ST PAUL’S CATHEDRAL

WELLINGTON, NZ      ANGLICAN

PAUL SCOTT

HISTORY

[Wikipedia]

The Wellington Cathedral of St Paul (also called St Paul’s Cathedral or Wellington Cathedral) is an Anglican church in the city of Wellington. It is the mother church of the Diocese of Wellington and the Cathedral of the Bishop of Wellington. Situated in Thorndon, the main entrance to the Cathedral is on Hill Street, at its junction with Molesworth Street; it is located close to the parliament precinct.

Background
The first Church of St Paul stood behind where the Beehive Parliament Building stands today. This served as the first Anglican parish church for the early British settlers.

As early as the 1840s preparations for a cathedral had been made and bricks were laid. However, the first project came to an end in 1855 after an earthquake hit Wellington, which highlighted the unsuitability of brick buildings in such an area.

Construction of a second church, today known as ‘Old St Paul’s’, located behind the Pipitea Marae, began in 1855. It was the pro-cathedral church for the Anglican Diocese of Wellington from 1866 to 1964. Old St Paul’s is still consecrated, owned by Heritage New Zealand.

In 1907, the diocese acquired land for a permanent cathedral, a site close to the Basin Reserve. In July 1917, the diocesan synod approved preliminary plans drawn up by architect Frank Peck for an elaborate Gothic structure on the site. It was to include a memorial military chapel in the west wing, in which the names of all New Zealanders who had fallen in the Boer War and First World War would be commemorated, and flags of the regiments displayed. Fund-raising for the proposed ‘Wellington Memorial Cathedral’ began the following year, with collections even in England. However, in 1923, the synod decided the original ambitious plans were too costly to proceed with.

Construction
Plans were revived in 1937, when it was decided to make the cathedral a project for the national centennial of 1940. The diocese selected Cecil Wood, a New Zealand architect, to design the building. A new site was acquired on Molesworth Street, close to the Parliament Buildings and the Roman Catholic Cathedral. After the 1931 Napier earthquake, the decision was made to construct the cathedral primarily out of reinforced concrete, which was deemed to be more earthquake-resistant. Wood was inspired by the Art Deco architecture of Southern California, and the neo-Byzantine-style of the Roman Catholic Westminster Cathedral, London. His final design, which has been implemented relatively unchanged, was an 88 m (289 ft) long and 18 m (59 ft) high building.

Construction of the new cathedral was delayed by the Second World War and its aftermath, and ultimately the project took about 50 years to complete. The foundation stone was laid by Queen Elizabeth II on 13 January 1954; the first stage was dedicated on 17 May 1964; the second stage was dedicated on 5 November 1972. The cathedral’s bell tower was added in 1984, and dedicated on Easter Day, April 1984.

In 1992, the diocesan synod decided to raise money for a third and final stage of construction. The completed Cathedral was dedicated on 31 May 1998 and consecrated on 15 October 2001; finally, on 24 February 2002, the Queen unveiled the consecration stone.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellington_Cathedral_of_St_Paul