By developing new coding techniques, Hidden Melbourne is able to show you a 360° Panoramic view of Melbourne over time, captured from a church which has been in place since early settlement.
We start with Samuel Jackson's highly detailed 1841 Sketch of Melbourne from Scots Church.
The young architect is said to have used the stave of a barrel to align his viewpoint as he sat on the church under construction.
Using a Camera Obscura to project onto a sheet of paper, he sketched the view in front of him in great detail. He then rotated the camera and continued to sketch section by section to create a seamless 360° view of Melbourne on a sheet of paper 18″ high by 18ft long. This magnificent panorama recently featured in the “Colony” exhibition at the NGV.
We then allow the viewer to switch to an 1875 panoramic view from the same location (albeit a newer, higher church tower). Ten highly detailed photographic plates were captured by the Paterson Bros and show a bustling Metropolis, the second largest city in the British Empire (after London), funded by the gold rush. We can only imagine how tough it was to carry large glass plates up to the spire, sensitize them and expose while wet, then chemically fix them to preserve the image.
In 2017, Hidden Melbourne made the climb up the tower via the narrow winding spiral stone staircase (thanks to Scots Church) and captured a sequence of images on a Sony A7R2, CMOS sensor, which were then developed and joined into a 360° panoramic using a computer. No glass plates or nasty chemicals involved!
Utilise the attached Google map to show you the viewing direction.
Please enjoy this walk through time https://www.hiddenmelbourne.com.au/ScotsChurchThenAndNow
