CARVED JARRAH LECTERN
1906 - 1923The lectern is attached to a large wooden sphere which has an engraved non-ferrous metal band fixed around the equator. The sphere is mounted on a column which is supported by heavy jarrah crossed legs.
This lectern was hand carved by Kelmscott resident Mr Henry Pope Richards and was gifted to the St Mary's Church in Kelmscott sometime between 1906 and 1923. The lectern was carved from a wood sourced from a jarrah tree that had been felled on the Church block. The lectern included an inscription from the bible, Mark 16:15. The lectern was used in the church up to 1963 when the original church building was demolished to make way for a new, larger church. The lectern was unceremoniously thrown onto a pile of rubbish. Fortunately a member of the congregation saw the lectern and saved it from being destroyed.
Henry Pope Richards worked as a clerk at the Government Statistician's Office in Perth. In 1906 he moved to Kelmscott and lived at a home called 'Merryhurst" somewhere on Albany Highway. He passed away on 2 august 1923, age 59. He was buried at St Mary's in the Valley with a large crowd reported attending his funeral.
Details
Details
Text on band around the sphere [GO YE INTO THE WORLD AND PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE]
wa
Australia
This object is part of a collection associated with significant buildings in the City of Armadale, in this case St Mary's in the Valley in Kelmscott, the first Christian church built in the district in 1871. These buildings have played a role in the social, economic and or spiritual development of the district. They can also be asthetically and architectually significant. The building can also be associated with significnat people, organisations or businesses who have all had an impact on the City of Armadale.
