Old St Paul's, Wellington

Coordinates: 41°16′35″S 174°46′49″E / 41.276262°S 174.780394°E / -41.276262; 174.780394
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Old St Paul's
Style
Gothic Revival
Years built1865–1866
Designated26 November 1981
Reference no.38

Old St Paul's (formerly St Paul's Pro-Cathedral

Diocese of Wellington of the Anglican Church between 1866 and 1964. It exemplifies 19th-century Gothic Revival architecture adapted to colonial conditions and materials, and stands at 34 Mulgrave Street, Pipitea, close to Parliament Buildings
.

History

Wellington harbour.[3] Agreement to build the church was reached by 1861[3] and the Reverend Frederick Thatcher, then vicar of St Paul's, Thorndon
, was engaged as the architect.

The foundation stone was laid by

Bishop Abraham on 6 June 1866.[6]

Soon after the church opened, it became apparent that it was unstable in high winds, and so the south transept, designed by

Christian Julius Toxward, was added in 1868.[7]
Later additions included the north transept and north-aisle extension, also by Toxward, in 1874; the moving of the chancel five metres to the east and the addition of minor north and south transepts to the design of George Fannin in 1876; the choir vestry in 1882, probably designed by Toxward; and extension of the baptistry as designed by Frederick de Jersey Clere in 1891.[7] Thatcher’s original wooden shingle roof was replaced with corrugated iron in 1895, and subsequently with Welsh slates in 1924.[8]

In 1964 the Diocese of Wellington moved to the new

Ministry of Works under the guidance of Peter Sheppard.[9][10]

Architecture

Old St Paul's is built in a

kauri roof sarking.[11]

Photo gallery

Stained-glass windows in the south alcove
Nave
Exterior from the front/side

Current situation

Old St Paul's is now managed by

consecrated,[12] and is a popular venue for weddings, funerals and other services. In 2016 a celebration service of evensong was held in the cathedral to commemorate 150 years since it was consecrated.[12]

The flags displayed in the

second division), which was stationed in Wellington during World War II.[2] The church retains close links with the New Zealand Defence Force
.

Some of the walls and columns of Old St Paul's are decorated with memorial plaques, including many dedicated to those who fought and died in World War I. There is a plaque in memory of Wellington historian John Beaglehole, most famous for his biography of explorer James Cook, but who also played a significant role in the fight to save Old St Paul's from demolition.[13]

Old St Paul's was closed from May 2019 until July 2020 for seismic strengthening work.[14][15]

References

  1. ^ "Interior view of St Pauls Pro-Cathedral, Wellington, New Zealand". DigitalNZ. National Library of New Zealand. 1867. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "History of Old St. Paul's". New Zealand Heritage Trust. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014.
  3. ^ a b Sheppard, Peter (1970). Restoring Old St Paul's. Wellington: Ministry of Works. p. 3.
  4. ^ "LAYING the FOUNDATION STONE OF WELLINGTON CATHEDRAL". Evening Post. 21 August 1865. p. 2. Retrieved 28 November 2021 – via Papers Past.
  5. ^ Bircham, Deric (1981). Old St Paul's: An Illustrated Essay. Wellington: AH & AW Reed. p. 28.
  6. ^ "THE WELLINGTON CATHEDRAL". Wellington Independent. 7 June 1866. p. 5. Retrieved 28 November 2021 – via Papers Past.
  7. ^ a b Sheppard, Peter (1970). Restoring Old St Paul's. Wellington: Ministry of Works. p. 4.
  8. ^ Alington, Margaret; Alington, William (1968). Old St Paul's Wellington: A Pictorial Record. Wellington: Friends of Old St Paul’s Society. p. 3.
  9. ISBN 9780473397722.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
    )
  10. ^ Kernohan, David (1994). Wellington's Old Buildings. Wellington: Victoria University Press. p. 52.
  11. ^ a b "Old St Paul's". NZ History. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  12. ^
    Stuff.co.nz
    . Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  13. ^ Beaglehole, Tim. "Beaglehole, John Cawte". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  14. ^ Desmarais, Felix (15 November 2018). "Old St Pauls in Wellington to close for seismic upgrade". The Dominion Post. Stuff.
  15. ^ Wiltshire, Laura (28 July 2020). "Old St Paul's doors re-open after earthquake strengthening". The Dominion Post. Stuff.

External links

Media related to Old Saint Paul's at Wikimedia Commons

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