Pompallier House

Last updated

Pompallier House and gardens. Pompallier House.jpg
Pompallier House and gardens.

Pompallier House is a nineteenth-century building located in Russell, New Zealand which once served as the headquarters to the French Catholic mission to the Western Pacific. It is named after Jean Baptiste Pompallier, the first vicar apostolic to visit New Zealand, who founded a number of missions in the North Island. Pompallier House is owned and managed by Heritage New Zealand, who open it to the public. It is New Zealand's oldest Roman Catholic building, oldest rammed earth building, and oldest industrial building. [1]

Contents

The mission and printery is open to the public seven days a week, from 10 am to 4 pm. Access to the building is by guided tour only, with guided tours running four times a day. Garden visit tickets are available to view the Victorian and Edwardian gardens and the hillside parkland walk with views out over the bay. There is also a French Coffee House on site which is open seven days a week from 9am. [2]

History

Construction

In 1836, Bishop Jean Baptiste Pompallier, along with the newly formed French order the Society of Mary (or Marists) received papal approval and were given the mission of Western Oceania. In 1838, Pompallier, along with three of these brothers arrived in Hokianga, on the West Coast of New Zealand, to begin their work in the country. Joined by other members of the order, they moved to the Bay of Islands to set up their headquarters in Kororareka (now Russell). [3]

Bishop Pompallier bought land in Russell in 1839, and the building was constructed in 1841–2. [1] In 1842, it produced its first Māori translations of religious texts. [3]

Unable to bear the cost of purchasing much timber, the missionaries used the rammed earth construction common in Lyon, their original home. The earth was dug on site and supplemented with sand and rocks from the nearby beaches. Lime was made by burning shells. The upper floor was constructed with earth supported by timber frames. The work was supervised by architect Louis Perret. [1]

There were a number of other buildings on the site, including a chapel, houses, kitchens and other outhouses, but the "Pompallier House" is the only one remaining. [3]

Printing press

The Gaveaux printing press in the Pompallier House Gaveaux printing press in Pompallier House.jpg
The Gaveaux printing press in the Pompallier House

The original Gaveaux printing press was brought to the mission from France in the early 1840s; between 1842 and 1849 it printed over 30,000 books and tracts, some of the first in Māori. [4] After the mission left Russell in 1850 the press was amongst the belongings redistributed. In 1857 the Waikato Māori asked for the press, which was given to them by Bishop Pompallier. The press was used by Tāwhiao, the Māori King to print the Māori-language newspaper Te Paki o Matariki. The press remained in Waikato until the 1990s when it was returned to Pompallier by the Māori Queen Te Atairangikaahu. [4]

While the building was originally built for a printery, it also housed a tannery for book-binding. [1]

Relocation of missionary

In 1850 the mission headquarters moved to Auckland, and in 1856 James Callaghan took over the building, converting it to a residence known as "Callaghan's Castle". It passed through a number of private owners, who altered the original building, until the Government purchased the building in 1941. [1]

In the 1990s, it was fully restored to replicate its early condition. [1] The building contains the original printing press, restored to working order, and the gardens remain as an example of the Victorian and Edwardian gardens typical of the latter owners. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell, New Zealand</span> Town in the Northland Region of New Zealand

Russell, also known by the Māori name Kororāreka, is a town in the Bay of Islands, in New Zealand's far north. It was the first permanent European settlement and seaport in New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hokianga</span> Bay in Northland Region, New Zealand

The Hokianga is an area surrounding the Hokianga Harbour, also known as the Hokianga River, a long estuarine drowned valley on the west coast in the north of the North Island of New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Te Awamutu</span> Town in Waikato, New Zealand

Te Awamutu is a town in the Waikato region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the council seat of the Waipa District and serves as a service town for the farming communities which surround it. Te Awamutu is located some 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of Hamilton on State Highway 3, one of the two main routes south from Auckland and Hamilton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic Church in New Zealand</span> Overview of the role of the Catholic Church in New Zealand

The Catholic Church in New Zealand is part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the leadership of the Pope in Rome, assisted by the Roman Curia, and with the New Zealand bishops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ponsonby, New Zealand</span> Suburb in Auckland, New Zealand

Ponsonby is an inner-city suburb of Auckland located 2 km west of the Auckland CBD. The suburb is oriented along a ridge running north–south, which is followed by the main street of the suburb, Ponsonby Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suzanne Aubert</span> New Zealand Roman Catholic nun

SuzanneAubert, better known to many by her religious name Mary Joseph or "Mother Aubert", was a religious sister who started a home for orphans and the under-privileged in Jerusalem, New Zealand on the Whanganui River in 1885. Aubert first came to New Zealand in 1860 and formed the Congregation of the Holy Family to educate Māori children. She founded a religious order, the Daughters of Our Lady of Compassion in 1892. Aubert later started two hospitals in Wellington; the first, St Joseph's Home for the Incurables in 1900, and Our Lady's Home of Compassion in 1907.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parnell, New Zealand</span> Suburb in Auckland, New Zealand

