Knox Church is a notable building in Dunedin, New Zealand. It houses the city's second Presbyterian congregation and is the city's largest church (in terms of building size, rather than congregation size) of any denomination. [1]
Situated close to the university at the northern end of the CBD on George Street it is visible from much of the central city.
In 1858 a committee was established under the chairmanship of John Gillies, Otago's resident magistrate to establish a new church and appoint a minister to service the spiritual needs of the Presbyterian residents of Dunedin. [2] The congregation for the new church was formed from the union in 1860 of worshippers from First Church (who contributed a third of its membership) and from the independent congregation (with the exception of Baptist and Wesleyan worshippers who formed their own churches). When the church opened on 6 May 1861 it was the second Presbyterian church in the settlement. [3] on the corner of Great King and Frederick Streets close to the University of Otago Faculty of Dentistry building. [1] The land had been donated by John Hyde Harris, who suggested that it be named Knox church. Build of wood, its first minister was the Reverend D. M. Stuart, who arrived from England in January 1861 to take up his appointment. [2]
Though this was only ever intended to be a short-term home for the Knox congregation the onset of the Otago gold rush which had resulted in a rapid increase in the settlements population intensified the need for a larger, permanent structure. Therefore it was decided in 1871 to construct a new church which was to be capable of seating 1,000, with space for a choir of 30 and to feature a belfry and a gallery. [3] A site was purchased for £569 (consisting of £369 for the land and £200 for the cottage and stable on the land) [3] on the corner of George and Pitt Streets from the trustees of the estate of Edmund Bowler. His family was later to unsuccessfully sue the trustees for selling the land too cheaply. [4]
Church officials held a competition for which 17 designs were submitted. [3] It was won by Robert Lawson. His plans, would have exceeded the church's £5,000 budget. Despite increasing the budget to £6,000 this was still in inadequate to complete Lawson's design so the deacons fell back on a design by David Ross (who designed the Otago Museum). Ross was issued with the commission on 22 August 1879, with £7200 allocated to build the church and to provide seating and lighting. However, David Ross disagreed with the building committee about which stone to use, and insisted on employing an inspector of works who "could be bought at any time with a pot of beer", [5] These arguments caused many issues, and Ross was given notice after his contract ended on 16 January 1873. [3] Although the Church deacons offered generous compensation, Ross successfully sued—only to be awarded a mere £2 in damages. [1]
The church authorities approached Lawson again and he took over the project in 1874.
Construction began in 1872. The foundation stone was laid on 25 November 1872, which was exactly 300 years since the death of John Knox. [3]
The church was opened on 5 November 1876 with the Reverend Dr Samuel conducting the morning service, the Reverend A. B. Todd the afternoon and the Reverend William Will the evening. The building eventually cost £18,383 and the debt was not cleared until 1891. [2]
Because of maintenance requirements and the need to install a new fire sprinkler system the church was closed for the first time in June 2008. The congregation joined that of First Church for the duration of the three-month project. The building was reopened after renovations were completed in September 2008. While the primary reason for closing the church was to install the sprinkler system there was also a need to restore some of the windows. Faces, feet and other details had faded over time and work was necessary to make these visible again. [6]
Notable ministers include Rev James Gunn Matheson. [7]
It was designed by Lawson in the 13th century Gothic style . Constructed of bluestone from quarries close to the Water of Leith, and with Oamaru stone dressings and spire, its plan forms a Latin cross, with a nave 30 metres in length and 22 metres in average width. The spire rises to a height of 51 metres. It has a slate roof.
Unusually for a New Zealand church, it contains two pipe organs, a large Hill, Norman, & Beard one installed in 1931 and extensively refurbished in 1974, and a smaller oak-case instrument originally installed in a church in Christchurch. [8]
The church seats 900. [3]
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from Dùn Èideann, the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. The city has a rich Māori, Scottish, and Chinese heritage.
Lawrence is a small town in Otago, in New Zealand's South Island. It is located on State Highway 8, the main route from Dunedin to the inland towns of Queenstown and Alexandra. It lies 35 kilometres to the northwest of Milton, 11 kilometres northwest of Waitahuna, and close to the Tuapeka River, a tributary of the Clutha.
Knox College is a selective residential college, founded and run by the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand and affiliated with University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. The college is set in a 4.57 hectares landscaped site in Opoho on the opposite side of the Dunedin Botanic Gardens from the university. It is named after John Knox, a sixteenth century leader of the Scottish Reformation, whose efforts in establishing a universal system of free education comprising both academic learning and character formation had a profound influence, not just in Scotland, but internationally, as subsequent generations of Scottish settlers, products of the Scottish Enlightenment, emigrated to far-flung corners of the globe, including New Zealand, taking with them a deep-seated belief in the benefits of applied knowledge and a broad and liberal education. Those strong Scottish Presbyterian foundations are something that Knox College has in common with the university to which it is affiliated. They are depicted on the college's Coat of Arms in the form of a blue St Andrew's Cross. Superimposed on the St Andrew's Cross is the image of a white dove in flight, carrying an olive branch in its mouth, a symbolic depiction of the flood myth in Genesis 8, wherein the olive-branch-bearing dove is a symbol of life and peace. The college motto, Gratia et Veritas (Latin), or Grace and Truth (English), comes from the Prologue to the Gospel according to Saint John.
