Wesley Chapel High St Auckland 150.Pdf
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Rev Walter Lawry (detail from First High Street Church as drawn by Lawry portrait by William Gush 1840). INTRODUCTION Once there was a church in the heart of the town’s houses. The town grew and the houses moved away. Churches can only exist among people so the church closed, but lived on in other places where the people were. Twenty- five years later the story of High Street was included in the first major Methodist history for New Zealand. Twice since the story has been briefly retold with some fresh material. Books go out of print, the story is forgotten, life stories are tuckrd onto library shelves mid in reserve stacks. So let’s hear it again, with some new stories. And let us give thanks for the pioneers who built a church here, and were the church here. Preface to first Minute Book On my arrival at Auckland, March 171844, on a Sunday morning, I proceeded at once to the chapel, which was not finished, but had been some time occupied; the congregation consisted of fourteen adults, beside a few children. There were several names on the paper, but about five persons regularly met in class. Since then the chapel has completely filled, and the Society is now about sixty in number. The chapel has just been enlarged about a third and still we want room. The old debt is paid off and the enlargement which has cost about 180 pounds is also paid fo,r leaving no debt whatever. The Deed from the Crown conveyed the premises to five persons, and to their heirs, not in Trust, but in perpetuity; these persons I have induced to sign over the premises, on the Trusts named on the Model Deed. So that now the premises are the Bona fide property of the Wesleyan Church for ever. WALTER LAWRY GENERAL SUPERINTENDANT NEW ZEALAND AUCKLAND 1846 Copy of Preface to first Minute Book, reduced; transcript above. EARLY AUCKLAND AND THE WESLEYANS Auckland began as a settlement of officials sent by the Governor in Russell. The Anna Watson brought the group that was to complete the negotiations with the Maori owners and prepare the transfer from Russell. The founding ceremony was on 18 September 1840. Also present was the Platina with a few settlers from Wellington. John Logan Campbell and his partner, Brown, joined the settlement three months later. The first settler ships, the Jane Gtfford and the Duchess of Argyle did not arrive until October 1842. Meanwhile settlers moved in from Russell, Wellington, Australia and other places. The three missionary churches - Anglican, Wesleyan and Roman Catholic - had all moved to establish in the new capital, and to take on the additional role of settler churches. A raupo building was used as a church by Anglicans and Wesleyans. A Wesleyan sawpit, the Courthouse, and an auction room were also used. Bishop Selwyn opened St Paul’s on May 7, 1843, the Wesleyans opened their modest chapel on July 2, 1843, and St Patrick’s was opened on March 17, 1844; and the new Wesleyan Superintendent, arriving unexpectedly, found his new congregation depleted as a result. At the time of settlement people were neither of the age nor status to have a portrait painted. Photography came later: then they were long past their youth. The slow exposure required perfect stillness - with the resulting images often of rather sombre old people. But usually the settlers were young people raising their families. The three stalwarts of the Wesleyan group were young men in their mid-twenties scrambling to establish home, family and church. Prices were high at the first land sale in May 1841, but the pattern of development was established. More important than Queen Street were Shortland Street and Princes Street. The rise and the high ground were better than the muddy bottom of the valley, at least for houses. The officials had the high ground between Government House and Official Bay to the east of Britomart Point. Churches sought out the prime high ground. The Governor made grants for St Paul’s, St Patrick’s the Wesleyan Chapel. He recognised the importance of the churches for the community, and he had been dependent on them in preparing the Treaty. The Wesleyans shortly had two churches: the High Street Chapel and the Mission (Maori) Church overlooking Mechanics Bay, just north of Constitution Hill. The stages of settlement were clear. First only tents, followed by buildings for officials, and a prefabricated Government House. Settlers began with tents and raupo huts and everything was temporary until the land sales. The wooden buildings followed at a rapid pace. Young people building a first house would work from dawn until dark. Three of the foundation Wesleyans were involved in timber