Installed on the southern nave of the former Saint George's Presbyterian Church, the Emily Agnes Shannon and Charles Hector Shannon memorial windows were commissioned by husband and father Charles Shannon. Installed in 1907, the window was probably made at an earlier date by the Scottish stained glass manufacturers Ballantyne and Son. The window depicts Jesus with a young child sitting upon his knee, whilst other children of varying ages gather around Jesus. Jesus is shown in typical style with blonde hair and beard, adorned in classical robes. Jesus with the children comes from the Book of Matthew, where Jesus said, “Suffer the little children come unto me, and forbid them not for of such is the Kingdom of God” The line is quoted at the bottom of the main panel, just over the dedication panels. The quatrefoil of the stained glass window features the crowned letter A, which I believe stands for Agnes.
Emily Agnes Shannon (1847 - 1907) was the wife of Charles Shannon and Charles Hector Shannon (1877 - 1891) was their first son. Charles Shannon left his home in Greenock in Scotland in 1865, bound for Australia. He joined his cousins in the wool trade. He later joined the Strachan Woolbroking firm, rising to partner in the Clyde Fellmongery founded in 1875 until it was burned down in 1900. He was also the partner of Godfrey Hirst from the foundation of Hirst’s Mill in 1890. In 1875 Shannon married Emily Agnes Strachan. Together they had eight children, four of the sons attending Geelong College. The Shannon family lived in a very grand home in Newtown called “St. Helens” from 1883 to 1888, where three of the family were born, after which they moved to “Kirrewur Court”, also in Newtown. Charles joined the Newtown Council in 1898. In 1890 Charles was made the President of the Geelong Chamber of Commerce. He was the Mayor of the Newtown Council between 1902 and 1904. He was also a member of the Hospital Committee from 1877 to 1919. Charles was appointed Chairman of the Council of Management of Geelong College from 1908 until his death in 1921. Charles was involved in the community life of Geelong, holding office in both sporting and civic organisations. He was also a member of the Council of the Gordon Institute and a staunch church goer, attending Saint Georges Presbyterian Church for many years. Agnes, Charles and their son Charles Hector are all interned at Geelong’s Eastern Cemetery.
Rising proudly on the rise of a hill, the former Saint George’s Presbyterian Church, which stands on the corner of Latrobe Terrace and Ryrie Street on the outskirts of the Geelong central business district, began its construction in 1860. Designed by architect Nathaniel Billing in Victorian English Gothic style, the original large nave of the church, with vestry and apse were constructed of irregularly coursed basalt with Hawksbury River freestone dressings. The initial build was erected and completed in 1861 by contractors Brown and Gibson. The foundation stone was laid on 12 June 1861. The large and finely constructed church reflects the wealth of many of the church's foundation patrons, which included Francis Ormond and other Western District Squatters. The former Saint George’s Presbyterian Church is a significant and intact work of Nathaniel Billing, who was well known for ecclesiastical architecture. The original church was expanded with the addition of transepts in 1908, and finally a spire and tower in 1936. The tower and spire were donated as a seventy-fifth anniversary gift by wealthy parishioners James McPhillimy and his sister Louise. The McPhillimy family were not only wealthy parisioners, but were also long time worshipers at Saint George’s Persbyterian Church. They began worshiping there in 1886.
The inside of the former Saint George’s Presbyterian Church is quite plain, with white painted walls and three rows of blackwood pews separated by two aisles. The church features examples of its original latticed quarry glass lancet windows with one band of coloured glass, as well as several figurative stained glass windows installed later. This includes two pairs of lancet windows manufactured by Ballantyne and Company of Edinburgh, which are perhaps the church’s most beautiful windows for their wonderful colours and beautiful hand-painted details. There is also two windows by Melbourne stained glass manufacturers Brooks Robinson and Company installed in the 1930s, and a fine heritage listed stained glass window by one of Melbourne’s leading stained glass artists, William Montgomery, which commemorates the fallen of the Great War. The church’s rose window and great western window created by Melbourne stained glass manufacturer Ferguson and Urie are the oldest windows, and like the quarry glass windows, are original.
Saint George's Presbyterian Church was forced to close its doors in 2015 owing to dwindling congregation numbers, and whilst the Presbyterian Church still owns the church and manse, the manse is now rented out and has been used for both commercial and residential purposes. The church itself sits idly, its slowly weathering exterior requiring significant restoration, its garden sinking into neglect and its interior lying beneath a sheet of thick dust.
I am very grateful to the retired Presbyterian Reverend Andrew Bray, caretaker of the church at the time of photographing, for giving me an hour of his time and for letting me photograph the interior and stained glass windows so extensively.
Nathaniel Billing was born in Brightwell, Oxfordshire in 1821. Articled to the prestigious office of Sir Gilbert Scott in London, he later commenced his own architectural practice in Slough under his own name. Nathaniel married his first wife, Henrietta in 1850. Three years later the pair and their family immigrated to Australia. he was appointed to the Colonial Architect's Office in Belfast (now known as Port Fairy), but commenced his own practice there in 1855. In Port Fairy he designed Saint John's Church of England in 1856 and the Bank of Australasia in 1857. That same year, Nathaniel left Port Fairy and moved to Melbourne, where he soon had a thriving practice. In Melbourne, most of his commissions were ecclesiastical. He designed All Saints Church of England on Chapel Street in 1861 which with a seating capacity of 1,500 is the largest Church of England in the southern hemisphere, Saint Margaret's Church of England in Eltham in 1861, alterations to Melville House in Collins Street in 1881, "Steamshall" a Victorian Italianate villa in Kew in 1882, Saint Paul's Cathedral in Sale in 1884, Saint Matthias' Church of England in Richmond in 1885, the Fitzroy Cricket Ground grandstand in 1888, and extensions to Saint George's Church of England in 1889 in conjunction with the architects firm Dalton and Gibbons. Nathaniel's first wife Henrietta died in 1867 after nineteen years of marriage, four sons and five daughters. Nathaniel remarried in 1869, taking Mary Anne Hooke as his wife. They had no children together. Nathaniel's fourth child, William Urban Billing, joined his firm in 1880 and practiced as Billing and Son. They worked together until 1895 when Nathaniel retired. Nathaniel died at his home in Westbury Street East St Kilda in 1910 at the age of 88.
James Ballantyne and Son was an Edinburgh based stained glass manufacturer which existed between 1828 and 1925. The business was founded by man of letters James Ballantine (1808 -1877) and George Allan as Ballantine & Allan. They began making stained glass in the 1830s. In 1843 they won a competition to design windows for the new Houses of Parliament in London, although in the end they only provided some windows for the House of Lords. As a writer predominantly, James Ballantine was the author of a series of books on the history and techniques of stained glass manufacture. Of particular note is “A Treatise on Painted Glass” which was published in 1845. James’ son Alexander Ballantine (1841 - 1906) joined the firm, which was known as Ballantine and Son from about 1860 until 1892, and then Ballantine and Gardiner until 1905, when Herbert Gardiner joined as a partner. From 1905 Alexander Ballantine was joined by his son James Ballantine II (1878 - 1940), by then the firm was known as A. Ballantine and Son. Some work by the firm was signed with the alternative spelling of Ballantyne including the windows supplied to the former Saint Georges Presbyterian Church in Geelong.
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