Erskine College | |
---|---|
General information | |
Architectural style | French Gothic and Edwardian collegiate architecture |
Location | Corner Avon Street and Melbourne Road, Island Bay, Wellington, New Zealand |
Coordinates | 41°20′00″S174°46′38″E / 41.333434°S 174.777358°E |
Completed | 1906 |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | John Sydney Swan |
Designated | 13-Aug-2009 |
Reference no. | 7795 |
Erskine College was a collection of historic buildings and landscapes (including the Chapel of the Sacred Heart and Main Block Convent) in Wellington, New Zealand. The four storied main buildings were constructed between 1904 and 1906. In 1907 Erskine College began teaching its first pupils. More buildings were built as the school roll increased. The Gothic interior of the chapel is regarded as one of the finest examples of gothic architecture in New Zealand. [1] The Save Erskine College Trust was formed to protect the site in 1992, the first non-government heritage protection authority in New Zealand.
Built in 1905 by the Society of the Sacred Heart (Sacré Coeur), the buildings served as a Catholic girls' boarding school (Convent of the Sacred Heart at Island Bay) until its closure as a girls school in 1985. [2]
The name was changed to Erskine College in the late 1960s to avoid confusion with Sacred Heart College, Lower Hutt; being named after Mother Janet Erskine Stuart, the fifth Superior General of the Society of the Sacred Heart. [2]
The buildings and grounds were classified as a "Category I" ("places of special or outstanding historical or cultural heritage significance or value") historic place by Heritage New Zealand. [2]
An arts college, The Learning Connexion was resident at Erskine College from 1996 to until 2009 [3] after Erskine ceased being a school. [4]
Peter Jackson's 1996 film The Frighteners used Erskine College as one of their locations.
The college buildings, with the exception of the chapel, were controversially demolished by its owners The Wellington Company in 2018, to make way for 96 townhouses. [5] [6] Award-winning CoLab Architecture used the French-Gothic style of the original college and chapel as inspiration for the new development. [7]
Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand, and is the administrative centre of the Wellington Region. It is the world's southernmost capital of a sovereign state. Wellington features a temperate maritime climate, and is the world's windiest city by average wind speed.
Petone is a large suburb of Lower Hutt, Wellington. It stands at the southern end of the Hutt Valley, on the northern shore of Wellington Harbour.
Te Motu Kairangi / Miramar Peninsula is a large peninsula on the southeastern side of the city of Wellington, New Zealand. It is located at the entrance to Wellington Harbour, in Wellington's eastern suburbs. According to Māori legend, it was formed when the taniwha Whaitaitai beached as he tried to escape the confines of the harbour. It contains the suburbs of Miramar, Seatoun, Strathmore Park, and Karaka Bays.
Island Bay is a coastal suburb of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, situated 5 km (3.1 mi) south of the city centre.
Hataitai is an inner-city suburb of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, 3.5 kilometres southeast of the city centre. The suburb extends over the southeastern flank of Mount Victoria and down a valley between the Town Belt and a ridge along the shoreline of Evans Bay. Hataitai is bounded by Hepara Street, Grafton Road and the suburb of Roseneath in the north, Wellington Harbour in the east, Cobham Drive, Wellington Road and Crawford Road in the south, and Alexandra Road in the west.
The Majestic Centre, designed by Jack Manning of Manning Mitchell in association with Kendon McGrail of Jasmax Architects, was completed in 1991. The main building of the Majestic Centre is the Majestic Tower which is the tallest building in Wellington, New Zealand. The building, located on 100 Willis Street is 116 metres (381 ft) high and has 29 above ground storeys, making it the twelfth-tallest skyscraper building in New Zealand, along with the ASB Bank Centre in Auckland. It was, at the time of its completion, one of the three tallest buildings in the country, the two other contenders being built in the same year. It is to this day the southernmost skyscraper taller than 100 metres in the world. It is mainly used as office space.
Janet Erskine Stuart, RSCJ, also known as Mother Janet Stuart, was an English Roman Catholic nun and educator. She founded a number of schools.
Northland is a suburb in west-central Wellington, New Zealand. Not far from Victoria University it also includes low-priced accommodation popular with young students. It borders the suburbs of Highbury, Kelburn, Thorndon, Wilton, Wadestown and Karori. Northland is populated by a mix of university students, young professionals and families. Part of the area was known as Creswick until the late 19th century when new roads and building sites were developed by the landowner, C J Pharazyn, who marketed the whole area as Northland. At that time it was described in The Evening Post as "Wellington's best suburb".
Antrim House of Wellington, New Zealand, was completed in 1905 for Robert Hannah (1845–1930) and his wife Hannah Hannah (1852–1928).
The Hunter Building is the original building of Victoria University of Wellington's Kelburn campus in Wellington, New Zealand. It is a major landmark in the Wellington region and closely associated and considered a symbol of the university. The distinct architecture of the building is a notable example of Edwardian Gothic-revival, with red brick and Oamaru stone façade, along with grand internal entrances, staircases and original university library. The building is a noteworthy example of work from the Wellington architectural practice of Penty & Blake. While opened on the 30th of March 1906, the building was not completed to its original design, but was progressively added to as the college grew. The building is named after Sir Thomas Alexander Hunter, a well regarded professor of mental science and political economy. Following the end of the Great War, northern and southern wings were added to the building, providing new teaching areas, recreational spaces and a new library.
The Old Bank Arcade is a retail and office complex on a corner site at Lambton Quay, Wellington, New Zealand.
Sacred Heart Cathedral School is a New Zealand, Catholic, primary school located in the central-city suburb of Thorndon, Wellington, New Zealand. It is part of a Catholic precinct dating from 1850. It joins St Mary's College, Wellington and Sacred Heart Cathedral, Wellington and is located opposite the Motherhouse of the Sisters of Mercy in Wellington.
James Edward Fulton was a New Zealand surveyor and civil engineer. He was born in Outram, South Otago, New Zealand on 11 December 1854, and was the son of James and Catherine Valpy Fulton. He was survived by his wife and daughter.
Wadestown is a northern suburb of Wellington, located about 2–3 km by road from the Wellington central business district and the New Zealand Parliament Buildings.
Euphrasie House was a pre-war Spanish Mission style convent in Hamilton East, New Zealand.
Hennessy & Hennessy was an architectural firm established in 1912 in Sydney, Australia that was responsible for a series of large scale office buildings in the 1930s in all capital cities in Australia, as well as New Zealand and South Africa, designed by John (Jack) Hennessy (1887–1955), described as Australia's first international architect.
Dr Henry Pollen's House is a historic building in Wellington, New Zealand. The house was built in 1902 for Dr Henry Pollen as a residence and surgery. It was designed by William Turnbull. It was originally located at 12 Boulcott Street but was moved by crane to the corner of Boulcott Street and Willis Street in 1988 to make room for the Majestic Centre. The building was also reoriented by about 90 degrees to fit on its new site.
The Wellesley Club building is a historic building in Wellington, New Zealand.
Circa Theatre is a professional theatre company in Wellington, New Zealand, that was established in 1976. They present a number of plays each year in their two auditoriums, and have a unique partnership and funding model with incoming shows underpinned with a cooperative principle.
McGavin House, also known as the former Red Cross Building, is a building in Wellington, New Zealand, classified as a "Category I" historic place by Heritage New Zealand.
Media related to Erskine College, Wellington at Wikimedia Commons