Parnell is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is one of New Zealand's most affluent suburbs, consistently ranked within the top three wealthiest, and is often billed as Auckland's "oldest suburb" since it dates from the earliest days of the European settlement of Auckland in 1841. It is characterised by its mix of tree-lined streets with large estates; redeveloped industrial zones with Edwardian town houses and 1920s bay villas; and its hilly topography that allows for views of the port, the Waitematā Harbour, Rangitoto Island and the Auckland Domain. To its west lies the Auckland Domain, to the south Newmarket, and to the north the Ports of Auckland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Marys Bay, New Zealand</span> Suburb in Auckland, New Zealand

Saint Marys Bay is an inner suburb of Auckland, New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heritage New Zealand</span> Crown entity of New Zealand

Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga is a Crown entity with a membership of around 20,000 people that advocates for the protection of ancestral sites and heritage buildings in New Zealand. It was set up through the Historic Places Act 1954 with a mission to "...promote the identification, protection, preservation and conservation of the historical and cultural heritage of New Zealand" and is an autonomous Crown entity. Its current enabling legislation is the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamilton East, New Zealand</span> Suburb of Hamilton, New Zealand

Hamilton East is a suburb in central Hamilton in New Zealand. The suburb's primary commercial and retail precinct is located along Grey Street. Hamilton East is characterised by villas and bungalows built early in the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Baptiste Pompallier</span> First Bishop of Auckland

Jean-Baptiste François Pompallier was the first Roman Catholic bishop in New Zealand and, with priests and brothers of the Marist order, he organised the Roman Catholic Church throughout the country. He was born in Lyon, France. He arrived in New Zealand in 1838 as Vicar Apostolic of Western Oceania, but made New Zealand the Headquarters of His Catholic Mission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auckland Domain</span> Public park in Auckland, New Zealand

The Auckland Domain, also known as Pukekawa / Auckland Domain, is a large park in Auckland, New Zealand. Consisting of 75 hectares of land, Auckland Domain is the oldest park in the city. Located in the central suburb of Grafton, the parkland is the remains of the explosion crater and most of the surrounding tuff ring of the Pukekawa volcano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Moon</span> New Zealand historian

Evan Paul Moon is a New Zealand historian and a professor at the Auckland University of Technology. He is a writer of New Zealand history and biography, specialising in Māori history, the Treaty of Waitangi and the early period of Crown rule.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in New Zealand</span>

Christianity in New Zealand dates to the arrival of missionaries from the Church Missionary Society who were welcomed onto the beach at Rangihoua Bay in December 1814. It soon became the predominant belief amongst the indigenous people with over half of Māori regularly attending church services within the first 30 years. Christianity remains New Zealand's largest religious group, but no one denomination is dominant and there is no official state church. According to the 2018 census while 37.3% of the population identified as Christian. The largest Christian groups are Anglican, Catholic and Presbyterian. Christian organisations are the leading non-government providers of social services in New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Moxon</span> New Zealand Anglican bishop

Sir David John Moxon is a New Zealand Anglican bishop. He was until June 2017, the Archbishop of Canterbury's Representative to the Holy See and Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome. He was previously the Bishop of Waikato in the Diocese of Waikato and Taranaki, the archbishop of the New Zealand dioceses and one of the three primates of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. In the 2014 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the Anglican Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hato Petera College</span> Integrated secondary (year 9-13) school

Hato Petera College was an integrated, co-educational college in Northcote Central, Auckland, New Zealand for students from Year 9 to Year 13. It existed for 90 years, opening on 3 June 1928 and closing on 31 August 2018. The school had a strong Catholic and Māori character. It was located on part of the land originally given by Sir George Grey, Governor of New Zealand, to Bishop Pompallier, the first Bishop of Auckland, in 1849 for education purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French New Zealanders</span>

French New Zealanders are New Zealanders who are of French ancestors or a French-born person who resides in New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Patrick's Cathedral, Auckland</span> Church in Auckland Central City, New Zealand

The Cathedral of Saint Patrick and Saint Joseph is an heritage-listed Catholic cathedral church in Auckland CBD, situated on the corner of Federal Street and Wyndham St. It is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Auckland and the seat of the Bishop of Auckland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Seminary</span> Catholic seminary in New Zealand

St Mary's Seminary in Auckland, New Zealand, was established in 1850 by New Zealand's first Catholic bishop, Jean Baptiste François Pompallier. It operated until 1869.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rangiaowhia</span> Former Village in Waikato region, New Zealand

Rangiaowhia was, for over 20 years, a thriving village on a ridge between two streams in the Waikato region, about 4 km (2.5 mi) east of Te Awamutu. From 1841 it was the site of a very productive Māori mission station until the Invasion of the Waikato in 1864. The station served Ngāti Hinetu and Ngāti Apakura. Only a church remains from those days, the second oldest Waikato building.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 McGill, David; Sheehan, Grant; Landmarks: Notable Historic Buildings of New Zealand, Wellington: Phantom Books, 2005, p 18 ISBN   0-9582388-5-5
  2. "Pompallier House". Heritage New Zealand.
  3. 1 2 3 4 NZ Historic Places Trust: Pompallier History
  4. 1 2 NZ Historic Places Trust: Printing Press

35°15′53″S174°07′19″E / 35.2646°S 174.1220°E / -35.2646; 174.1220