"All the World's a Stage"

Photo: Geoffrey Wallace

Copyright State Library of Victoria

This stained-glass window of Shakespeare at the State Library of Victoria, is one of the earliest stained-glass windows made in Melbourne. More than three metres high, it displays the words, "All the World's a Stage". The production of colonial workmen, it was originally installed in the facade of Coppin's Apollo Music Hall in 1862 on the first floor of the Haymarket Theatre in Bourke Street Melbourne.

Haymarket Theatre 1863
showing the shape of the
stained-glass window in the centre window.

Copyright SLV

It remained there until 1870, when it was removed to George Selph Coppin's (1819-1906) private homes in Richmond and Sorrento and actor-manager Bland Holt's home in Kew until it was left to the trustees of the Melbourne Public Library by Coppin's daughter, Lucy.

George Selph Coppin, C. 1864

Copyright SLV

From the 1960s to 1990s it was displayed against a wall in a stairwell of the Museum. After a major refurbishment of the State Library, the window was placed in storage and in 2005 extensively restored by stained-glass artist Geoffrey Wallace and installed in the La Trobe Domed Reading Room.

Photo: Geoffrey Wallace

Copyright SLV

Domed Reading Room

The Spring 2006 edition of the La Trobe Journal (published by the State Library of Victoria Foundation twice yearly in Autumn and Spring), has an interesting piece by Mimi Colligan entitled, 'That window has a history' (page 94) and Geoffrey Wallace's 'Conservation of the Shakespeare Window' (page 104), walks through stage by stage restoration of this beautiful window.

Detail of window before intervention

showing earlier, poor quality glass replacement.

Detail of window after intervention,
showing newly painted glass replacements
in sympathy with the original window.
Copyright SLV

State Library of Victoria
Melbourne Australia

Photo: Anthony Agius

La Trobe Journal link.

MISERICORD

Gloucester Cathedral

A Misericord (mercy seat) is a small wooden carved shelf, of
mostly grotesque design, underneath folding seats in churches.

St. David's Cathedral, Pembrokeshire

With the seat lifted the Misericord provides a ledge that
supports the user, standing for long periods of prayer.










Holy Trinity Church, Vendome France

They were installed in English churches from the
13th Century up to the 21st but in the 1600s anything
that followed were considered 'modern copies'!


St. Mary's Church, Buckinghamshire

Many were destroyed in the Reformation of the 1600s.
Happily there are many hundreds left.

Montbenoit, Franche-Comte, Eastern France

Here is a very comprehensive website
with a lot more about the Misericord -
Misericords.co.uk

LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON

Pont du Gard - Roman Aqueduct over the Gard River, France

I looked up family crests the other day; my Mother's maiden name, my Father's surname and my paternal Grandmother. This is the history of my Mother's name:

First found in Languedoc, where the family has been anciently seated from very early times.
Coat of Arms: A shield divided quarterly: 1st and 3rd, silver with a blue lion rampant crowned; 2nd and 4th, blue with three gold fleurs de lis. In base, a red rose.

I managed to get this small pic - the colour behind the lions should be silver.

I was so thrilled to find that the fleur de lis is on the coat of Arms (as it is on most!), as I'm very fond of it and just last week bought a new front door mat with three fleur di lis. The red rose in the base would make anybody happy.

Peyrepertuse, a Cathar Castle

I went off looking for this place called Languedoc and found that it is not a town but actually a region, Languedoc-Roussillon and there are five 'departments' within, four of which border the Mediterranean Sea. The history that unfolded on this site is fantastic and I quote:

A brief introduction to the Languedoc, France (Lengadoc)

The Languedoc-Roussillon is one of the most fascinating areas of Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea to the east and the Pyrenees Mountains to the south. It benefits from an exceptional climate (a "Mediterranean Climate") and has an unusually rich wildlife, a spectacular coast and surprising history. Things to see include mountains, rivers and lakes, ancient cities, towns, villages, thermal springs, abbeys and cathedrals, chateaux and castles, notably the famous mountain fortresses popularly known as Cathar Castles. It possesses a number of World Heritage sites, including Carcassonne, the Canal du Midi and the Pont du Gard.

Carcassonne

Who hasn't dreamed of visiting the south of France? If I ever get the chance, this is where I'll head to search for more clues about my French heritage, albeit a large area to cover.

HERITAGE

My Great-great Grandparents left Cheriton Fitzpaine, Devon, England with three children on the ex-convict ship "Duchess of Northumberland" on 25th February 1841, sailing from Plymouth with 229 other passengers on board and arriving in Port Phillip Australia (later New South Wales) on 3rd June 1841.

My Father's surname was first recorded in Britain in 1194 to a Robert de Hiwis of Devonshire (one of the many variants dating back hundreds of years, possibly influenced by the Nordic warriors).

Cheriton Fitzpaine Primary School (1642)

Cheriton Fitzpaine has many fifteenth-century houses, including the longest thatched house in England (the Primary School), its former use deemed to have been the church house. It stands next to St. Matthews Parish Church (14th century), a Grade 1 listed building.


Read more about Cheriton Fitzpaine at ancestry.com.