St Mary's (Anglican) Parish Church, Timaru, N.Z.

 It took 28 years to build as the parishioners were able to afford it. 1880-1909

St Mary's Memorials  

24 Church St., Timaru. "This church stands on an elevated site, and presents an impressive appearance. It is constructed of Timaru gray stone, lined with Oamaru stone, and is in the English style of architecture designed by W.B. Armson. The nave, complete, cost £11,000, but the chancel and vestry are at present temporary in their character, and their completion awaits the accumulation of sufficient funds. A tower and spire, after the style of the Christchurch Cathedral, will form part of the completed building. The interior of the church, which provides seating accommodation for 800 worshippers, possess many noteworthy features; the Scotch granite pillars, the highly artistic carved work, memorial brasses and stained glass windows giving it an appearance of dignity, solemnity and repose. The organ is one of Messrs Lewis and Co.'s English instruments. The church was opened and consecrated in 1866. 
    St Mary's vicarage occupies a half acre allotment in Theodosia Street. It is built of brick, is two stories in height, and contains about a dozen well appointed rooms. Immediately at the rear of the vicarage is St Mary's Sunday school room, which is a wooden building on a concrete foundation. It contains seating accommodation for about 500 persons." Reference: Cyclopedia of New Zealand, Canterbury edition. 1903

Centennial porch. The parish centennial was 28th April 1961.

"The tower is about one hundred feet in height, but looks much higher, owning to its position on a hill rising higher than the adjoining streets. It is a conspicuous landmark to ships making for the harbour" wrote Archdeacon Henry Harper.

Views from the crenellated square stone bell tower taken August 1999. One hundred and fourteen steps to the viewing balconies, 30 metres (100ft) above ground, offer magnificent views from the bay to the Two Thumb Range, 7000 odd feet. Always snow capped in winter. Photo credits: Olwyn.

30 October 2003 Timaru Herald
St Mary's restoration fund committee has been given a reminder from above, of just how urgent their task is. It wasn't windy, there wasn't an earthquake, but part of a 40cm-high Oamaru stone cross came crashing off the roof of the Timaru church on Monday. Archdeacon Philip Robinson said a person cleaning the church heard the almighty crash and went outside to investigate. Part of the celtic cross from the roof of the octagonal choir room was lying on the ground. Mr Robinson saw the smashed cross as proof of just how soft and crumbly the stone has become - and how urgent the restoration work is. At this stage $168,000 has been raised or pledged for the restoration of the church. All up the work is expected to cost $975,000. It is planned to have the restoration work completed in time for the church's centennial in 2009

Chance to take a prowl around Timaru Church
2 December 2006 Timaru Herald

It's "open home" at St Marys tomorrow, a chance to take a look down in the crypt, inside the pipe organ and check out the singing birds. And for the visitor who wants to know more, the historical experts will be on hand, conducting tours from 2-4pm. Anglican churches throughout the Canterbury diocese are opening their doors this year as part of the diocese's 150th anniversary celebrations. While the doors of St Marys are always open to the public, Archdeacon Philip Robinson said tomorrow's tours would include parts of the building the public did not usually have access to. While the first St Marys was built in 1861, work on the existing building began in 1880 with the nave being completed six years later. Tarpaulins covered the roof for a couple of years until the parishioners could afford a permanent roof. It wasn't until 1909 that the chancel, chapel, vestries and tower were finished. But it's not only the building that will be on display. The churches "treasures" will also get an airing. The first Bishop of Christchurch Henry Harper, was given a bible by the "cottagers and servants" of his former parish of Mortimer, when he sailed for New Zealand with his family of 14 children in 1856. His son Henry, who became the second vicar of St Marys and first archdeacon of Timaru and Westland, donated his father's bible to St Marys. The leather bound, brass-clasped bible will be on display along with other old bibles. The church's very first font -- the size of a large cup -- and other religious items will all be on display for the afternoon. The tours, complete with afternoon tea, are free, with the aim of the exercise simply being for the public to enjoy the church for its religious or historical significance, or simply to appreciate the beauty of the historic building. A special ecumenical service will be held at St Mary's tomorrow morning to mark the 150th anniversary of the diocese. It's a big weekend for the church as a Victorian Christmas Market will be held outside this morning, and the church will be open to the public.

