Christ Church Brunswick

The Pulpit

The pulpit of Christ Church Brunswick was installed in 1907 in memory of Joseph George (1829-1903) who was a long and faithful parishioner, and a councillor of the municipality. The art nouveau plaque at the base of the pulpit perpetuates his name. His son, William Eden, had on 18 October 1857 been the first person baptised in the church. The present pulpit replaced a reading desk, and in accordance with the fashion of the time was designed in the Gothic revival style by A. Flick. Although this matched the contemporary sanctuary furnishings, it did not blend particularly well with the church fittings as we know them today. In the early 1960s, the then vicar, the Reverend S. D. Bartholomeusz, and his vestry considered ways to make the pulpit blend more harmoniously with its surroundings; in this they were advised by the late Reverend Dr Barry Marshall, then chaplain of Trinity College in The University of Melbourne. The result was the present three painted panels, which are intended to serve both a liturgical and didactic function, as well as to adorn and complement the clear architectural lines of one of the most beautiful and unusual church buildings in Australia.