Port Chalmers’ Holy Trinity Church, designed by prominent Dunedin architect R A Lawson, and opened in 1874, has special architectural significance. It is one of only a handful of New Zealand churches built in an Early English Gothic style according to the principles of the Academic Gothic Revival. A small group of special parish churches in New Zealand were designed in this style during the High Victorian Gothic Revival. They are special because they are academic renditions of the style built in the same stone masonry materials as medieval English churches, and distinct because there are so few.
Port Chalmers, some ten kilometres from Dunedin, grew up around the busy harbour. During the gold rushes an influx of ships brought hopeful miners and huge quantities of provisions. The population of the settlement grew too and many men worked at the port. Churches grew with the community. After sharing space with worshippers of other denominations for twenty years, in the early 1870s Port Chalmers’ Anglicans set about establishing their own place of worship. They selected a ‘commanding site’ overlooking the port, and chose the Early English Gothic style design put forward by R.A. Lawson.
The Bishop of Dunedin, Samuel Nevill laid the foundation stone on 7 June 1871, with full Masonic ceremony. The stonemason was Mr Borlase, and the carpenter Mr Bauchop. Soon after, the first vicar, Reverend T.L. Stanley was ordained. Building was slow, and the church did not open until 1874. On its opening, the Otago Witness reported that the ‘early Gothic’ style building was cruciform in plan and that the ‘very beautiful’, ‘very substantial and somewhat imposing structure’ was a ‘credit to the Port.’
The architectural style has been termed Academic Gothic Revival as it draws on nineteenth century studies of surviving medieval buildings made by revivalists such as A.W. Pugin. The style links New Zealand’s pioneer church building with that of the medieval English church. Holy Trinity is built of Port Chalmers breccia, and the coursed rubble replicates more or less exactly one of the building forms of original Early English Gothic churches. Adding to the beauty of the church are several memorial stained glass windows.
The congregation later set about building a Sunday school hall, a vicarage, and a bell tower but struggled to repay the debts incurred by these building projects. Adding to the financial burden, the church itself was not without problems. The roof leaked, causing ongoing maintenance expenses. In 1906, Reverend Tewsley provided funds to re-roof the church and restore the chancel, among other improvements. Marseilles tiles replaced the original shingles in 1909. The tiles have since been replaced by long run profile steel roofing. In 2014, the Holy Trinity Church remains the place of worship for Anglicans in Port Chalmers and the surrounding communities.
Port Chalmers, some ten kilometres from Dunedin, grew up around the busy harbour. During the gold rushes an influx of ships brought hopeful miners and huge quantities of provisions. The population of the settlement grew too and many men worked at the port. Churches grew with the community. After sharing space with worshippers of other denominations for twenty years, in the early 1870s Port Chalmers’ Anglicans set about establishing their own place of worship. They selected a ‘commanding site’ overlooking the port, and chose the Early English Gothic style design put forward by R.A. Lawson.
The Bishop of Dunedin, Samuel Nevill laid the foundation stone on 7 June 1871, with full Masonic ceremony. The stonemason was Mr Borlase, and the carpenter Mr Bauchop. Soon after, the first vicar, Reverend T.L. Stanley was ordained. Building was slow, and the church did not open until 1874. On its opening, the Otago Witness reported that the ‘early Gothic’ style building was cruciform in plan and that the ‘very beautiful’, ‘very substantial and somewhat imposing structure’ was a ‘credit to the Port.’
The architectural style has been termed Academic Gothic Revival as it draws on nineteenth century studies of surviving medieval buildings made by revivalists such as A.W. Pugin. The style links New Zealand’s pioneer church building with that of the medieval English church. Holy Trinity is built of Port Chalmers breccia, and the coursed rubble replicates more or less exactly one of the building forms of original Early English Gothic churches. Adding to the beauty of the church are several memorial stained glass windows.
The congregation later set about building a Sunday school hall, a vicarage, and a bell tower but struggled to repay the debts incurred by these building projects. Adding to the financial burden, the church itself was not without problems. The roof leaked, causing ongoing maintenance expenses. In 1906, Reverend Tewsley provided funds to re-roof the church and restore the chancel, among other improvements. Marseilles tiles replaced the original shingles in 1909. The tiles have since been replaced by long run profile steel roofing. In 2014, the Holy Trinity Church remains the place of worship for Anglicans in Port Chalmers and the surrounding communities.
