HISTORY:

Minniesdale Chapel is most noted for its association with the Albertlanders, a number of whom are buried in its churchyard. The Albertlanders were a group made up largely of Nonconformists who came to New Zealand, mainly from the Midlands of England, between the years 1862 and 1865. The Albertland scheme caught the imagination of the British public from its formation by William Brame in 1862. This was because of the promise of freehold land and a classless society, the sentimental appeal of its name with its reference to Prince Albert whose death had just occurred, and the fact that it was formed to coincide with the bicentennial of the expulsion of nonconforming ministers from the Church of England. Three thousand settlers made their way to New Zealand under the scheme only to find that the harsh conditions and the inexperience of the settlers doomed the scheme to failure.

Edwin Stanley Brookes Snr was one of those inspired by the Albertland scheme and he trained as a Baptist minister before setting out for New Zealand. Three of his sons preceded their parents to Albertland and were among the first settlers put ashore at Wharehine in October, 1862. The Baptist settlers held services in each other's homes until the Reverend Brookes and the remainder of his family arrived at Wharehine in 1865, bringing with them the framework of the future Minniesdale Chapel. The Minute Book for 13 March 1866 records the setting up of the first congregation of the first chapel in that part of Albertland.

Reverend Brookes engaged George Wilcockson to erect the building and it was opened and dedicated on Sunday 29 December 1867. The cost of construction was born by Mr Brookes. His son George Hovey Brookes, donated the land on which the chapel stands. On 1 June 1887 the chapel and grounds were presented to the Baptist Union and eventually to the residents of the Wharehine district to be used as an interdenominational chapel administered by a Board of Trustees.

The chapel is built on sloping ground enabling a room to be placed underneath it. A Gothic door leads to this room where, on 7 August 1868, after several preliminary meetings, the first Highway board for the district was elected. The chapel thus added a political dimension to the spiritual life of the community.

The chapel in its rural setting cannot look much different today from when it was built in 1867. Minniesdale Chapel is reminiscent of how St Stephens Chapel, Parnell must have looked when it was built in 1857 before the encroachment of Auckland city. Minniesdale Chapel is held in great affection by the local community and apart from the regular interdenominational services, a commemorative service is held every year on the nearest Sunday to the opening of the chapel. People come from all over New Zealand and overseas to attend this service.