Gargoyles and Bell Tower

Spurred on by the excitement of many sketchers making their way to the Urban Sketchers Symposium in Barcelona next week, it was time to challenge myself with some old and beautiful local architecture in Manly. Nothing quite like Gaudi's  La Sagrada Familia but very special for our area.



Watercolour pencil (for foundation lines), black waterproof ink,
white chinagraph pencil and Daniel Smith Watercolours.

 

St Andrew's PresbyTerian Church, built from local white sandstone, was completed in 1890 and is considered one of the finest examples of Romanesque revival architecture in Australia. As I was choosing a spot to set up my sketch, a kind elderly couple offered me a look inside. Such luck! I'd not been inside before and was very impressed with the condition of the church's interior.

 

 

 

During my quick guided tour the gentleman pointed out this old framed photo (excuse my snap with the reflection of the stained glass window from behind). It is a pic of the church taken last century before its renovation. I love that it had high backed cane chairs instead of hard wooden pews. Looks very tropical and relaxed. Slow turning ceiling fans, a good book and a waiter serving Singapore Slings wouldn't have looked out of place. 

 

 

 

I also love a good gargoyle on old buildings and this one has four on the bell tower. Unfortunately as they were way up there, and I was way down below (and a tad short sighted) I couldn't get much detail from a live sketch. I'm considering adding field glasses to my sketching kit.