Christ Church is the main Anglican Church in Warrnambool. The Anglican Church held services in Warrnambool from 1847 on and a Sunday School operated from that time. The building of Christ Church was commenced in the early 1850s with the tower and spire added in the 1880s. The program under study here was for the annual concert of the Anglican Sunday Schools in Warrnambool. The concert featured items from Christ Church Sunday School and two other local Sunday Schools from St. George’s, East Warrnambool (established 1906 and now closed) and St. Peter’s, South Warrnambool (established 1911 and closed in 1974). This item, though ragged, is of interest as an example of the type of entertainment featured at Sunday School concerts in Warrnambool during the 20th century. At that time Sunday Schools would have been important as the children of the adherents of most Protestant religions in the city would have attended a Sunday School which provided religious instruction and some social activities. The program contains the names of those participating in the concert and these are useful to researchers. This is a piece of paper folded in two to make four pages, three with typed material. The pages are now completely detached and are a little torn and crumpled. It is a program of a mid 20th century Warrnambool Christ Church Sunday School concert. It has probably been produced by church officials as it is not a professional printing job. Front page: ‘Christ Church Annual Sunday School Concert’christ church warrnambool, warrnambool anglican sunday schools, history of warrnambool

This print of Christ is slightly smaller than the original 1927 oil painting by Herbert Beecroft, which is titled “Christ” and measures, in centimetres, 60 high by 50 wide. The original is displayed at John Wesley’s House & The Museum of Methodism in Islington, England. This print was part of the original furnishings donated by the Williamstown Lightkeepers' Auxiliary to the St Nicholas' Mission to Seamen's Church at 139 Nelson Place, Williamstown, Victoria, operated by the Missions to Seamen organisation. The title of the print is taken from the Holy Bible, from the New Testament book of Luke, chapter 22 verse 61, which is a famous Christian account of Jesus being betrayed by Peter, which leads to Jesus’ crucifixion; “And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.”. The print was published in 1942 by the National Sunday School Union in England, now known as the National Christian Education Council. The NSSU was established in Britain in 1803 to promote Sunday Schools in Britain and overseas. The organisation produced many publications, including training manuals and materials for Sunday School teachers. Herbert Beecroft 1864-1951, also known as Lawrence Herbert Beecroft, was an early 20th-century artist. He and his wife emigrated from England to Sydney, Australia, in 1905. He worked as a painter, illustrator, miniaturist, lightning cartoonist, and lecturer. From 1927, Beecroft painted a series of portraits of Jesus Christ, prints of which made many worldwide sales. He entered a miniature portrait in the 1921 inaugural Archibald Prize competition. It was one of forty-one entries but the title was unknown. It was probably JF Archibald, the person who endowed the prize, first awarded in 1921. THE MISSIONS TO SEAMEN (Brief History): - The Missions to Seamen was an Anglican charity in Great Britain that has served the world's seafarers since 1856. Its symbol is a Flying Angel, inspired by a Bible verse. Today, there are centres in over 200 ports worldwide where seamen of all backgrounds are offered a warm welcome and provided with a wide range of facilities. In Victoria, the organisation began in Williamstown in 1857 as a Sailors’ Church, also known as ‘Bethel’ or the ‘Floating Church’ in an old hulk floating in Hobson’s Bay, Port of Melbourne. It soon became part of the Missions to Seamen, Victoria. In 2000, the organisation, now named Mission to Seafarers, still operated locally in Melbourne, Portland, Geelong and Hastings. The Ladies’ Harbour Lights Guild was formed in 1906 to support the Missions to Seamen in Melbourne and other centres, such as Williamstown. Two of the most significant ladies of the Guild were founder Ethel Augusta Godfrey and foundation member Alice Sibthorpe Tracy (who established a branch of the Guild in Warrnambool in 1920). The Guild continued its work until the 1960s. In 1943, a former Williamstown bank was purchased for the Missions to Seamen Club. The chapel was named St Nicholas’ Seamen’s Church and was supported by the Ladies’ Harbour Lights Guild, the Williamstown Lightkeepers’ Auxiliary and the League of Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Friends. It ceased operation in 1966. A Missions to Seamen Chapel and Recreation Room was a significant feature of ports during the late 1800s and 1900s. It seemed appropriate for Flagstaff Hill to include such a representation within the new Maritime Village, and the Melbourne Board of Management of Missions to Seamen Victoria gave its permission on 21st May 1979 for the entire furnishings of the Williamstown chapel to be transferred to Flagstaff Hill. The St Nicholas Seamen’s Church was officially opened on October 11, 1981, and resembles the Williamstown chapel. This print of Christ, originally painted by Herbert Beecroft, represents the social movement in the early 20th century to educate all children in good morals and Christianity. The book is historically significant for its connection to the Missions to Seamen and to the Williamstown Lightkeepers' Auxiliary, an organisation of women, formed to support seafarers. A religious portrait of the artist’s impression of Jesus. The print is in a gilt timber frame behind glass. The frame has eyelets and wire for hanging. The backing paper lifts to reveal a handwritten pencil inscription. The portrait shows a male figure from the waist up facing the viewer but turned slightly to his right. He has long wavy blond hair, a moustache and a beard. He wears a blue-grey robe over a collarless white shirt. The background is red-brown. It is the artist’s impression of Jesus. The whole frame-mat has script text above and below the print, giving its title, and details of the publisher and producer. This print was produced from an original 1927 oil painting by Herbert Beecroft. It was published in 1942 by The National Sunday School Union in London and produced by Frost & Reed Ltd., England. This print is part of the St. Nicholas Seamen's Church Collection. Handwritten script on the mat; “Published in 1942 by the National Sunday School Union, 4 Black Friars Lane, London, EC4. Produced by Frost & Reed Ltd., Bristol & London. Printed in England. Copyright.” and, “The Lord turned and looked upon Peter … and Peter remembered” Signature on bottom left “Herbert Beecroft” In pencil on backboard under back paper “H 89 / 12”. Pen on white tape “155”flagstaff hill, warrnambool, maritime village, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, print, religious, vintage, 1942, herbert beecroft, lawrence herbert beecroft, archibald prize winner, early 20th-century, artist, oil painting, luke 22:61, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, religion, religious service, religious worship, worship service, st nicholas seamen’s church, williamstown, missions to seamen victoria, mission to seafarers, st nicholas missions to seamen’s church williamstown, missions to seamen, st nicholas missions to seamen’s church flagstaff hill, 139 nelson place williamstown, anglican church, church furnishings, religious furnishings, seating, williamstown lightkeepers' auxiliary