November 2007  TH. The tower of the gothic-style church is made of Oamaru stone and basalt, however the Oamaru stone is now crumbling. Contractors are cleaning it by hand to find out which stones need to be replaced. It is the first time recent restoration work on the church had been visible. Behind the scenes work included waterproofing the historic building by mending and replacing gutters and spouting, and also finding out if it needed to be earthquake-proofed. The foundations of the church were not only very solid, but they also ran out from the building, meaning it could stand up to an earthquake. Church people and the public have been very supportive of the whole restoration. The church is such a part of the community.

St Mary's has thirty-five stained glass windows. This beautiful stained glass window is to the right as you enter St Mary's Anglican Church in Timaru. One of a pair. Stained glass in churches forms the greatest collection of publicly accessible, large-scale artworks outside museums in NZ. The windows contribute to a church's decoration, style and character and are the most important source of light.  From sunrise to noon to midnight the hues change and gain and loose prominence like the instruments in an orchestra. The blue gains prominence when the light wanes.  To judge a window look at the size of the glass pieces, the smaller the better, and the effect of the lines of the leads, and whether the whole window gives a brilliant jewelled effect or whether it is only a picture painted on glass with landscape in perspective.

St Mary's Anglican Church is located at the intersection of Church and Sophia Streets perched on a hill.  The foundation stone was laid in 1880 and the church was built with durable bluestone stone a basalt volcanic rock (blue copperas) quarried locally and Oamaru stone facings. This beautiful gothic styled church was finally completed between 1907 - 1909 with the addition of the chancel, chapel, vestries and tower.  Designed by W.B. Armson.  The lofty nave, the main part of the church, took six years to build. The church was the vision of Archdeacon Henry William Harper, M.A., who came to New Zealand in Dec. 1855 on the "Egmont" from Oxford with his father Bishop Henry John Chitty Harper, the first Primate of the South Island. Henry was ordained in 1861 and was vicar of St. Mary's from 21 November 1875 until his retirement in 1911. For twenty years he travelled constantly on horseback. He found a church in a small wooden building, built up its numbers, and persuaded his people to build St Mary's.  This they did - it took twenty eight years, and was built in three stages as they were able to afford it.
Stage 1 & 2 Nave. The work was interrupted for six year. 1880
Stage 3. Chancel, Chapel, Vestries, Tower 1907-1909

Elaborately carved native and song birds and flowers abound the altar and the panelling of the choir screen and organ case. Study the reredos at the alter feature the Last Supper. Litany Desk 

Otago Witness, 25 May 1893, Page 3
A stained glass window has just been erected in St. Mary's Church, Timaru, in memory of the late Captain Woollcombe, R.N., one of the earliest residents in the neighbourhood of Timaru. The left light contains a figure of Jesus walking on the water, and beneath that a smaller picture of Jesus going to the rescue of Peter. The right light has a fine figure of St. Paul on the deck of a ship, and beneath the same Apostle is depicted in a boat with a guardian angel.
    According to the "New Zealand Methodist," which under the editorship of the Rev. Mr Fairclough is a very readable paper, the Rev. B. T. Hallowes (Congregational), who formerly had a church at Timaru, has resigned his charge in England with a view to working in New Zealand.

Evening Post, 23 December 1911, Page 7
A large gathering, representing all classes and creed, assembled at the Lyceum Hall last night to bid farewell and make a presentation to the Ven. Archdeacon Harper, who leaves to reside in England after thirty-six years' service as vicar of St. Mary's, Timaru.- The Mayor presided. Ministers of all denominations were present, and, with several representative citizens, spoke highly of the Archdeacon as a fine example of a Christian gentleman. The presents were an illuminated address and album views of the church, the vicarage, and other scenes, and a purse of 320 sovereigns. The meeting spontaneously sang "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow," and broke up with cheers.

