Church of St Mary the Virgin,– 30, 30E Church Square,Christchurch
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DISTRICT PLAN –LISTED HERITAGE PLACE HERITAGE ASSESSMENT –STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE CHURCH OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN,– 30, 30E CHURCH SQUARE,CHRISTCHURCH Research to date suggests that the group of buildings – the Church of St Mary the Virgin (St Mary’s Church), the bell tower and the lychgate – within their own substantial square are unique in New Zealand. The group reflects the efforts of the early Canterbury settlers to recreate the village landscapes they left behind. Prominent early Cantabrian, Henry Sewell, played a major role in the church, from his donation of the land in 1863, when he subdivided his land to create the suburb of Addington and set aside land for an Anglican church, until his death in 1879. Richard John Seddon, Premier of New Zealand from 1893 was also closely associated with the church until his sudden death in 1906 The group of church buildings is situated in the midst of the mature trees of Church Square, the only parish church in the city to occupy its own square. The belltower and lychgate are also within the original square. The square provides an important focal point for the Addington Anglican community. Page 1 DISTRICT PLAN –LISTED HERITAGE PLACE HERITAGE ASSESSMENT –STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE HERITAGE ITEM NUMBER 1300 CHURCH OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN AND SETTING –30, 30E CHURCH SQUARE,CHRISTCHURCH PHOTOGRAPH : M.VAIR-PIOVA, 23/12/2014 HISTORICAL AND SOCIAL SIGNIFICANCE Historical and social values that demonstrate or are associated with: a particular person, group, organisation, institution, event, phase or activity; the continuity and/or change of a phase or activity; social, historical, traditional, economic, political or other patterns. The Church of St Mary the Virgin (St Mary's Church) (1867-1900) has high historical and social significance as the Anglican parish church for Addington since 1867, as one of the oldest surviving timber churches in Christchurch city and for its association with prominent early Cantabrian Henry Sewell and New Zealand Premier Richard John Seddon. The only timber church within Christchurch city that is older is St Mary’s Church Heathcote. Intended as a temporary structure it has been extended and altered over the years, and this incremental growth reflects the frequently straitened circumstances and changing requirements of the parish. The church commemorates the work of clergy and laity, who have contributed to the development and maintenance of the building and parish. Particularly notable were early Canterbury settler Henry Sewell, through whose efforts the church was founded, and the long ministry of Rev. Walter Bean from 1892 until 1933, who was married to Richard Seddon’s daughter. In more recent years, the church is linked to the Taizé Community, an ecumenical monastic order from Taizé, Saône-et-Loire, Burgundy, France Page 2 which has more than one hundred brothers, from Protestant and Catholic traditions, originating from about thirty countries across the world. CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE Cultural and spiritual values that demonstrate or are associated with the distinctive characteristics of a way of life, philosophy, tradition, religion, or other belief, including: the symbolic or commemorative value of the place; significance to Tangata Whenua; and/or associations with an identifiable group and esteemed by this group for its cultural values. St Mary's Church has cultural and spiritual significance as a spiritual and social hub for Addington's Anglicans that has provided a place of spiritual worship for the community for nearly 150 years. The creation of the lychgate and bell tower memorials can be perceived as a reflection of the centrality of the site in the social and religious lives of its working class congregation. The church and its grounds remain central in the life of the Addington Anglican community, who hold it in high regard. ARCHITECTURAL AND AESTHETIC SIGNIFICANCE Architectural and aesthetic values that demonstrate or are associated with: a particular style, period or designer, design values, form, scale, colour, texture and material of the place. St Mary's Church has high architectural and aesthetic significance as one of Christchurch city’s few remaining early timber churches and for its association with many notable Canterbury architects – Speechly and Crisp, Benjamin Mountfort, Frederick Strouts and more recently Don Donnithorne. The original St Mary's, opened in 1867, was the work of early Canterbury architects Speechly and Crisp, whilst the building took its present form under the guidance of pre-eminent Canterbury architect Benjamin Mountfort in 1880 when he doubled the building’s length