Light, Lead and Legacy: The Stained Glass Stories of Subiaco

A talk by Thomas Murrell

Members & Public welcomed; registration required

Why does Subiaco have so much stained glass?

In the gold rush years, Subiaco grew into a prestigious address near the City and Kings Park. It was promoted as "The Toorak of Perth." Families with new money wanted to be seen, and a stained glass front entry was the clearest way to say so. It also told visitors where you came from: a Scottish rose, an iris, a fruit from home.

What can one house teach us?

Fairview was built in 1915 for John Kennedy, a Scottish ice engineer who ran the Perth Ice Works. It has changed hands only three times in 110 years, and each owner added to the glass:

The front entry (1915): iris and roses by Howard Henry Estcourt, chief designer at Barnett Brothers, Perth's leading studio of the day. The etched glass was imported from Europe.

The front hallway (c.1926): commissioned by the second owner, John William Levi Pointon, Managing Director of Boans. It is by Arthur Clarke, who is said to have taken his ideas from his lunchtime walks in Queens Park Gardens. His signature is mauve glass with a white wisp running through it to suggest water.

The staircase (c.1880s): a hand-painted Victorian panel attributed to the Sydney firm Ashwin and Falconer. It was rescued from a Sydney mansion and restored in 2024 by Kim Fitzpatrick of Tradition Stained Glass. Thomas says the afternoon western light through it is "absolutely stunning."

The kitchen: a pair of early-1920s iris panels repurposed in 2024, and an electric-blue glass flower commissioned from contemporary Subiaco artist Myra Staffa.

Women run through the house's story. Polly Willis, a heritage activist and member of the Subiaco Historical Society, owned Fairview for nearly 40 years and helped make the case for Subiaco as an inner-city treasure worth preserving.

What will you take away?

 How to date and identify the stained glass in your street, and maybe in your own home

What the common Subiaco motifs mean and why they were chosen

Where historic glass comes from today, and how it is restored and reused

The people behind the windows: the studios, the craftsmen and the families who commissioned them

Bring your questions, and bring photos of any windows you'd like to know more about.

About the speaker: Thomas Murrell

Thomas Murrell owns Fairview of Subiaco and the Fairview Art Collection, a nationally significant collection that champions Western Australian women artists. For several years he has been sourcing historically accurate stained glass from around Australia, restoring it and commissioning new work for the house. He opens his home to the public twice a year, for the Australian Heritage Festival with the National Trust and for his own Fairview Festival of Flowers each November.

He spent 12 years at the ABC as a radio and television presenter, senior producer and executive. He believes he is the only MBA-qualified television news weather presenter in the world. He holds an MBA from the University of Western Australia, is a past President of its graduate management association and has written more than 12 books, including Insider Secrets of International Speaking (McGraw-Hill). Through 8M Media and Communications he advises ASX-listed companies and senior leaders on how to communicate. He also originates and funds early-stage ventures and chairs their advisory boards.

At heart he is a storyteller, and Fairview's windows have plenty of stories.

Registration required