I wrote and illustrated Country Churches of New Zealand. It was published in 2002 by New Holland, Publishers and is still on sale in bookshops. The publishers have kindly agreed to me re-publishing some of the book’s images and descriptions in this blog.
ST. PATRICK'S, AKAROA
When I went inside St Patrick's on that mild November day I found every door and window thrown open. The church - unusual because of its unique 'cake-frill' bargeboards - was having a face-lift. Inside smelled of new paint; the decorator's radio, liberally spotted with old paint, blared secular pop to Akaroa and the world.
When it was built in 1865 it was a simpler structure, the sanctuary, sacristy and porch were added in 1886, and the squat tower was built in 1893 to accommodate a bell cast in Anderson's foundry in Christchurch.
The architect was Maxwell Bury, Benjamin Mountfort's partner. Among his specifications were: 'Piles should be charred to prevent decay... it is not proposed to plane any of the timber... windows will be made by simply cutting the shape out of the wall planks...'
Outside there's a memorial engraved with Bishop Pompallier's portrait. It records the church's birth as 1864. 'Wrong,' warned the amiable parish priest. 'Don't trust everything you read!'
© DON DONOVAN
donovan@ihug.co.nz
.
No comments:
Post a Comment