Domestic Crenellation & Machiolation in Unley Park, Adelaide, South Australia
Adelaide, architecture, battlement, castle, crenel, crenellation, decoration, defence, domestic architecture, domestic, home, house, residence, embrasure, fortification, machiolation, medieval warfare, merlon, military structure, rampart, SA, South Australia, Unley Park
A photograph of domestic architecture in Unley Park, South Australia, featuring crenellation and false machiolation. Crenellation is an architectural feature that was commonly employed in the design of medieval castles and military structures. Cut into the parapets, crenels created alternating openings through which weapons could be fired (embrasures) and raised sections of stone (merlons) to protect shooters from oncoming fire and obscure their visibility. Machiolations were created when the parapet protruded out from the castle wall and holes were cut into the floor. Also a defensive measure, machiolation allowed occupants to fire down on the enemy, and also track their movements. Here, however, these features have been incorporated simply for their decorative effect.
Dorey, Margaret
7 December 2011
No Copyright
Digital Photograph; JPEG
The Mace of Parliament
authority, black rod, British Empire, ceremony, cross, crown, custom, decoration, emblem, harp, House of Commons, House of Lords, John Beckett (1984-1964), King, Legislative Assembly, Long Parliament (1653), mace, medieval customs, medieval tradition, Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), orb, ornamentation, Parliament, parliamentary officials, parliamentary personnel, politician, ritual, rose, royal bodyguard, sergeant, serjeant-at-arms, Speaker, symbol, symbol of office, thistle, tradition, Usher of the Black Rod, Victoria, Victorian House of Parliament, waratah, warfare, weapon, weaponry, weapons
In this article from the Western Argus, the significance and history of the mace in parliamentary proceedings is explained. The author describes the mace used in the Victorian Legislative Assembly as a sceptre surmounted by a cross, an orb and the crown of England. It is also decorated with the waratah flower of Australia, the rose of England, the thistle of Scotland and the harp of Ireland. The symbolic and ceremonial function of the mace in the opening and closing of parliamentary proceedings is explained, and the history of the mace as a weapon of medieval warfare is noted. The article suggests that the association of the mace with parliament is likely to originate from the medieval period: “In medieval England the king appointed a Royal bodyguard of stalwart men, gaudily uniformed, and each bearing a mace. They came to be known as serjeants-at-arms. When Parliament was divided into two Houses – the Commons and the Lords – two serjeants-at-arms were provided from the King’s bodyguard. The institution has survived. With the serjeant-at-arms has remained the mace, not as a weapon but as a symbol of office; and gradually the mace came to be associated with all the ceremonies and customs of the Commonsâ€. The article goes on to explain the traditional rivalry between the House of Commons and the House of Lords concerning the superior authority of the mace or its equivalent in the House of lords, the black rod (in the keeping of The Usher of the Black Rod). Traditional and symbolic rituals involving the mace and the black rod are also described. If the Usher of the Black Rod approaches the House of Commons to summon the Speaker, for example, the door is ceremoniously closed on him and he is required to knock three times and beg admittance. Similarly, the serjeant-at-arms is not permitted to enter the House of Lords without first surrendering the mace to the doorkeeper.
Anon.
National Library of Australia
The Western Argus
12 January 1932, p. 29.
The Western Argus
Digitised Newspaper Article
English
Manuscript Illumination at the Perth Medieval Fayre
artwork, art, decoration, handcraft, illumination, illuminated manuscript, illustration, manuscript, manuscript production, marginalia, medieval craft, Perth, Perth Medieval Fayre, presentation, re-creation, recreation, stimuli, supplementary information, value, WA, Western Australia
A woman demonstrating the medieval art of manuscript illumination at the Perth Medieval Fayre. ‘Illumination’ refers to the addition of decorations and illustrations around the text on a manuscript page. These illuminations formed an integral part of medieval manuscripts, and served a number of functions. More than mere marginalia, they supplemented the written text on the page by adding additional comment or detail, stimulated the reader, and conveyed a sense of the work’s value. They could also be used to personalise manuscripts and to communicate ideas and traits about individuals, for example the piety of the owner or gratitude and deference towards a patron.
