Beverley Shore-Bennett

Born in Wellington, Beverly Doris Shore attended Samuel Marsden Collegiate School and then studied art, mainly portraiture, at the Wellington Technical College with tutor Frederick Ellis. In 1946 she received "25 guineas from Harold Green, Mayor of Petone" at a ceremony at the Technical College for her historical mural depicting colonial settlers landing at Petone beach in 1841. Between 1951 and 1953 Beverley travelled, studying under Brian Thomas at the Byam Shaw School of Art in London, England.

On returning to New Zealand Beverly married Peter Osborne Bennett and her practice turned from painting to stained glass, tile mosaic and other art forms suited to church display. Window commissions from the 1960s include Waiapu Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist in Napier and Wellington Hospital Nurses' Memorial Chapel, completed with Martin Roestenburg. In 1969, she was commissioned to design a portable font for the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul. The success of this piece led to her also being asked to design the Holm Memorial window, the cathedral's dossal hangings and windows for the Lady Chapel and ambulatory. In 1970 she became the main designer for Miller Studios.

In 1972 Beverly joined the Fellowship of the British Society of Master Glass Painters, and in 1980 she was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to art.

See also:

• Beverly Shore Bennett (Wikipedia page)
• Artists and their paintings at Art Gallery (album at National Library of NZ)
• Shore Bennett, Beverley Doris:records held by National Library of NZ