The Selwyn churches were a group of 19th-century Anglican churches and chapels in the Auckland region, New Zealand, named after Bishop Selwyn, who inspired their construction. The majority were built in wood in the neo-gothic style, and many were designed by the architect Frederick Thatcher. [1]
Two Selwyn churches, St Bride's Church in Mauku and the Holy Trinity in Otahuhu were designed by Arthur Guyon Purchas, an associate of the Bishop Selwyn. [2]
Most Selwyn churches were constructed from local timber, mainly kauri and totara. Earlier churches were simple with a rectangular nave, and a smaller chancel; larger churches containing a spire and smaller ones having a belfry; internal walls were stained and varnished; Tudor style oriel windows were used in some. Examples of these include: All Saints Church, Howick, St Peter's Anglican Church, Onehunga, and St Matthias' Church, Panmure. [3] : 24
In 1930 two architecture students recorded and surveyed some of the more well-known Selwyn churches. [3] : 7
Selwyn churches in the Auckland region: [4]
Howick is a suburb of East Auckland, New Zealand. The area was traditionally settled by Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, and in 1847 Howick was established as a defensive settlement for Auckland, by veteran fencible soldiers of the British Army. Howick was a small agricultural centre until the 1950s, when it developed into a suburban area of Auckland.
South Auckland is one of the major geographical regions of Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. The area is south of the Auckland isthmus, and on the eastern shores of the Manukau Harbour. The area has been populated by Tāmaki Māori since at least the 14th century, and has important archaeological sites, such as the Ōtuataua stonefield gardens at Ihumātao, and Māngere Mountain, a former pā site important to Waiohua tribes.
Panmure is an east Auckland suburb, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 11 kilometres southeast of the Auckland CBD, close to the western banks of the Tāmaki River and the northern shore of the Panmure Basin. To the north lies the suburb of Tāmaki, and to the west is the cone of Maungarei / Mount Wellington.
Māngere Bridge is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, under the local governance of the Auckland Council. Surrounded by the Manukau Harbour, the area is the most north-western suburb of South Auckland, and is connected to Onehunga in central Auckland by three bridges that cross the Māngere Inlet. Many features of the Auckland volcanic field are found in and around Māngere Bridge, including Māngere Mountain, a 106-metre-high (348 ft) feature in the centre of the suburb, and Māngere Lagoon, a volcanic tidal lagoon opposite Puketutu Island in the harbour. The suburb is also home to Ambury Regional Park, a working farm and nature sanctuary run by Auckland Council, that connects to the Kiwi Esplanade and Watercare Coastal walkways.
Holy Trinity Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral situated in Parnell, a residential suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is the 'mother church' of the Anglican Diocese of Auckland and the seat of the Bishop of Auckland. The current main church building was consecrated in 1973.
Māngere Mountain, also known by the names Te Pane-o-Mataaho and Te Ara Pueru, is a volcanic cone in Māngere, Auckland. Located within Māngere Domain, it is one of the largest volcanic cones in the Auckland volcanic field, with a peak 106 metres (348 ft) above sea level. It was the site of a major pā and many of the pā's earthworks are still visible. It has extensive panoramic views of Auckland from its location in the southeastern portion of the city's urban area.
The human history of the Auckland metropolitan area stretches from early Māori settlers in the 14th century to the first European explorers in the late 18th century, over a short stretch as the official capital of (European-settled) New Zealand in the middle of the 19th century to its current position as the fastest-growing and commercially dominating metropolis of the country.
The Diocese of Auckland is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in New Zealand. It was one of two dioceses in the country that were established on 20 June 1848. Auckland became a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Wellington in 1887. A large area of the diocese south of Auckland was split from the diocese on 6 March 1980 to form the Diocese of Hamilton. As of 2021, almost 40 per cent of New Zealand’s 471,000 Catholics lived within the diocese of Auckland.
The Reverend Frederick Thatcher was an English and New Zealand architect and clergyman.
The Royal New Zealand Fencible Corps was formed in 1846, following the conclusion of the Northern War phase of the New Zealand Wars against Hone Heke. The Governor, George Grey, had requested military forces for the defence of the early settlers in New Zealand, and instead of supplying regular military forces the British parliament approved the creation of the Corps. Auckland, which had a population of 2,800 at the time, virtually doubled in size when the fencibles and their families disembarked.
Symonds Street is a street in Auckland, New Zealand's most populous city. The road runs southwest and uphill from the top of Anzac Avenue, through the City Campus of University of Auckland, over the Northwestern Motorway and Auckland Southern Motorway and to the start of New North Road and Mount Eden Road.
Cecil Walter Wood was a New Zealand architect. He was the dominant architect in Canterbury during the interwar period.
This is a timeline of the history of the city of Auckland in New Zealand.
The Chapel of St John the Evangelist, formally, the Collegiate Chapel of St John the Evangelist, is an heritage-listed Anglican chapel that forms part of St John's College in the suburb of Meadowbank, Auckland, New Zealand. It is the oldest surviving church building in Auckland.
Arthur Guyon Purchas was a clergyman, missionary, surgeon, musician, engineer, inventor, pioneer, geologist and botanist born at St. Arvans in the Wye Valley, Monmouthshire, Wales, who lived most of his life in Auckland, New Zealand. He was the father of fourteen children and an important figure during British colonisation of New Zealand, described as an 'amazingly versatile colonist'.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, commonly known as Holy Sep and St Sepulchre's, is an historic neo-Gothic Anglican church located on Khyber Pass Road, Grafton, Auckland, New Zealand.
Hobson Street is a major street in Auckland, New Zealand. It lies on the western side of Queen Street. It is a commercial and high-rise residential street, and provides access to the Auckland Northern Motorway going south, and the Northwest Motorway going west. For most of its length it is one-way. One block to the west is Nelson Street, which is one-way in the other direction and provides access to the central city for traffic exiting from the motorways. One block to the east is Albert Street, part of Mayoral Drive, and Vincent Street. The area encompassed by these streets is called Hobson Ridge by Statistics New Zealand.
Mauku is a settlement located 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Pukekohe in New Zealand.
St Bride's Church is an historic Anglican church in Mauku, New Zealand. Constructed in 1861, St Bride's was the first church in the Franklin area. It served as an important military outpost during the Invasion of the Waikato. The church was consecrated in 1885 and has a category 1 listing with Heritage New Zealand.