and added vestries each side of the chancel. The 1880 extension is demarcated by the diagonal sarking of the roof structure, versus the plain sarking that was used previously. Later Frederick Strouts further extended the nave with a gabled south aisle in 1893, following a plan indicated by Mountfort back in 1880. Examples of Speechly and Crisp’s work are relatively rare as they were not in Canterbury for long. Robert Speechly came to Christchurch in 1864 to oversee the construction of ChristChurch Cathedral. This came to a halt later that year, with the result that he acted as architect to the Church Property Trustees for the next few years. He was assisted by William Crisp who was his pupil until 1866 and his partner until May 1868. As well as St Mary’s they also designed Christ’s College Chapel and St Luke’s Vicarage. Mountfort trained as an architect in England under Richard Carpenter, an important member of the Gothic Revival movement. Mountfort emigrated to New Zealand in 1850 and became New Zealand’s pre-eminent Gothic Revival architect. He has been credited with defining Christchurch’s Gothic Revival character with a group of major buildings including the Canterbury Museum, the Provincial Council Buildings and buildings at Canterbury College (later the Christchurch Arts Centre). Strouts also came from England, arriving in New Zealand in 1859, having trained with several English architectural firms. In 1867 he commenced a long association with the prominent Canterbury family, the Rhodes and was a prolific architect in Canterbury over his 40 year career. He also designed, among many other commissions, Ivey Hall which is now part of Lincoln University, Otahuna Lodge at Tai Tapu and the Rhodes Convalescent Home in Cashmere. The convalescent home was demolished following the Canterbury earthquakes. Page 3 Don Donnithorne is a noted Christchurch architect whose practice, Don Donnithorne Architects has received widespread recognition for his achievements in designing a variety of buildings. In 1987 he received an MBE for his services to architecture in Canterbury. Donnithorne designed the new entry porch on the north façade, the new lobby interior wall and new kitchen facilities which were added in 1996. The accretive form of the building was characteristic of many early city churches, whose expansion reflected that of their finances and congregations. Subsequent additions to the original church have produced an idiosyncratic but integrated building, with a separately gabled nave and aisles. The timber structure was stuccoed in 1960 and retains this finish. The interior of the church is also noteworthy, particularly the exposed trussed ceiling. TECHNOLOGICAL AND CRAFTSMANSHIP SIGNIFICANCE Technological and craftsmanship values that demonstrate or are associated with: the nature and use of materials, finishes and/or technological or constructional methods which were innovative, or of notable quality for the period. St Mary's Church has technological and craftsmanship significance for its timber construction and joinery, its fixtures and fittings, and interior features. The timber roof structure is particularly noteworthy. The church features a number of stained glass windows, including three by notable English firm Lavers and Barraud dating from 1875. It also houses other features of craftsmanship significance including lecterns, a font, timber pews and an organ. CONTEXTUAL SIGNIFICANCE Contextual values that demonstrate or are associated with: a relationship to the environment (constructed and natural), a landscape, setting, group, precinct or streetscape; a degree of consistency in terms of type, scale, form, materials, texture, colour, style and/or detail; recognised landmarks and landscape which are recognised and contribute to the unique identity of the environment. The church has high contextual significance as a church situated in the midst of the mature trees and open grassed space of Church Square, the only parish church in the city to occupy its own square, in a location which suggests an English village setting associated with the bell tower and lychgate. The setting of St Mary’s Church consists of the surrounding square, including the surrounding roads extending in a cruciform shape beyond the immediate square. The grassed areas extend informally beyond the tree lined perimeter of the church square, into road reserve land. Simple paths cross through the square on the north-south axis from the lychgate and on the east to west axis. The square provides a major focus for the suburb of Addington. As one of the city's few remaining early timber churches, St Mary's has a relationship with buildings such as St Mary's Heathcote, St Mary's Halswell, and St Paul's Papanui. The original core of the building is also part of the small group of works of Speechly and Crisp, which includes the chapel at Christ's College and St Saviour's Templeton;