The State Library of Victoria has put out a call for Victorians to donate to its End of Financial Year Appeal in a bid to assist in the conservation of the original drawings of St Paul’s Cathedral.

The 154 drawings, created by English architect William Butterfield, date back to 1878. The drawings of the Gothic structure range in size and scale, with some six metres in length portraying both detailed designs and life-size renders.

The State Library’s yearly Appeal helps the institution to correctly treat and preserve collections it houses. It also helps to make them publicly accessible, ensuring the story behind architectural landmarks such as St Paul’s Cathedral can be told for years to come.

“These architectural plans helped shape one of Australia’s busiest intersections and changed Melbourne’s cityscape forever,” says State Library Victoria Director of Collections, Jo Ritale.

“As custodians of Victoria’s social history, it is our responsibility to ensure the plans are conserved so that current and future generations of architects and builders can be inspired by their detail, scale, and design.”

Butterfield designed the Cathedral from his quarters in England without view of the site, with plans passed onto local builders in 1880. The plans were gifted to the State Library by the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's Cathedral in two lots: the first in 1993, the second in 2014.

Professor of Architectural History at University of Edinburgh, Alex Bremner, says the drawings are of great architectural significance.

“State Library Victoria is fortunate in possessing this magnificent collection of William Butterfield drawings of St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral in Melbourne. It is rare to come across such a complete set of architectural drawings for a major project from this period, especially by such an acclaimed architect. The fact that so many of the original drawings from this collection remain intact is a minor miracle.”

Dimity Reed AM says the conservation of the plans is imperative.

“Looking at architectural drawings is really like reading a novel very carefully: there’s a richness. The original thinking is there, and then the people who are implementing it have left their marks,” she says.

“Many of them are in tragic condition. They’re worn and torn where they’ve been folded or rolled or doubled over. They need conservation. It’s terribly important that they are looked after; it’s the preservation of who we are.”

Funds raised from the Appeal will enable the State Library to correctly preserve the plans for them to remain in the State Collection and to help make them publicly accessible.

Donations can be made at slv.vic.gov.au.

Image: Supplied