The Perth Medieval Fayre is organised and run by the Western Australian Medieval Alliance. In 2011 it was held at Supreme Court Gardens on 19 March. Enthusiasts and vendors showcased a range of medieval arts and crafts, from dancing, calligraphy and lace-making to demonstrations of the techniques, weaponry and apparel of medieval combat.
McEwan, Joanne
19 March 2011
No Copyright
Digital Photograph
Passementerie; or, early lace-making at the Perth Medieval Fayre
bobbin, bobbin lace, bone lace, braiding, craft, decoration, lace, lace-making, handcraft, medieval craft, passament, passement, passementerie, Perth, Perth Medieval Fayre, pillow lace, re-creation, recreation, silk, textiles, thread, trimming, Western Australia
A woman demonstrating the art of passementerie at the Perth Medieval Fayre. This practice evolved from braiding and was used to make narrow trimmings and decorations for finishing clothing, altarpieces, and furnishings. It was also one of two methods used to handcraft lace (called ‘bobbin’, ‘bone’ or ‘pillow’ lace). A pattern is marked out on the parchment with pins, and each separate thread is wound onto a bobbin. The threads are then passed over and interlaced with each other to form the pattern.
The Perth Medieval Fayre is organised and run by the Western Australian Medieval Alliance. In 2011 it was held at Supreme Court Gardens on 19 March. Enthusiasts and vendors showcased a range of medieval arts and crafts, from dancing, calligraphy and lace-making to demonstrations of the techniques, weaponry and apparel of medieval combat.
McEwan, Joanne
19 March 2011
No Copyright
Digital Photograph
The Johnston Memorial Congregational Church
acanthus scroll, balcony, balustrading, building interior, canopy, church, church building, church interior, Congregational Church, decoration, Fremantle, Perth, WA, Western Australia, frieze, gothic canopy, gothic design, interior decoration, interior design, Johnston Memorial Church, J. Ross Anderson, Joseph Johnston (1814-1892), Maltese cross, memorial plate, organ, quatrefoil, tracery, window
This article describes the colourful redecoration of the interior of the Johnston Memorial Church in Fremantle in 1897. The predominant colours are listed as green, salmon, citron, terracotta, Persian red and cream. Among the features described in more detail are a frieze under the ceiling line ‘with a foliated design introducing quartrefoils and Maltese crosses’, a deep red dado with a medieval acanthus scroll painted in cream, and gold dog roses against a cardinal red background interspersed at regular intervals. The terracotta and cream design painted onto the green balcony is described as ‘Gothic’, and behind the rostrum ‘is a Gothic canopy in deeper tones of colour, with a gold diapered pattern in deep blue, forming a background to the preacher’. The decorations were designed and carried out by J. Ross Anderson, who was also noted for his decoration of the Wesley Church in Perth.
The Johnston Memorial Church was completed in 1877 and was originally named the Congregational Church. It was later renamed in honour of long-serving congregational minister, Joseph Johnston (1814-1892).
Anon.
National Library of Australia
The Western Mail
20 August 1897, p. 47.
The Western Mail
Newspaper Article
English
University of Sydney: Carving the Gargoyles
gargoyle, university, stonemason, "stone building", architecture, craftsmanship, decoration, gargoyle, gothic architecture, John Smith (1821-1885), neo-gothic architecture, New South Wales, NSW, stonemason, stone building, Sydney, university, university buildings, University of Sydney, water
This black and white photograph held by the State Library of New South Wales dates from c.1859. Taken by John Smith during the construction of The University of Sydney, it depicts stone masons at work carving the gargoyles. This is taking place against the backdrop of one of The University of Sydney’s neo-gothic buildings. Gargoyles were a popular feature of gothic architecture. They were functional as well as decorative, and were used to divert water away from the walls of buildings before drainpipes became commonplace.
Smith, John
Library of New South Wales
Library of New South Wales
ca 1859
Library of New South Wales
Hyperlink to photograph : Wet collodion plate, varnished. Stereoscopic negatives 7.5 x 16.5 cm., each image 7.1 x 7.8 cm. with no separation. Some lifting of emulsion at edges.
link to photograph