishop Charles Perry appointed him Chancellor of the Melbourne Diocese and until the time of his death he was an active member of the Acclimatisation Society[6].

Charles Griffith died at his home ‘Tempe,’ Dandenong Road Prahran, on the 31st July 1863 aged 55[7]. They had no children.

At 11 o’clock on the 4th August 1863 his funeral service moved from St James’s Old Cathedral[8] to his place of interment at the Melbourne General Cemetery. The portion of the Griffith and Greene family headstone at the Melbourne General Cemetery that contains his epitaph reads:

“Sacred to the memory of Charles James GRIFFITH Esq who departed this life on 31 Jul 1863 age 56 years. This headstone is erected by Jane C. GRIFFITH as a tribute of love and affection to her beloved husband for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. Thess. iv. IHS.” [9]

His will, dated 2nd Dec 1861, provided modest sums to his wife Jane and other family members as well as a sizeable sum to Bishop Perry for the Church of England;

“…To the Bishop of Melbourne for the time being, one thousand pounds to be applied according to his discretion to the general purposes of the Church of England in the diocese of Melbourne…”[10]

Significant tabloid transcriptions:

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Wednesday 28th July 1858, page 5.

“CHURCH OF ENGLAND, BULLA BULLA.- The foundation-stone of the new Episcopal church at Bulla Bulla was laid by Mrs. Greene (the donor of the land which the building is to be erected) on Friday last. Bishop Perry presided at the ceremony. The Church is to have a nave, transept, and chancel, in the early English period of architecture, with a tower and spire at the north-west angle, which will form the principal entrance to the building. The portions at present in course of erection are the nave, tower, and spire, and the whole is being executed in blue stone procured in the neighborhood, and carted to the site free of charge by the settlers in the district.”

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Monday 3rd August 1863, page 5.

“We regret to have to announce the death of Mr. C. J. Griffiths [sic], a gentleman who for many years past has taken an active part in the public affairs of the colony, and has also been connected with it in various official capacities. Mr. Griffiths had been ailing for a considerable period, and within the last ten days his complaint, which his medical advisers, Dr. Pugh and Mr. Rudall, decided to be aneurism, assumed a formidable aspect. The death took place at Mr. Griffith’s residence, Dandenong-road, on Friday evening last.”

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Tuesday 4th August 1863, page 5.

“MR. C. J. GRIFFITH.

Yesterday, we recorded the death of Mr. Charles James Griffith. The removal – sudden and unlooked for – of one of the first settlers of the colony, a gentleman who, privately, was widely known and highly esteemed, and whose public career was neither brief nor unimportant, demands more than passing notice.

            Mr. Griffith was the sixth son of Richard Griffith , Esq., M.P., of Millicent, Kildare, by Mary, daughter of Lord Chief Baron Hussey Burgh. He was born August, 1808; graduated as M.A. at Trinity College, Dublin; and was called to the bar about 1831. In 1840, Mr. Griffith arrived at Port Philip, and settled at Glenmore, near Bacchus Marsh as a sheep farmer. On the separation of the colony of Victoria from New South Wales, Mr. Griffith was appointed by the Superintendent (Mr. La Trobe) one of the nominee members of the Legislative Council, and afterwards he was elected to Parliament by the constituency of Dundas and Follet. In 1853 he was appointed President of the Board of Commissioners of Water Supply and Sewerage. Under his presidency the board, in the face of continued violent opposition and adverse criticism, carried out the Yan Yean scheme; but after surmounting all the difficulties of the undertaking, Mr. Griffith resigned his office. The ministry of the day conceived they had a right to command the votes of all members of Parliament who were connected with the public service, and Mr. Griffith declined to sacrifice his independence. Upon the new Constitution coming into operation, Mr. Griffith’s friends decided to propose him for the Speakership of the Legislative Assembly. The present Speaker was also nominated, and succeeded in securing the votes of a majority of the House. Continued private and public exertions weakening Mr. Griffith’s health, he paid a visit to Europe, in 1858 and did not return to Victoria until April, 1862. Lately he was a candidate for the seat in the Legislative Council for North-Western Province to which Mr. Jenner was elected, and at the time of his decease he held the appointments of Chairman of the Board of Education and Commissioner under the Real Property Act. Mr. Griffith always took a prominent part in the affairs of the Church of England. From the time of its creation, he filled the office of chancellor of the diocese, and he was an active member of the Church Assembly from the period of the formation of that body. Mr Griffith married in the colony [sic], and leaves a widow without family. Although his health has been declining for some time past, it is but the other day that he was engaged in the active discharge of his duties, and until less than a week of his decease, the fatal termination of the attack which confined him to his chamber was not anticipated.”

The Age, Vic, Wednesday 5th August 1863, page 5.

