The North transept of St Mary’s contains a little chapel. There is a stained glass window at left, and a small altar with cross. PLAN
22. WINDOW AND ALTAR
The window depicts the Annunciation in which the angel Gabriel speaks to Mary. The window is given in memory of Eliza Jane Count. Behind the cross is a memorial plaque for those of St Mary’s who died in the 1914–1918 Great War.
23. PULPIT AND CHANCEL
Many challenging sermons must have been given from this solid wooden pulpit! The lectern in the pulpit was made by Robert Thompson of Kilburn, Yorkshire. He was known as the mouse-man, because he carved a mouse on everything he made! And the chancel appears to have some interesting stained glass.
24. CHANCEL NORTH WINDOWS
These three windows are placed along the North wall of the chancel. They depict, from left: a Māori priest, St Columba, and St Theodore AD 690. The windows were given in memory of Priests Wepha Papaha, Philip Walsh, and Vicar William Fancourt who was also Dean of Auckland in 1937.
26. SANCTUARY WINDOWS
From left the windows depict: St Patrick, St Aidan, St Matthew, St Mark, Christ as Prophet, Priest and King, St Luke, St John, St Gregory, St Augustine, and St Peter. St Peter is not named, but there are tell-tale signs! The three central lights are a memorial to William Garden Cowie, Bishop of Auckland 1869 – 1902. His coat of arms is at the foot of the window.
27. HIGH ALTAR
The candlesticks were made from timber salvaged from a fire in New York Minster in 1829. They were given to Bishop Selwyn in 1939, but misplaced for years.
28. PLAQUES
The plaques here remember George MacMurray who was vicar of this parish from 1892 – 1919, Robert Maunsell who was a missionary and Bible translator, and Edward Blomfield Clarke who was Archdeacon of Waimate and a missionary.
29. ORGAN PIPES
We retrace our steps back through the chancel. The organ is on the South side. This was built in 1909 by George Croft of Auckland. In 1985, Croft’s rebuilt the organ with electric action and carried out tonal modifications. In 2010 pipework made by the same pipemaker was sourced, and replaced the 1980s alterations with stops more in keeping with the original sound of the organ. These alterations have given the organ a more cohesive colour.
30. ORGAN CONSOLE
St Mary's organ is in need of major repair, and is currently not being played. The organ which this organ replaced is now in St Alban’s Church, Dominion Road.
31. LECTERN
St Mary’s has a standard brass eagle lectern. The eagle, thought to be the bird flying closest to heaven, has its feet firmly on the globe of the earth. Below is a complicated mechanism for raising and lowering the lectern.
32. MACKELLAR PLAQUE
Edward Duncan MacKellar is described as a friend and physician of the parish for 37 years. He died in 1924.
33. SOUTH NAVE WINDOWS
Most of the South nave windows are plain, but these two at the East end have some stained glass. The window at left shows the presentation of Jesus to Simeon in the temple. It was given in memory of Sarah Harriet Selwyn, wife of the first Bishop of NZ, and Lichfield. The window at right shows Jesus as the Good Shepherd.
34. NAVE ROOF
The nave of St Mary’s has a fine gable roof with simple cross struts.
35. WAR PLAQUES
The plaque at left is in memory of members of the Auckland Garrison Officers’ Club who gave their lives in WWI. The plaques at right remember Russell Tracy Inglis and Berners Kempthorne Totton who also served in WWI.
36. PLAQUES
The First World War was a time of great personal grief and loss. Here are remembered Frederick William Abbott and William Read Bloomfield – both remembered for their War service.
37. SOUTH AISLE
This view down the South aisle shows the banner of Sir Edmund Hilary, who was the first with Tensing Norgay to climb Mt Everest in 1953. Following Sir Edmund’s death in 2008, the banner was returned to his family who requested it be hung in the church from which Sir Edmund was buried.
38. BAPTISTRY
The baptistry is alongside the main entrance in the West wall. It contains a special historic font, ordered from England in the 1880s, and a Paschal candle. The windows from ‘Old St Mary’s’ are in memory of the Revd George Kissling, first Vicar of Old St Mary’s.
39. BAPTISTRY WINDOWS
The West window of the baptistry is abstract in design, and was given in memory of Archdeacon George Adam Kissling. The base of the North window depicts two angels, one fending off snakes, the other sitting beside a deer.
40. WEST WALL PLAQUES
Of course there are more plaques on the West wall! These remember first church warden of St Mary’s, George Schwartz Kissling and his wife Frances Catherine.