 Contact Artefacts | MenuHomeUpfront Now Up Books Towns Structures People Firms Lexicon | St Cuthbert's Church George William SMITH: Architect 1898 OWEN EATON and TAIT: Architect 1932 Auguste LABOURET: Stained-glass artist |  | ||||||
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Click to view large map Coordinates: | Prominent British architect Norman SHAW was consulted about a design for a new church in 1882, but unfortunately his design was too costly to execute. On 20 March 1884 a temporary corrugated iron church opened for worship, designed by the then municipal architect William H MILES, with a permanent church in mind. He designed the church in such a way that the walls of the permanent church could be built outside the temporary walls and the permanent chancel added to it... A school room followed in 1890. Towards the end of 1898 Port Elizabeth architect George William SMITH designed the new chancel (with an organ chamber) of red brick with cement dressing under a slate roof, but once again departed from SHAW's designs. On 15 April 1899 the congregation laid the memorial stone... Because the temporary nave showed many signs of decay the parish, in 1931, employed the architectural firm OWEN EATON & TAIT to design a new nave. This was built in 1932 ... and consecrated on 22 October of that year. (Herholdt, 1994:157) The original building now forms the Chancel of the extended church. Externally this is clearly identifiable as the original west facade forms a parapet in the roof. Internally the ceiling within the old section is different from the newer section. The marking around the rose window in the western end shows evidence that this window was a later addition, replacing 3 Gothic arched windows. (Gerald Humphrey, November 2016) The next major step in the development of stained-glass art in South Africa may be said to have been the introduction of the use of dalles de verre, experiments with which were proving successful in Europe in the 1930s. The first works in this medium of 'slab glass' to come to South Africa were four windows designed and executed by the French stained-glass artist, August Labouret, which were installed in the Robert Gray Memorial Church of St Cuthbert's in Port Elizabeth. The first of these was the rose window which replaced an earlier window of five lights of plain glass set high in the west wall. Unveiled by the Governor-General of South Africa in September 1956, its design consists of religious symbols and in the centre a cross with the letters N.S. - Notre Seigneur, 'Our Lord.' The arrangement of the cement calms, holding the thick glass in place, gives the impression of a large brooch or bejewelled ornament of faceted diamonds. St Cuthbert's was further enriched when other dalles de verre windows by Labouret followed: the design of the one on the north wall includes several Christian symbols as well as a number of animals, among which (a delightfully human touch) Casper, the rectory cat, appears. St Cuthbert's Church has other fine stained-glass windows, some painted in traditional styles and executed in leaded fashion. Despite the differ-ences in style, the windows - old and new - harmonise sympathetically, their respec-tive forms and ages blending agreeably [Oxley 1994:21]. (SAB Aug 1932:27; Uitenhage P & P:51) References:
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