Design and Art Australia Online

Colonial Victoria’s leading stained glass window firm “Ferguson & Urie” started in North Melbourne in 1853, initially by three men who emigrated from Ayrshire, Scotland between late 1852 and early 1853. These were brothers James & David Ferguson, the sons of Master Slater and Glazier James Ferguson Snr from Wallacetown, Ayrshire and James Urie, the son of William Urie from Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. In the Scottish Census Records of March 1851, James Urie age 22, was shown as being a visitor to James Ferguson Jnr’s (age 33) home at John Street Wallacetown. Both men’s professions were listed as Slater and Glaziers and as James Ferguson was 11 years older than Urie, the age difference leads us to believe that Urie may have been an apprentice of Ferguson earlier.

The Ferguson brothers and James Urie started their business as Plumbers, Glaziers and Decorators from premises in Curzon Street near the north east corner of the North Melbourne Benevolent Asylum. One of their earliest business advertisements appeared in the Melbourne Argus newspaper in August 1853 advertising lead lattice windows for churches and cottages, as well as for zinc spouting, piping, revolving cowls for chimneys and galvanised roofing products. In late 1854 they showed some of their workmanship at the Victorian Exhibition and were awarded certificates for plumbers’ work and stained windows. This appears to be the earliest indication of their foray into stained glass artwork, likely to have been done by James Urie himself.

In early January 1857, David Ferguson decided to leave the partnership after only four years in the Colony and return to Scotland. On the 30th of January, 1857 a notice was placed in the Victorian Government Gazette advising of the dissolution of his involvement in the partnership of Ferguson & Urie, however the business continued under the same name between James Ferguson and James Urie.

By the late 1850s Ferguson & Urie were concentrating the business solely on glazing, lead light and stained glass windows and had many commissions for windows in churches and other significant public buildings and private mansions. In 1861 they displayed specimens of their 'Ornamental Glazing in Lead’ at the Victorian Exhibition.

In early 1862 Ferguson & Urie engaged the services of John Lamb Lyon, a fellow Scot living in Maldon in the central Victorian goldfields district who had immigrated to Australia in 1861. He was an experienced stained glass artist who had been an apprentice of Kearney & Co glass painters in Scotland and later worked with Ward & Hughes, London glass painters to Queen Victoria.

By 1863 it would seem that Ferguson & Urie had the monopoly in the design and manufacture of stained glass windows in the Colony and were admirably competing with the works of English stained glass being imported into the Colony. Possibly the earliest known extant windows designed and manufactured by Ferguson & Urie are the triple-light window in St Pauls
Ballarat (c. 1861) and the window commissioned in 1862 for George Coppin’s Apollo Music Hall in Bourke Street Melbourne. It was known as the “Shakespeare” window and bequeathed to the State Library of Victoria in 1960 by George Coppin’s daughter Lucy.

In 1863 Ferguson & Urie recruited stained glass artist David Relph Drape. Drape initially trained as a decorative artist and worked mainly on church restoration projects in England, during which time he developed his architectural skills along with painting and first class work in stained glass art. Drape had been living in Maldon from around 1858 about the same time as Lyon, and it is thought that they may have collaborated in the design and manufacture of the two-light window above the entrance to the Holy Trinity church in Maldon in 1863. However its manufacture was likely to have been undertaken by the Ferguson & Urie workshops in Melbourne. Drape also designed the Holy Trinity church.

In February 1867 advertisements for Ferguson & Urie began appearing as “Ferguson,Urie, and Lyon”. This is the earliest indication that Lyon had been installed as a partner. By this time the business name of Ferguson & Urie was very well known and their workmanship was in demand outside of Victoria, for instance in Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand.

In August 1873, after just over ten years with Ferguson & Urie, Lyon left the partnership and on the 27th he sold his house and its contents at Dudley Street, North Melbourne in preparation for his move to Sydney. On the 29th a notice appeared in the Victorian Government Gazette advising of the official dissolution of the partnership and the business name reverted to Ferguson & Urie. Lyon then took up partnership with an old friend Daniel Cottier to become Lyon, Cottier & Co Sydney.