cutting, milling, building, joinery and cabinet making. Young and vigorous, they established homes, families and church. They were businessmen and chapelmen. The Governor died in September 1842. The Anglicans conducted the funeral and the Wesleyans provided the undertakers. They buried a friend and designed and constructed the vault. The first Wesleyan Chapel was a simple weatherboard building on a brick foundation. No builder is recorded, but with the three lay trustees being partners in the main building firm the work was almost certainly that of Stone, Langford and Gardiner “builders, cabinetmakers and undertakers”. WESLEYANS, CHAPEL AND CHURCH The first Wesleyans came before the first settler ships. They must have sought each other out and promoted their faith, first with one another and then with fellow settlers. The official history is that Rev. James Buller preached in Auckland a year and a day after the founding. He had gone from Tangiteroria on the Northern Wairoa to the Kaipara Heads to investigate the drowning at a contingent of Methodists on the Sophia Pate, wrecked there. He followed the captain and crew to Auckland to lay charges of theft of possessions of the deceased. For three Sundays he stayed in Auckland waiting. On the first, September 19, 1841, he preached first to the Maoris at gardens beyond the town, perhaps north of One Tree Hill. Then he preached to settlers at a covered sawpit at Mechanics Bay, and later at other sites. He formed a Class Meeting of five, though were more than five Wesleyans in three families! Perhaps only the men were recorded, or available. He also baptised the first white baby boy born in Auckland – the entry however was recorded at Tangiteroria! Did Buller preach the first Wesleyan sermon? Rev. Rugby Pratt claimed that his great uncle, Mr Florence Gardiner did, at the same sawpit. He was a local preacher in Australia, and Wesleyans would get on with preaching to their group and their fellow settlers, and preaching continued after Buller left. The local preacher was Wesley’s response to many Societies and few ministers. They established new Societies and then new churches. Gardiner was the key preacher, assisted by Mr Joseph Robinson, William Culpan and Thomas Russell. The sawpit at Mechanics Bay would have been Stone’s (Gardiner and Stone ware both partners and brothers-in-law). John A Langford, the other partner, had his house in Chancery Lane with a 12 foot square carpenter shop attached. That shop was a centre for Class Meetings and even for services. Buller was promised a site grant by the Governor and his choice was approved. The knoll once overtopped most of the surrounding land and buildings. It was in an open space between Vulcan Lane and Victoria Street. High Street itself was narrow and petered out at Durham Lane to a path. Planning was recorded by Buller: requests for a church, promises of money, negotiation with the Governor. Buller made a further visit. In May 1843 tenders were advertised for bricks, lime and sand for the foundations. On July 2 the chapel was officially opened by Rev. John Warren from Waima, 200 kilometres away on the Hokianga, and Buller 160 kilometres away on the Northern Wairoa. The opening was dependent on their successful arrival. They came, they saw, they opened. The chapel was a first step only, and was almost immediately paid for. The opening collections were about ten per cent of the cost - 10 pounds, 14 shillings and a penny ha’penny, which is as precise as you can get, give or take a farthing. By the time the building was up, a vestry was to be added at further cost; in 1846 it was enlarged by a third, again paid for at completion, and as the congregation grew, extensions and replacements followed. As Rev. Lawry put it “still we want room”. High Street Wesleyan Chapel 1848 The foundation stone of the brick building was laid in May 1848 and the building opened on October 22, 1848. The architect was Walter Robertson and the builder was Henry White, a member. The 70 foot by 50 foot building was extended to 86 feet in the late 50’s and galleries ware added. With a seating capacity of 1050 it was the largest in Auckland. An entrepreneur later offered to purchase it for a concert venue but the offer was declined. Buller reported the opening: “We think we shall ever look back with pleasurable feelings on the day which opened the first Wesleyan Chapel in any European settlement of New Zealand”. Rev. John Warren preached in the morning on Corinthians 3:11 (Other foundation can no man lay...); Rev. James Buller in the afternoon on Chronicles 7:1 (The glory of the Lord filled the house); and Warren again in the evening on Isaiah 53:5 (He was wounded for our transgressions ...).