St Matthew's Church, Dunedin

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.[1]

St Matthew's Church
St Matthew's Church from a late 19th-century postcard
45°52′48″S 170°29′52″E
Address28 Hope Street, City Rise, Dunedin, Otago
CountryNew Zealand
DenominationAnglican
Websitewww.stmatthews.co.nz
History
StatusChurch
Founded11 July 1873 (1873-07-11)
DedicationMatthew the Apostle
Consecrated3 December 1874
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)William Mason
Architectural typeChurch
StyleGothic Revival
Construction costNZ₤4,874
Specifications
Capacity750 people
MaterialsBluestone
Administration
DioceseDunedin
ParishSt Matthew's
Clergy
Vicar(s)
  • Barbara Noordanus
  • Francis Noordanus
Designated7 July 1988
Reference no.2212

Overview

A Gothic Revival building, somewhere between the Norman and the Early English style, it is built of bluestone with Port Chalmers breccia for the quoins and facings which is unusual. Very English in its feeling it represents a return to the plain manner of the architect's early career. It is cruciform in plan, with an apsidal chancel where there are five lancet stained glass windows. There are aisles divided from the nave by massive, octagonal piers, a tower and a spire at the south west corner above the principal entrance. There is another entrance at the north west angle. Some in the Diocese wanted the building to become the cathedral church, but the congregation was unwilling. St. Paul's in the Octagon was designated instead.

The church has been fairly closely built around since its construction but retains an attractive appearance. Its internal layout was reversed in the late 20th century but has since been returned to its original orientation. The original pews have been lost but the interior is otherwise little modified.

In 1942 the artist Colin McCahon married Anne Hamblett in St Matthew's, the ceremony being performed by her father, the Reverend Hamblett, then the incumbent clergyman.

The church has a Category I listing with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.[2]

References
  1. "Otago and Southland". Cyclopedia of New Zealand. Vol. 4. Chistchurch: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand Company Ltd. 1905.
  2. "St Matthew's Church, Dunedin". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 21 September 2009.

Further reading
  • Hamilton, Derek; Hamilton, Judith (2009). Early Churches in and Around Dunedin (Paperback). Christchurch, NZ: Self-published. ISBN 978-0-473-15950-4.
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