Lectern

The use of heavy materials and vertical elements in this handmade wooden lectern gives it an ecclesiastical feel and, thus, alludes to the sophisticated design of Gothic-inspired furniture. While little is known on the provenance of this object, this lectern is likely to have been the central focus of a lecture room while a professor (such as Professor John Macmillan Brown) delivered an invigorating lesson from it.

The lecture room in which this lectern once stood has likely been repurposed, but there is still a well-preserved lecture theatre at the Arts Centre site, above the Rutherford’s Den exhibition space. The Den lecture theatre has been refurbished with modern heating and lighting. However, during the early days of the College, a lecture room would have been lucky to include a fireplace - it might have heated the back of the lecturer and nothing else!

Evidence of modernisation can also be seen in the development of lecterns. While they are still used in lecture theatres today, the basic design now accommodates modern technology such as laptops, cables, and microphones, rather than inkwells and pens (as seen on this lectern). Some lecture theatres at the University of Canterbury have even discarded lecterns altogether and lecturers instead sit at desks in front of or amongst their students, creating an informal and conversational classroom experience.