Selwyn College is a residential college affiliated to the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. It was founded by Bishop Samuel Tarratt Nevill as a theological college training clergy for the Anglican Church and as a hall of residence for students attending the university. It is named after George Augustus Selwyn, the first Bishop of New Zealand and is owned by the Anglican Diocese of Dunedin. It was opened on 15 January 1893. It was Otago's first residential college and on the model of an English university college it included students of all subjects. Women were admitted in 1983. The main building is listed as a Category II Historic Place. Selwyn is one of the most popular colleges in Dunedin, its 214 available places oversubscribed every year.
Dunedin railway station is a prominent landmark and tourist site in Dunedin, a city in the South Island of New Zealand. It is speculated by locals to be the most photographed building in the country, as well as the second most photographed in the southern hemisphere, after the Sydney Opera House.
The Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand (PCANZ) is a major Christian denomination in New Zealand. A part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in New Zealand, and known for its relatively progressive stance on doctrine and social issues in comparison with smaller Presbyterian churches in the country. Presbyterianism was introduced to New Zealand by early 19th century settlers, particularly from Scotland and Ireland. It was historically most prevalent in the Otago region. The PCANZ was formed in 1901 with the amalgamation of southern and northern Presbyterian churches. It claims around 29,000 members.
George Street is the main street of Dunedin, the second largest city in the South Island of New Zealand. It runs for two and a half kilometres north-northeast from The Octagon in the city centre to the foot of Pine Hill. It is straight and undulates gently as it skirts the edge of the hills to its northwest. South of The Octagon, Princes Street continues the line of George Street south-southwest for two kilometres.
First Church is a prominent church in the New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is located in the heart of the city on Moray Place, 100 metres to the south of the city centre. The church is the city's primary Presbyterian church. The building is regarded as the most impressive of New Zealand's nineteenth-century churches, and is listed by Heritage New Zealand as a Category I structure.
Robert Arthur Lawson was one of New Zealand's pre-eminent 19th century architects. The Dictionary of New Zealand Biography states that he did more than any other designer to shape the face of the Victorian era architecture of the city of Dunedin. He is the architect of over forty churches, including Dunedin's First Church for which he is best remembered, but also other buildings, such as Larnach Castle, a country house, with which he is also associated.
Holy Trinity Church is an heritage-listed Anglican church located in Port Chalmers, Otago, New Zealand. Completed in 1874, the Academic Gothic Revival church building is constructed in volcanic stone and has some fine stained glass, and is listed as a Category I Historic Place by Heritage New Zealand. Together with St Barnabas Church, Warrington, Holy Trinity Church is part of the Port Chalmers-Warrington Parish of the Diocese of Dunedin.
Seacliff Lunatic Asylum was a psychiatric hospital in Seacliff, New Zealand. When built in the late 19th century, it was the largest building in the country, noted for its scale and extravagant architecture. It became infamous for construction faults resulting in partial collapse, as well as a 1942 fire which destroyed a wooden outbuilding, claiming 37 lives, because the victims were trapped in a locked ward.
St Matthew's Church is an inner-city Anglican church, located on the City Rise in Dunedin, New Zealand. Designed by William Mason, the foundation stone was laid on 11 July 1873 and the building was consecrated on 3 December 1874. It cost NZ£4,874 to construct which wasn't paid off until 1901. It comfortably seated 750 people.
James Louis Salmond was a New Zealand architect active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of his buildings remain, particularly in Otago. He established a practice carried on by his son and grandson into the 21st century.
The Dunedin Synagogue is a historic synagogue in Dunedin, New Zealand. It is reputedly the world's southernmost permanent synagogue, although a further synagogue operated briefly in King Edward Street, South Dunedin from late 2017 until 2019.
All Saints' Church is a heritage-listed Anglican church located in Dunedin, New Zealand. Established in 1865, the church is part of the Dunedin North parish in the Diocese of Dunedin.
Rutherford Waddell (1850–1932) was a notable New Zealand Presbyterian minister, social reformer and writer. He was born in Ireland and after failing to finding a position as a missionary or a minister Waddell and his wife migrated to New Zealand in 1877. Settling in Dunedin he led St Andrew's Presbyterian Church for forty years from 1879 to 1919. An important liberalizing influence in the Presbyterian church in New Zealand he was an active believer in the value of the ministry to promote social justice. This led him to oversee the setting up a mission hall, savings bank, free library and free kindergarten within his parish, as well as promoting the founding of a variety of cultural and sporting groups.
Tokomairiro Presbyterian Church is a major church building in the New Zealand town of Milton, in the Otago Region. It was designed and built by Robert Lawson and officially opened in 1889.
East Gore Presbyterian Church is a former Presbyterian church located in Gore, New Zealand. It is located on a bluff overlooking the eastern side of the Mataura River.
This list of works by Robert Lawson categorises and provides brief details of the structures designed by Scottish-born architect Robert A. Lawson (1833–1902) who is said did more than any other designer to shape the face of the Victorian era architecture of the city of Dunedin.
St Andrew's Presbyterian Church was a prominent church in Dunedin, New Zealand. Designed by pre-eminent Dunedin Robert Lawson it was constructed in 1870 to serve a rapidly developing area of the city which became notorious for its slum housing, poverty and crime which led to it being referred to as the "Devil's Half-Acre" from 1873 onwards. The church is best known for its long time crusading minister the Reverend Rutherford Waddell. Waddell's 'Sin of Cheapness' sermon which was a landmark in New Zealand's social and labour history was delivered from its pulpit. It eventually closed as a place of Presbyterian worship in 1978 and after briefly serving as a place of worship for the Word of Life Pentecostal Church it was purchased by the Coptic Orthodox Church in 2000, who renamed it the Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church.
