The present St Mary’s Church (Anglican), Karori, dates from 1911 and was designed by well-known architect Frederick de Jersey Clere (1856–1952). Clere had become the Wellington Anglican diocesan architect in February 1883, and designed over 100 churches in Wellington and the lower part of the North Island. St Mary’s was one of Clere’s early reinforced-concrete churches. A wooden church designed by Frederick Thatcher had been located on the site since 1866. Early in the twentieth century a larger building was needed and Clere’s concrete and timber building opened on 1 November 1911, but was smaller than intended due to funding difficulties. It was paid off and consecrated in 1916 and Clere produced a design for an extension in 1917. However, no action was taken until Samuel Marsden Collegiate opened across the road in 1926, providing a rapid increase in the number of parishioners. The extension was built to Clere’s design in 1926-1927. The 1866 church was demolished in 1925 as it was going to be in the way of the extension. The present parish hall was built in 1923. Another extension, designed by Lewis Martin of Porter and Martin in 1965-66, almost doubled seating capacity to about 480. A further extension designed by William (Bill) Alington in 1993 rearranged the porch area and added a kitchenette, toilets and car port. All the changes have occurred to the west end, leaving the east end (the side approached from Karori Road) as originally built. The church also has a graveyard amongst mature trees on the north-west side. The building stands on a prominent rise and its tall tower makes it noticeable from parts of Karori (although the tall trees in front now partially obscure the view). It is characterised by the tall square tower capped by an open timber framework, the long, low-pitched gable roof, deep overhanging eaves, and small round-headed windows in groups of twos and threes. The main structural material is concrete, finished on the outside in thick stucco plaster, painted white; and the roof is now concrete tiles. The style of the building has been described as Italian Romanesque, particularly with the square bell tower; however author Susan Maclean believes the low-pitched roofs, overhanging eaves, exposed rafter ends, and recessed round-headed windows show more of a Spanish influence as it was then being expressed through the Californian Bungalow. Margaret Alington notes that while the debate over the style and influences is an ‘interesting academic exercise’, even in its original truncated form St Mary’s was an elegant and harmonious building, which Clere’s son considered one of his father’s best works after St Mary’s of the Angels (Register No. 36, Category 1). St Mary’s, Karori has architectural and aesthetic significance as one of Frederick de Jersey Clere’s more important church designs and subsequent additions have carefully preserved the integrity of the original. The church also has social and spiritual significance to the many parishioners who have used it over the last 100 years.
Location
List Entry Information
Overview
Detailed List Entry
Status
Listed
List Entry Status
Historic Place Category 2
Access
Private/No Public Access
List Number
1351
Date Entered
11th November 1982
Date of Effect
11th November 1982
City/District Council
Wellington City
Region
Wellington Region
Legal description
Pt Lot 1 DP 7120 (RT WNE4/1454), Wellington Land District
Stay up to date with Heritage this month
