Draft:St Bride's Church, Mauku
| St Bride's Church | |
|---|---|
 An illustration depicting St Bride's Church in 1863 with stockade surrounding it | |
| Location | Mauku |
| Address | Findlay Road, Mauku |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | https://stbridesmauku.wordpress.com/ |
| History | |
| Founded | 1861 |
| Consecrated | 22 February 1885 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Reverend Arthur Guyon Purchas |
| Style | Selwyn style (Gothic Revival) |
| Years built | 1860–1861 |
| Groundbreaking | 1860 |
| Construction cost | c. £300 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Anglican Diocese of Auckland |
| Parish | Parish of Mauku |
| Designated | 2 February 1990 |
| Reference no. | 81 |
St Bride's Church is a historic Anglican church in Mauku, New Zealand. St Bride's was constructed in 1861 and was the first church in the Franklin area. It served as an important military outpost during the Invasion of the Waikato.
Description
[edit]St Bride's sits atop an elevated site, this along with it's spire helps it stand out as a landmark. The church is a wooden Selwyn style church and follows traditional ecclesiological design philosophies in it's proportions and has exposed rafters and trusses. Most of the church is constructed from kauri. Two original oil lamps are located in the interior. The cusped windows have trefoils which are in pairs of twos except for the chancel where they are pairs of three. The belfry has louvered windows which also have trefoils.[1]
History
[edit]Anglican worship in the inchoate settlement of Mauku was initially conducted in private homes and later in a slab hut near the site of St Bride's. Prior to the construction of St Bride's Church — Mauku was visited by George Augustus Selwyn, Robert Maunsell, John Coleridge Patteson, and Arthur Guyon Purchas, who all provided services at different points in time. On 22 November 1858 it was decided a permanent church should be constructed and a committee was formed, headed by Dr. Purchas. 3 acres (1.2 ha) was given to Selwyn as a Crown grant for the construction of a church. Dr. Purchas offered to donate £25 towards a spire if the committee chose his design, which they did. Significant contributions were also made by Gore Browne, bishop Selwyn, Patteson, and Sir Duncan Cameron. The fundraising likely would not have met the target without their support given Mauku was a small rural settlement.[2]
In December 1860, construction began and completed on a Sunday, 14 July 1861. The cost was approximately £300.[2] It was the first church to be constructed in the Franklin area.[3] As was common with churches in small rural settlements in New Zealand, it also served Presbyterians and Methodists.[2]
Following the Invasion of the Waikato in July 1863, many isolated European settlements became worried of potential raids from hostile Māori. The women and children of Mauku evacuated to Auckland and a stockade was constructed around St Bride's to serve as a military outpost. Up to 2,000 men were based at the church at one point. 54 loopholes were cut into the church during this period and these still remain.[1]
In 1884 a pulpit, font, and stained glass windows were installed. The following year on 22 February the church was consecrated by bishop William Cowie.[1]
The puriri block foundations was replaced with concrete in 1953.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "St Bride's Church, Mauku". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand.
- ^ a b c Limbrick, Warren (April 2011). "Saint Bride's Church, Mauku: A Frontier Church in the Midst of Conflict" (PDF). Anglican Historical Society newsletter (46). The Anglican Historical Society of New Zealand.
- ^ Derbyshire, Noel William (2016). Serving the Community: a history of the Pukekohe Anglican Parish. Wily Publications. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-927167-30-4.