In 1874 an advertisement appeared in the Argus indicating that Ferguson & Urie now had premises in Collins Street Melbourne and for many years the Argus advertised ‘…Rolled Plate, Cathedral, and coloured glass…Stained glass and lead lights at Curzon Street and 10 Collins Street East’.

In 1875 Ferguson & Urie exhibited their stained glass work at the Intercolonial Exhibition and were awarded a silver medal and First Prize. The medal is known to be in the possession of a James Urie descendant along with a handmade poster with photographs presented to the founding partners by the employees. It depicts the images of James Ferguson, James Urie, employees and photos of their business premises at Yarra Bank South, Curzon Street and Collins Street in 1887.

Around 1884, George James Coates was apprenticed to Ferguson & Urie at the age of fifteen. Coates was born in Emerald Hill on 8th August 1869 and studied at the North Melbourne School of Design and attended evening classes at the National Gallery School under Frederick McCubbin. His peers included the Lindsay brothers, Max Meldrum and George Bell. Coates later married accomplished artist Dora Meeson and in April 1919 he became an official war artist to the Australian Government. His photo also appears in the Ferguson & Urie employee poster.

The Colony’s appetite for stained glass artwork was by this time reaching its peak and the Ferguson & Urie business had grown considerably. In August 1884 the Melbourne Argus reported “Messrs Ferguson and Urie’s New Premises” was near completion at 10 Collins Street. The new building was seven stories (including basement) and was one of the first in Melbourne to be built with material known as “Hydraulic Freestone” (early concrete). The building was described in the Argus as having a “bright and cheerful façade” due to the lighter colour and elaborate patterns employed in the freestone moulding.

On the 31st of January 1888 a fire broke out at the Ferguson & Urie Yarra Bank South glass store and workshops, destroying the greater part of the premises. The fire was reported in newspapers as far away as Tasmania.

In August 1889 Ferguson & Urie began running advertisements in the Argus announcing that the 10 Collins Street premises were for sale. Around this time Collins Street was also undergoing a process of re-numbering due to the massive expansion of buildings in the street and the Collins Street building was known at “281 & 283 (Late 10), Collins St East”, although simple advertisements in the Argus continued to refer to 10 Collins Street East until 1892.

On the 21st of July 1890 partner James Urie died at the age of 62. Outside of the business he had been a Justice of the Peace as well as a Councillor of Flemington and Kensington from August 1886 to August 1888, and Mayor from August 1887 to August 1888.

By April 1891 Ferguson & Urie had vacated their Collins Street premises and retreated to their warehouse at 100 Franklin Street, three doors west of Elizabeth Street. Increasing competition in the stained glass trade along with the stock market crash in 1890 was now undoubtedly taking a toll on the business and advertisements for Ferguson & Urie began to decline in the latter half of 1892 and then ceased to appear altogether.

On the 17th of April 1894, remaining partner James Ferguson died at the age of 76, beginning the final decline in the Ferguson & Urie story. The business name continued for another five years possibly at the helm of Ferguson & Urie’s eldest sons, James Ferguson Jnr and William Urie until July 1899 when the business’s entire stock in trade at the 100 Franklin premises went up for unreserved sale. In early September the premises were advertised for rent.

On November 14th 1899 the flagship building of the Ferguson and Urie business at No. 10 Collins street went under the auctioneers hammer at “12 O’Clock Noon” as reported in the Argus Newspaper. Dividends were declared for the shareholders in the business on the 21st of July 1899, and on the 21st of February 1901 the Citizens Life Assurance Company which was next door to the Ferguson & Urie building, advertised that they had purchased the property for an undisclosed sum. The building was eventually demolished in the early 1900s.

The Ferguson & Urie business was concluded after a 46 year history. Throughout the Ferguson & Urie history, thousands of stained glass windows were created and installed in churches, public buildings and private mansions and homes around Melbourne and regional Victoria and well as in New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and South Australia. There are also three known examples of their work in New Zealand. A significant number of these windows can still be seen today in many of the heritage listed buildings and churches of all denominations throughout Victoria and interstate. It is possible that others were destroyed over the years as buildings were demolished prior to the establishment of the Victorian Heritage Act.

Writers:

rayjbrown

Date written:

2011

Last updated:

2011