Canopy Stone on the Chapel wall

In 1934 a piece of stone masonry arrived to be installed into the new Chapel at Wesley.

It came from the House of Commons, more particularly the side facing the River Thames.

The House of Commons was being renovated at the time and Harold T Lanyon OW1909 wrote to a friend to procure a piece for Wesley. Ideally he would like a piece with a lion on it, but this was a popular subject choice and other members of the Parliament got them first.

HT Lanyon had spent a number of years in London working first for JB Were stockbrokers from 1926 in Melbourne later moving to London, and then Bushell and Co the tea merchants.

He was in the same form as Robert G Menzies – the Pass VI in 1912. He had gone to the Royal Military College Duntroon for 2 years after leaving school and during WWI was a Lieutenant, later Captain in the 22^nd Battalion AIF. He saw terrible fighting in France, including being buried alive after a shell exploded, and spent a lot of time convalescing in England before returning to the Front. He was court martialled for disobedience – refusing to obey an order to go to the front line in April 1918. He was cautioned and moved to another Battalion but he was not able to perform the duties required of him and he was discharged and sent back to Australia.

Due to the unique nature of such an acquisition it was written up in The Herald on 10^th April 1934, and the Chronicle May 1934 p45. It is believed to be the only piece of stonework from the House of Commons ever to leave Britain.

Lanyon died in London 8 years later on 19^th June 1942, aged 47.