“The Council of the Acclimatisation Society met yesterday, as usual, and the following resolution was unanimously passed:- “The council of the Acclimatisation Society hereby express their deep regret at the death of C. J. Griffith, Esq., their highly valued colleague, and unanimously resolve that the council do now adjourn, in order thereby to testify their respect for the memory of the departed gentleman; and further, that the minute be entered on the records of the council.” The council adjourned accordingly.”

Bendigo Advertiser, Vic, Thursday 6th August 1863, page 3.

“MELBOURNE NEWS.

(Herald.)

The funerals of two old and highly respected colonists took place on Tuesday, and both were numerously attended. The funeral of the late Mr. C. J. Griffith, Chancellor of the Diocese, took place in the morning. A special service was performed at St. James’s Cathedral, at eleven o’clock, at which the very Rev the Dean of Melbourne officiated, assisted by the Rev S. L. Chase, and the Rev M. H. Becher, incumbent. The Rev C. T. Perks, and the Rev D. Seddon, were also present. The coffin was then borne to the hearse, the following gentlemen acting as pall-bearers:- Sir W. F. Stawell, the hon W. H. Mitchell, M.L.C.; Captain McMahon, M.L.A; hon T. T. A’Beckett, M.L.C; and Sir Redmond Barry. The cortege consisted of four mourning coaches, and about twenty private carriages, including his Excellency the Governor’s, which was closed. The funeral was attended by a large number of the members of both houses of Parliament, and many gentlemen with whom the deceased had been so long associated, and by them held in high esteem. The procession proceeded from the Cathedral along Collins and Swanston streets to the new cemetery, were [sic] the last rites were performed by the Dean.”

Portland Guardian, Vic, Monday 10th August 1863, page 3.

“THE LATE C. J. GRIFFITH, ESQ.

(From the “Herald” of 4th inst.)

Mr. Charles James Griffith, who expired suddenly, on Saturday last from aneurism of the aorta, was a very old colonist. He was a member of the bar, but never practiced his profession in the colony, but was principally engaged in pastoral pursuits; and at the time of his death held, in conjunction with Mr. Molesworth Greene, one of the largest stations in the country. Mr. Griffith has also taken a very active part in public affairs. He was a nominee member of the old Legislative Council, and took a prominent part in debates. When the new Parliament was called into existence Mr. Griffith was chosen as the representative of Dundas and Follet; and on the 21st of Nov., 1856, was nominated for the office of speaker, in opposition to Sir Francis Murphy, who was elected. At that time Mr. Griffith occupied the position of President of the Board of Sewerage and Water Supply, and he continued to fulfil the duties appertaining to the office until the completion of the Yan Yean works. Mr. Griffiths supported the Haines administration, and manifested a great interest in the various questions which came before the House in that session, including the Electoral Bill, the Land Bill, and the bill for the formation of a trunk line of railway. Mr. Griffith long held the appointment of chancellor of the diocese of Melbourne, and was for some time a Member of the Council of the University. About three years since, he visited England, and returned about nine months ago. On the composition of the new Education Board, Mr. Griffith was chosen as one of the members as representing the Church of England interest. On March last he unsuccessfully contested the South-Western Province with Mr. Jenner. Mr. Griffith has, at all times exhibited a warm interest in the cause of Education, and in all matters appertaining to the church of which he was a member. In 1845, he published a short work giving a history of the colony; and while he held the office of President of water supply, he wrote a pamphlet in answer to the many quibbles and objections that were raised at the time in reference to the scheme. Mr. Griffith was highly respected by all classes of colonists. He was connected, by marriage, with the families of Sir W. F. Stawell, the Dean of Melbourne, and Mr. R. F. Greene.

            The Argus says the deceased Mr. Griffith was the sixth son of Richard Griffith, Esq., M.P. of Millicent, Kildare, by Mary, daughter of Lord Chief Baron Hussey Burgh. He was born August, 1808; graduated as M.A. at Trinity College, Dublin; and was called to the bar abut 1831.”

The Argus, Melbourne, Tuesday 14th March 1865, page 4.

“GREENE.- On the 13th inst., at D’Eastaville, Anne Greene, widow of the late William Pomeroy Greene, Esq., R.N., of Woodlands.”

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Saturday 22 July 1939, page 9.

“OLD ANGLICAN CHURCH.
Bulla Anniversary

St Mary’s Church of England, Bulla, a link with the pioneers, will celebrate its 81st anniversary at a special service at 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 30. The anniversary service is invariably the occasion for a reunion among families and descendants of families who have been associated with the church. Before the church was erected services were held in the barn at Woodlands, then the property of the late Mr. Rawdon Greene. The church was founded by Mrs. Greene and was built on land which was formerly part of the Woodlands Estate, the foundation-stone being laid on Friday, July 23, 1858, by Bishop Perry. The church was officially licensed on September 2, 1864, when the beautiful east window was presented by the late Mr. Charles Griffiths [sic]. In 1922 a complete set of memorial windows for the nave of the church was given by the prominent families.
Excepting the floor, the church is in excellent condition. Since the Rev. A. G. Mee has been in charge of the parish of Broadmeadows funds have been raised for repairs to the church. The preacher on July 30 will be the Rev. C. Hedly Raymond, vicar of St. Thomas’s, Essendon, and Rural Dean of Melbourne North. The choir of St. Paul’s Church, Ascotvale, will assist.”

