East Gore Presbyterian Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids East Gore Presbyterian Church |
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Architectural plans of East Gore Presbyterian Church by R. A. Lawson
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| 46°05′52″S 168°57′08″E / 46.097668579712874°S 168.95230132423924°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Previous denomination | Presbyterian |
| History | |
| Status |
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| Dedicated | 16 October 1881 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status |
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| Architect(s) | R. A. Lawson |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Years built | 1881 |
| Closed | 1995 |
| Specifications | |
| Spire height | 15.5 metres (51 ft) |
| Materials | Timber |
| Administration | |
| Synod | Otago and Southland |
The East Gore Presbyterian Church is an old church building in Gore, New Zealand. It sits on a hill, looking over the Mataura River.
The church first opened in 1881 as the main Presbyterian church for Gore. As the town grew, especially on the western side of the river, new church buildings were built closer to the town centre. This meant the East Gore church mainly served the people living in East Gore. The building was designed by Robert Lawson, a famous architect. It is considered one of his best wooden churches. Heritage New Zealand has listed it as a Category 2 historic building, meaning it's very important. The church stopped holding services in 1995. Since 2001, it has been turned into an art centre.
Contents
History of the Church Building
Early Days of the Presbyterian Church in Southland
After the Free Church was set up in Dunedin, the Presbyterian Church started to spread into the southern parts of New Zealand. By 1862, enough European settlers lived in the Mataura Valley and Tapanui areas to ask for a minister. Reverend James Urie was sent to look after the Pomahaka-Mataura Valley area. Later, in the early 1870s, the Mataura Valley got its own minister, Reverend James Henry. His parish was very large, about 97 kilometres long and 48 kilometres wide.
In 1877, Reverend J. M. Davidson started leading services in Gordon (now called East Gore). These services were first held in a private house, then in Mackay's Hall. A Sunday School also started in Mackay's Hall in August 1880. It grew quickly, with 40 students by 1881. Many important Presbyterian members lived or had businesses in Gordon. This made the community want to build a church on the eastern side of the river.
Planning the Church Building
In June 1880, a meeting was held in Mackay's Hall to talk about building a church. Everyone agreed to build it on Rock Street. They decided the church should be big enough for 200 people. The committee asked Robert Lawson, a well-known architect from Dunedin, to draw up the plans.
The spot chosen for the church was on a high piece of land. Local Māori called this area Ōnuku. It was a place where a sad song was once made by a hunter. This area was also a popular spot for gathering taramea (speargrass), which Māori used to make perfumes. People thought this elevated spot was "the finest site for a church" in the area. They said you could see the church from far away once it was built.
David Dunn, the church clerk, wrote to Robert Lawson in June 1880. He explained that the church would be built on a great spot. He also mentioned that the community hoped to spend about £300, even though they were a "feeble folk" (a small group). He also said they would like a "bit of a steeple" and a bell.
Lawson agreed to design the church. He sent a drawing and suggested the church ask for a £200 grant to help with costs. His design could fit 200 people. The church committee liked Lawson's plans but made some changes. They decided to add a belfry (bell tower) and change the vestry (a room for the minister). The cost was not to be more than £425. They planned to use strong totara wood for the foundations and red pine for other parts. However, to save money, they used white pine for much of the building. This softer wood later caused problems with wood-boring beetles.
Building the Church
After sorting out some money issues, construction began. Lawson asked for bids to build the church on 23 February 1881. Ten companies offered to build it. On 7 March 1881, the committee chose Thomas Latham, who offered the lowest price of £465.
Work started by 26 March 1881. By 11 April, the main wooden frame of the church was up. The church's bell, which weighed about 90 kilograms, arrived and was rung for the first time at a fundraising event on 12 August.
On 13 August 1881, while the church was still being built, a big storm hit. It caused some damage to the church. Lawson visited the site and decided to add four buttresses (supports) and iron rods to make the building stronger. He also added more wood and bracing in the tower. By January 1882, the church had cost about £630, but most of it had been paid off.
First Services and Changes
The first church service in the new building was held on 16 October 1881. Reverend John Ferguson from Invercargill led the service. The community then started looking for their own minister. Reverend Andrew Mackay became the minister in September 1884.
In 1887, an American-made organ was installed in the church. However, some members of the church disagreed with Reverend Mackay's preaching. In December 1887, they asked the Southland Presbytery (a church group) if they could start another church in Gore. The Presbytery did not allow another church. Reverend Mackay stayed until July 1890 when he moved to Sydney.
