This column is a little odd — but then, you never know what you are going to get, do you?
The story began when our eldest son found an internet site, which carried photos of Victoria’s oldest buildings.
He then sent me four good photos of Shepparton, with one dated 1914.
I hadn’t seen any of them previously, but thought they must have come from Lost Shepparton.
He asked me where the glass for these buildings would have come from, and I was thinking that England must have been well supplied in 1851, when they built, in just 190 days, the Crystal Palace for the World Fair.
And this led me to another World Fair at the Royal Exhibition Building.
The son went off to check on the Shepparton photos and later reported they had come, originally, from Lost Shepparton.
But how cheeky was Melbourne?
In 1879, just 11 years after England deposited the last of the convicts, the Royal Exhibition Building was commenced.
The World Fair opened on October 1, 1880. It focused on commerce, industry and fine arts, included items from our Indigenous people and also, work created by the convicts.
The country had a population of 2.25 million and Melbourne just 280,000, but we invited the world to visit, and it worked.
Sources including the Bureau International des Expositions and Museums Victoria tell us that 1,330,279 people attended the World Fair.
That number is almost five times the population of the city.
Over the next decade, ‘Marvellous Melbourne’ boomed.
By 1890, the population had increased by 75 per cent to 490,000.
That beautiful building
The Royal Exhibition Building was designed by Joseph Reed from a public competition.
It is an eclectic style inspired by Byzantine, Romanesque, Lombardic and Italian Renaissance architecture.
The glass was sourced through a combination of local and international suppliers.
The stained-glass windows, including those featuring the Australian Coat of Arms, are attributed to Ferguson & Urie, the leading stained-glass manufacturers in Melbourne.
The structural and plate glass was imported from Britain, which dominated the industry at the time.
It is likely that the Chance Brothers, who supplied the glass for the Crystal Palace in 1851, also contributed to the Exhibition Building.
At the World Fair, more than 20 international glass manufacturers — including those from the British Court — displayed their wares.
As I write this, I’m thinking of the people who made this happen, and their courage, vision and determination.
It was an amazing achievement.
I hope you had a peaceful Easter, and may it be easy, my friends
Marnie
Email: towntalk@sheppnews.com.au
Phone: Text or call 0409 317187
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