St Francis Xavier Cathedral and Bishop's House, Wollongong, November 1917 / by John Campbell

ML 1503

item

1917

Graphic Materials, Paintings

1008774

1 painting - 40 x 65 cm (image) in gilded wood frame 46 x 77 cm - oil on canvas

John Campbell (1855-1924) was a scenic painter and decorator who migrated to Australia from Scotland in early 1880s. Campbell most commonly used watercolours, or oils employing watercolour techniques. He had a sharp eye for accuracy and detail and his works are a valuable record of late colonial domestic and public buildings and landscapes in Australia.
This painting depicts St Francis Xavier Cathedral and Bishop’s House in Wollongong, 1917. The first church on this site was a small wooden chapel built in 1836. It was the first Catholic place of worship in the Illawarra district. In 1839 it was decided to build a more permanent church resulting in the present stone building in the Gothic style. In 1906 the nave was lengthened and the original shingle roof replaced by slate. Other renovations and alterations followed in 1933. In 1951 the church was designated as the Cathedral for the new diocese of Wollongong. The Bishop’s House received a new façade in the 1960s.
Reference: Library correspondence file

1 oil painting on canvas in a in ornate modern gilt frame. The painting depicts St Francis Xavier Cathedral, Wollongong, painted from the corner of Crown Street and Harbour Street with a detailed view of Campbell Street on the left.

Out of copyright: Creator died before 1955
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

Signed and dated lower right