Reverend J. A. Asher took over as minister in November 1890. It was not until 1928 that another Presbyterian church building, St Andrew's Church Hall, was built in Gore. Then, in 1959, St Andrew's Church was built on the western side of the Mataura River.
Expanding the Church Building
In 1891, a new church district called the Presbytery of Mataura was created, with Gore as its centre. The church committee quickly asked to make the East Gore church bigger. They also wanted to buy land on the west side of the river for another church.
Once they got approval to expand, William Sharp, an engineer and architect from Invercargill, was hired. He drew plans to add 108 more seats and a session house (a meeting room) for 60-70 people. His plan involved cutting the church in half to create transepts (side sections) and building a new nave (main part of the church). The session house was added where the pulpit (preacher's stand) used to be. The expansion cost £500 and was built by L. Brown. The new parts matched Lawson's original design.
After the expansion, the church could seat 270 adults. With extra folding seats, it could hold 60 more people. The church officially reopened on 7 February 1892. Reverend Ramsay joked that it was "hardly altogether a new church, but it reminded him of the gun which had a new lock, stock and barrel."
As Gore grew, especially on the western side of the river after the railway-road bridge opened in 1875, the East Gore church became less central. In November 1952, East Gore became its own church area, combining with Waimumu and Te Tipua. The church was then named the East Gore Presbyterian Church. By 1960, the church boundaries changed again, and East Gore had a smaller group of people to look after the church.
In 1962, the church had a big renovation. They fixed the foundations, painted the spire and roof for the first time since 1881, and improved the inside of the building. In 1964, a hall with Sunday School rooms and a separate house for the minister were built next to the church. In 1981, the church celebrated its 100th birthday.
Because fewer people were attending and the building was expensive to keep up, the East Gore church decided to join with St Andrew's Church. All services moved to St Andrew's. A special service was held in 1995 to mark the closing of the East Gore church. After it closed, the building was rented out to the Gore Apostolic Church for a while.
On 2 May 2013, Heritage New Zealand officially listed the church as a Category 2 Historic Place.
Becoming an Art Centre
In 2001, the Eastern Southland Gallery bought the church and its hall. Their goal was to fix up the building and turn it into an art centre. This new centre would have a special studio for lithography (a type of printmaking), a general printmaking studio, a painting studio, a small apartment for visiting artists, and a space for art exhibitions. They also planned to create an art education centre in the main church building.
Work on the project was delayed while the gallery finished another big project. By 2009, work on the art centre began. It was expected to cost about $617,447.
Frans Baetens and Magda van Gils offered to donate a very old and heavy French lithography press (from 1874) and other printing equipment to the centre. This press, weighing 7.5 tons, was shipped from Europe by them in 1984 for their Muka Studio in Auckland. Their studio has been very important for printmaking in New Zealand. Other people have also donated presses. The New Zealand government gave $110,000 in 2016. Many other groups, businesses, and individuals have also given money to support the project.
The project was planned in six steps:
- Making a self-contained apartment for artists in the old Sunday School/Vestry wing.
- Fixing the outside of the church, including replacing the roof and weatherboards.
- Making new windows that look like the old ones.
- Painting the church.
- Making the hall floor stronger to hold the heavy Voirin press, and adding a display area and public toilets.
- Restoring the inside of the church and landscaping the back garden.
The restoration was guided by heritage architect Jeremy Salmond and structural engineer Peter Stevenson. By August 2020, the community had raised $600,000 for the project. The artist's apartment was finished. The main goal remaining was to create the art education centre in the church building. As of 2018, there were only twenty Voirin presses of this size left in the world.
Description of the Building
The church is shaped like a cross and is made of timber (wood). It has weatherboard on the outside and a corrugated iron roof. It sits on a hill in East Gore, looking over the Mataura River and the town.
The spire (tall, pointed roof) on the south side is 15.5 metres high. It has two paired windows on the ground floor and three windows with louvres (slanted slats) on the first floor. There is a porch and a door on the south side that leads to a grassy area at the back of the church. The church has simple decorations. Its main features are the pointed (Lancet) windows, the tall spire, and the steep roof.
Inside, the main part of the church (the nave) has walls lined with wallboard. The most interesting part of the interior design comes from the King Post trusses, which are strong wooden beams that cross the nave.
