Historic window to see new light
[ UniNews Vol. 16, No. 1
5 - 19 February 2007 ]
A prized stained glass window surviving from the long demolished Italianate Parkville villa Firenze, built in 1880 by the University of Melbourne’s first Professor of Engineering, Professor William Charles Kernot, is to appear again, after conservation, in the Old Engineering Building, just outside the rooms Professor Kernot once used for his office and lectures.
The area now contains the offices of the General Manager and the Dean of Engineering.
The window is the top part of the original staircase window at Firenze. Its centrepiece carries the initials of William Charles Kernot in strong primary colours, surrounded by delicate flowers and acanthus leaves.
The centrepiece design is now featured in silk scarves especially made for donors to the Kernot Fellowship – the Faculty of Engineering’s Bequest Program.
Professor Kernot was a strong believer in philanthropy and gave thousands of pounds away in scholarships to help young men from all backgrounds achieve a professional education in Science and Engineering.
Conservation of the Kernot Window was funded by a grant from the Faculty’s Melbourne University Engineering Foundation based on a proposal by the Foundation’s Executive Officer Ms Helen Whyte.
Work on the window was carried out in the University’s Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation by Senior Objects Conservator Ms Holly Jones-Amin and colleagues Jordi Casasayas and Raaf Ishak.
The Kernot Window will be formally unveiled in its new home in April this year.
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