External Links:

http://vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/search/nattrust_result_detail/65967

My thanks to Diedre from the Melbourne Anglican Diocese for arranging access and for her valuable time and patience.

Footnotes:

[1] Sunbury News, Vic, Saturday 4th July 1910, page 2.

[2] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Wednesday 28th July 1858, page 5.

[3] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Saturday 22 July 1939, page 9.

[4] The Canberra Times, Friday 22nd January 1971, page 3.

[5] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Saturday 22 July 1939, page 9.

[6] The Age, Vic, Wednesday 5th August 1863, page 5.

[7] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Monday 3rd August 1863, page 4.

[8] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Tuesday 4th August 1863, page 8.

[9] Melbourne General Cemetery [CofE, Compartment O, grave 93]

[10] Public Records Office, Vic, Probate file 4/448

 

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Mar 11 2012

14-11-1875: St. Mary’s Church, Kangaroo Point, Brisbane, Queensland.

The Brisbane Courier, QLD, Saturday 29th October 1904, page 12.

1904 ‘BRISBANE’S HISTORIC CHURCHES.—II.’, The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 – 1933), 29 October, p. 12, viewed 14 February, 2012, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article19329758

“BRISBANES HISTORIC CHURCHES. ST. MARY’S. KANGAROO POINT.”

“[…] The Rev. Mr. D. A. Court continued his able ministrations in the church, which had been so successfully built under his care, until death overtook him. During his ministry the church was presented with a handsome credence table by Mr. G. R. Suter; a stained glass window, representing the Crucifixion, presented by Bishop Tufnell; another representing the nativity, presented by Mr. C. C. Horrocks, in memory of his daughter Grace; and a third representing the Resurrection, presented by the Rev. D. A. Court, in memory of his father, who attained his 91st birthday on the day the church was consecrated. […]”

The Nativity, Crucifixion and Resurrection windows were made by Ferguson & Urie of Melbourne and were dedicated in the church on Sunday 14th November 1875.

The foundation stone for St Mary’s was laid by the Governor of Queensland, George Augustus Constantine, Marquis or Normanby, on the 29th of April 1872 and was consecrated on the 5th of November 1873. After significant storm damage in 1892, subsequent reconstruction included a two bay transept completed in 1893.

Photos courtesy of Mrs Noelle Nathan (taken 16th Oct 2011).

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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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Feb 23 2012

31-08-1868: St. Mary’s Church, Queensberry street, North Melbourne, Victoria.

In 1868 it was reported that the Ferguson & Urie stained glass company had prepared the designs for a 22ft high five light window depicting the Virgin Mary and the Crucifixion for St Mary’s church in Queensberry Street, Hotham, at an estimated cost of £375. The window was never actually created by Ferguson & Urie!

The Argus Melbourne, Monday 31st August 1868, page 6.

“ST MARY’S CHURCH, HOTHAM…”

“… One of the noticeable features of this church is its windows. Those in the gables of the transepts are “four-light” windows, and of good size, but the finest of all is that of the chancel, which is the principal window of the church and one of the largest in Melbourne. It is twelve feet wide, and twenty-two feet high, and contains five “lights,” the mullions being of free-stone, beautifully carved. It is intended, when funds permit, to fill this window with stained glass, each “light” or compartment containing a design illustrative of some memorable scriptural incident in the life of the Virgin Mary. The design for the centre light will be the Crucifixion of the Saviour, with the Virgin Mary and St. John at the foot of the cross, and the subjects for the other compartments will include the Annunciation, the Adoration of the Magi, &c. The designs for this window have already been partly prepared by Messrs. Ferguson and Urie, and the estimated cost of carrying them out is £375. The remainder of the windows will be fitted with plain cathedral glass….”

Although it was reported that Ferguson & Urie had ‘prepared’ the designs, the window was never made by them. The window remained as plain cathedral glass for a further twenty years before being made by Smyrk & Rogers of Little-Collins street east in 1888 who were also responsible for most of the others in the church.

St. Mary's, Hotham, Nth Melbourne, Rogers & Co stained glass

St. Mary’s, Hotham, Nth Melbourne, stained glass by Smyrk & Rogers in 1888 (Photo: 12 Dec 2012)

See Stained Glass Australia web site post: 27-10-1888 St Mary’s Anglican Church, North Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

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