The book, awarded to Ethel Henderson in 1903, from Christ Church, Warrnambool is an example of a Sunday School prize given to children attending Sunday School at the time. Christ Church Anglican Church was one of the early churches in Warrnambool.The Puzzle Picture Book is a rare 'movable' children's book from 1900. It contains 6 chromolithic dissolving scenes (also called slats/transformations). It is unusual due to its educational content. It was published by Ernest Nister in London, E F Dutton & Co in USA and is also thought to have been published in German under the title 'Ueberraschungen Aller Art'. [source: The Little Book Store]Child's picture book with full colour cover depicting a mother dressed in long white spotted dress, white apron, white bonnett and black button-up shoes, sitting on a wooden armchair while dressing a young girl's hair with pink flowers. The girl is dressed in a pink frock with puffed sleeves and frill around the hem, and cream apron. She is looking in a brown wooden-backed hand mirror. A woven straw basket with pink roses sits on the floor. A framed silhouette picture is on the wall. The title is in a display typeface mimicking rose stems; a swag of pink roses decorates the top right hand corner. The publishers' names are printed on the bottom left and right hand corners at the bottom, and the printer in the centre. The inside cover has a book plate. The title page shows two boys arguing over the book. The verses are by Clifton Bingham, the pen and ink illustrations by Hilda K. Robinson. The story has a monochrome page with rhymes opposite a colour page with cut-out boxes showing four small pictures, each with a question. By pulling the tab at the bottom of the page the answer to the questions is revealed. There are six chromolithic 'dissolving scenes'.Book plate: Christ Church. Sunday School, Warrnambool. 1st Prize Girls Class II. Awarded to Ethel Henderson. S M George Vicar. Warrnambool, May 1903children's picture books, ethel henderson, children's picture books, puzzle books, christ church anglican church, sunday school prizes, ernest nister london, warrnambool, ethel henderson, e f dutton & co new york

This book, ‘Angel’s Brother’ by Eleanora H. Stooke was a prize given to a pupil (name unknown) by the Christ Church Sunday School, Warrnambool in 1909. The Sunday School of the Anglican Church in Warrnambool dates from the 1850s and by 1909 it was an established tradition for most children whose parents belonged to the Anglican Church to attend a Sunday School. In 1906 there were about 30 teachers taking 45 pupils in the morning session and 177 pupils in the afternoon session. The highlights of the year were the Sunday School picnic held at various venues and the annual prizegiving day. In 1909 a cantata, ‘The Fairy Chain’ was performed by Sunday School students in the Oddfellows Hall. The Vicar in 1909 was Archdeacon Peacock (1906-1912) and in 1908 he introduced a Church Stamp System at the Sunday School whereby children were given stamps and pictures for an album to record their attendance and instruction. This book is significant because it is an example of the type of prize given to the prizewinners at the Christ Church Sunday School in Warrnambool in 1909. The prize, a book, has a story that has heavy Christian religious and moral overtones and the English Religious Tract Society produced books especially for the Sunday School prizegiving market. This is a hard cover book of 314 pages pus several pages detailing other books recently published. The book is a children’s book given as a prize by Christ Church Sunday School, Warrnambool in 1909. It has a brown cover with an inset of a sketch of a young woman holding an umbrella and a sea or a lake setting in the background. The colours of the sketch are blue, white and black and the sketch is set in a decorative border. A similar decorative pattern is on the spine of the book. There are several black and white plates in the book relating to the story. The inscription plate inside has both printed material in blue print and handwritten material in black ink. Front Cover: ‘Angel’s Brother, Eleanora H. Stooke’ Book Plate inside: ‘Christ Church Sunday School, Warrnambool, presented to Ethel … (name scratched out), Class VI, Teacher, Miss Ware, A.E.Peacock, Vicar, J.Ward, S.Smith, Superintendents, Advent, 1909.’ christ church warrnambool sunday school, archdeacon peacock, warrnambool