Carvings done for ANZ Bank HQ Melb

**ubeaut** · 25th March 2022, 12:06 AM

Been going through some old folders of designs and plans and found a few pictures of some of my commission work. In amongst the designs, sketches and plans were a heap of photos stuck to heavy card and used for display at exhibitions Working With Wood Shows etc. forgot I even had them.

All of the photos here are taken with my phone from those original (not really good) photos. Sorry about glare and slightly out of focus pics but it's the best I was able to do in the time I have had to go through the folders. There are a few photos from earlier rummages through folders in The Library, Woodcarving and Photography forums.

I will add more as I get them sorted out. Some of what's here may also be in one of the other forums listed above but not many.

The below are a couple of animated .gif pics of work done on Transom Panels for the ANZ Bank HQ Complex Melbourne.

Above: Series of pics showing the carving of small Transom Panels for above
the internal doors of the Old Stock Exchange building, part of the ANZ Bank
Headquarters Cnr Queen and Collins Streets Melbourne.

The building incorporates the Bank Chambers and Stock exchange both in Collins St and
the Safety Deposit Building in Queen Street the panels were carved for above the internal
doors to the Stock Exchange which are between the bank chambers and the floor of the
Old Stock Exchange.

There were 4 of these small panels 2 on the internal bank side of the doors and
2 on the Stock Exchange side of the same doors.

===

Below: Are a couple of pics of the large panels tor the same doors also 4 of them
with 2 on each side of the doors.

The pics show routing out background, partly carved panel and 2 of the large and small panels.

The long panels are 3'6" x 6" the short ones are 1'4" x 6" to match original measurements.
Timber used was Brazilian Mahogany

Below:
Photo circa 1900 shows the doors in the background behind stockbrokers
Right: Transom panels on the fully refurbished doors. poor photo taken by me circa 1998.
SE Cir 1900.jpg transoms in doors.jpg

Hope this is of interest to some.

Cheers - Neil

**ubeaut** · 25th March 2022, 11:14 AM

I made a number of replacement linen fold panels for the banking chamber, plus photo of installed panels. Have showed these before in Photo Forum but not the 2 panels shown here

Below: Two of these panels, both straight off the carving bench and ready for background sanding and final cleanup prior to polishing and fitting.

Below: Some of the linenfold panels in place in the banking chamber side entrance.
Some old photos of my work-linenfold-wall-jpg

Cheers

**ubeaut** · 25th March 2022, 03:40 PM

Decided to just go with the one pic for this post.

It's the only decent one I can find of the Stock Exchange doors. Hard to see much detail but you dan see the 10 different roundels across the 4 panels. Why do the doors have all different roundels? Why? Because that's what I was asked to do...

If you look closely at the transom directly above the door (below the window) you will see 9 molded metallic shapes/patterns, and each is different. there are lots of these sorts of moldings and stone carvings on the building and none are the same. Even the patterns left and right above the glass are completely different but if you didn't know, they would all appear to be identical. So are the carved trefoils either side of the star (not of David - I think). The more you look at the entire building the more different it all is.

Cheers - Neil

**labr@** · 25th March 2022, 07:05 PM

What about the heads in the top panels of the doors - were they well known identities of the time, important stock exchange bigwigs or unknowns?

**ubeaut** · 26th March 2022, 01:22 AM

Originally Posted by labr@

What about the heads in the top panels of the doors - were they well known identities of the time, important stock exchange bigwigs or unknowns?

No one knew or they weren't able to find out through historical archives etc back when the restoration was done.

However, see below...

Below is a drawing of Capt. James Cook which they said was OK after rejecting a number of others. Including Burke and Wills. Big problem was they called me urgently about half an hour after I started to carve Cook and said what it says below under REJECTED

So Cook turned into almost Elvis but not on purpose. From the right angle and in the right light it looks like Elvis looking down from above. Also, sorta looks a bit like the other half of pic from newspaper but haven't found it yet.
Some old photos of my work-elvi33-jpg

Cheers

**ubeaut** · 26th March 2022, 05:04 PM

This is a section lifted from original Architects design for front doors. Click on it to enlarge.
Frontdoorplan75.jpg

This photo is of, my son Thayne, working on the design of full-size main panel.

The below is what was finally settled on after a lot of drawings were submitted and rejected.

I left this photo large so you can see the final design. If you look closely, you will see variations in colour of paper these lighter pieces are the final overlays that were agreed to by the architects and are as close to what we could see in the newspaper pic.

All Australian motifs with a bit of artistic license taken.

**ClaudeF** · 30th March 2022, 12:04 PM

Not much I can say other than WOW!! That is some amazing work!

Claude

**woodPixel** · 30th March 2022, 05:29 PM

Having those VERY surly chaps on the doors might serve those who enter with an idea of the demeanour within?

Banks are hardly inviting places are they.... bit like an undertaker or lawyer.

One only visits when they MUST

**woodPixel** · 30th March 2022, 05:30 PM

I think the non-symmetry of the vines/panels adds far more interest.

Real vines are hardly symmetrical - they are rather feral

**GoGuppy** · 13th April 2022, 05:42 PM

Wow, it looks amazing, can’t wait to see the final carving. Following!

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