St John's Church, Wellington

Church in Wellington, New Zealand

41°17′27.43″S 174°46′24.01″E / 41.2909528°S 174.7733361°E / -41.2909528; 174.7733361Location166–176 Willis Street, WellingtonCountryNew ZealandDenominationPresbyterianHistoryDedicated11 December 1885ArchitectureArchitect(s)Thomas TurnbullStyleGothic architectureYears built1885

Heritage New Zealand – Category 1

Designated18 March 1982Reference no.228

St John's Church in Willis Street, Wellington, New Zealand, is registered by Heritage New Zealand as a Category I heritage building. Designed by Thomas Turnbull, it opened on 11 December 1885 to replace an earlier church destroyed by fire in 1884.^[1]^[2] It was registered as a historic place on 18 March 1982, with registration number 228.^[3]

The church was built in kauri, totara and rimu by James Wilson. When new in 1885 it could seat 540 people, plus 240 in the gallery.^[2] A bell was installed in the spire, and supposedly would be able to be heard at Petone beach if the wind was right.^[4] Alterations were made to the church in 1904, and in 1953 Malcolm Bennie designed a porch as a memorial commemorating the centennial of the church.^[5] The church celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2003.^[6] The church had earthquake-strengthening done in 2013.^[7]

References

^ "Disastrous Fire: Total Destruction of St John's Church". New Zealand Times. 10 May 1884. Retrieved 14 July 2021 – via Paperspast.
^ ^a ^b "St John's Presbyterian Church". New Zealand Mail. 11 December 1885. Retrieved 14 July 2021 – via Paperspast.
^ "St John's Church". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
^ "[untitled]". New Zealand Times. 3 October 1885. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
^ Kernohan, David (1994). Wellington's Old Buildings. Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University Press. p. 105. ISBN 0-86473-267-8.
^ Harris, Caroline (23 October 2003). "Spirituality and the City". Dominion Post. Retrieved 14 July 2021 – via Proquest Australia & New Zealand Newsstream.
^ Donoghue, Tim (2 August 2013). "Church Welcomes Brothers in Alms". Dominion Post. p. A 5. Retrieved 14 July 2021 – via Proquest Australia & New Zealand Newsstream.