St Cuthbert's Church (Anglican) Governor's Bay, Banks Peninsula

St Cuthbert's Church, built in 1860, was designed by George Mallinson, architect for the Church of the Most Holy Trinity began in Lyttelton a year earlier. There are similarities in the planning of these two churches and also in the stonework which was carried out by Edward Morey, a craftsman of considerable skill.

St Cuthbert's is distinguished by its dominant steeply pitched roof and low cob walls faced with rubble stone. Solidity is emphasised by the heavy buttresses between the small, cusped, lancet windows. Beside the western end is a projecting porch of similar proportions. It is faced with water worn black stones gathered from the beach by local women who carried them in their sacking aprons.

The chancel, added in 1874, has a fine stained glass memorial window depicting the legend of St Cuthbert. The high opened timbered ceiling is carried by 'scissor' trusses which contribute to the rhythmic division of the interior.

St Cuthbert's is an important link with Canterbury's early settlement and has considerable architectural significance in the quality of its design and its unusual construction. With its graveyard and mature trees this quiet country church has an atmosphere of timeless charm.