Interior of St. Mary's

Argus (Melbourne, Vic.) Tuesday 24 January 1922 Page 6
Private advice has been received at Christchurch-(N.Z.), of the death in England of the Ven. Henry William Harper, aged 89 years, Canon of Christchurch Cathedral; and Archdeacon of Timaru, from 1875 to 1911.

THE JUBILEE HYMN; composed by Archdeacon Harper

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St Mary's Parish Hall

The foundation stone outside the parish hall...the one for the church cannot be found.
To the Glory of God. 25 Nov. 1928.

Inside the door. Architects: J.S. Turnbull & P.W. Rule.
Builder: John T. Hunt.

Mr Percy Watts Rule (1889-1953) designed the beautiful screen - the one with carved panels featuring New Zealand birds and flowers, his last work, as he died in May 1953. He had also designed a wall pate below the War Memorial Window, both inside St Mary's. Turnbull & Rule also designed the old Temuka Library.

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Stained Glass - the beautiful art of coloured glass.          

The first duty of the artist is to decorate the building, the second duty is to decorate a window. A window is a hole in a wall, and it is not possible to think of the hole without thinking of the wall in which the hole occurs. Proportion - the artist is advised to maintain "a judicious proportion between the scale of his figures and that of the building, not the window". The artist will make every design suit its situation, the manner will be his own. But in the fifteenth century at all events English-made-glass was available.

Medieval craftsmen had a singleness of purpose and intense love of his medium. In his own particular style he stands unchallenged. His colourings, though extraordinarily rich and striking are always skillfully coordinated. The motive of a stained glass window is primarily, decorative. Glass, unlike paint, is translucent and inflexible, its colours are coloured light, its shapes are glass shapes.  Stained glass windows should be to the edifice as jewels are to their setting, the one complementary to the other. That many windows are poor and lacking in the quality of jewelled splendor, is due to the poverty of the thin glass used, and to the excessive amount of surface paint used. We get pictures on glass instead of pictures with glass. Glass can be coloured by mixing metallic compounds when it is in a molten condition, pot glass. Or by painting the surface with coloured pigments and then fusing it slowly in a kiln, enamelled glass.

Stained glass windows can be a substitute for paintings. Windows in the building to be enriched by the insertion in stained glass but sadly some are jarred by the contrast of some very poor new work .Years ago there were stained glass competitions for a design for a stained glass window e.g. having a northern light, with a semi circular arch and following the dimensions: length____. Open to artist of all nations. Each design accompanied by a scaled tender stating the cost at which the design can be executed, the time the execution is likely to take, and the name and address of the artist. The designs to which the prizes are awarded will become the property of the department, which however does not bind itself to execute either of them. Cash prizes for first and second.

Monuments and stained glass has been neglected due to the ravages of time causing decaying stonework around some beautiful stained glass windows. Dirty windows have made churches very dark so there is a  need for urgent cleaning. Other widows have been destroyed by fire and thunderstorm. Beautiful stained glass windows can be shattered by intense heat.  Thieves have been known to obtained entry into churches by breaking the stained glass windows while other steal fine old stained glass  from museums.

South Canterbury NZGenWeb Project

Those bright colours of stained glass
Can be ecclesiastical and domestic
Classic or mediaeval
The highest style of art full of tracery and mullions
The gifts of old parishioners
Extremely beautiful, handsome, very fine and rich
Memorial windows, money raised by public subscription
An eastern window, unveiled, placed in the chapel
A companion stained glass, a brilliant specimen
A striking piece to attract attention, restored
And be executed in a establishment by a foreign glazier.
And can work better than blinds in darker London in 1915.