Sydenham Heritage Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sydenham Heritage Church |
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Sydenham Heritage Church (6 September 2010)
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| 43°32′50″S 172°38′11″E / 43.54730°S 172.63638°E | |
| Location | Sydenham, New Zealand |
| Country | New Zealand |
| History | |
| Founded | 3 February 1878 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Crouch and Wilson |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Demolished | February 2011 |
The Sydenham Heritage Church was a special stone church building in Sydenham, a suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand. It was also known as the Colombo Street Methodist Church. This historic building was listed as an "Historic Place – Category II" by Heritage New Zealand. Sadly, it was damaged in an earthquake and later pulled down.
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History of the Sydenham Church
Christchurch was mostly settled by people who followed the Anglican church. However, there was also a group of Methodists who were important to the community. They built the very first stone church in Canterbury in 1864. This church was called the Durham Street Methodist Church.
Why a New Church Was Needed
The number of Methodists grew, especially in the working-class area of New Town. This area is now known as Sydenham. The existing church, St James, was too small and not in a good spot for the growing group. So, the Methodists decided they needed a new, bigger church.
They bought some land on Colombo Road in 1876. This land was perfect for building their new church.
Building the Church
The design for the new church was made in 1877. It was created by an architecture company from Melbourne called Crouch and Wilson. They had also designed the first stone Methodist church in Christchurch. The church was built in the Gothic Revival style, which was popular for churches at the time.
A local architect named Thomas Lambert watched over the building work. The church was officially opened in February 1878.
Changes and Closure
In the 1960s, Sydenham became more industrial, and fewer people lived there. Also, fewer people were going to church in general. Because of these changes, the Sydenham church closed its doors in 1971.
After it closed, different groups used the building. The Seventh-day Adventist Church rented it for a while. Later, the Christian Congregational Church of Samoa bought it.
Saving the Church Building
The Samoan congregation built a new church in 1997. After that, some property developers wanted to pull down the old Sydenham church. But many people in the community were upset about this idea. They wanted to save the historic building.
In 2001, a new group called the Sydenham Heritage Trust bought the church. They got help from the Christchurch City Council with a loan. The Trust worked hard to fix up the church and make it stronger against earthquakes.
The 2011 Earthquake and Demolition
In February 2011, a big earthquake hit Christchurch. The Sydenham Heritage Church was badly damaged.
After the earthquake, a company pulled down the church. This happened without the owners knowing or giving permission. It also happened without permission from the heritage groups or the city council. This caused a lot of concern and an investigation was started.
Heritage Status
The Sydenham Heritage Church was officially recognized as an important historic building. On 24 June 2005, it was listed as a Category II heritage item. This means it was considered a building of special historical or cultural importance.
Images for kids
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The church in 2008
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Quake damage
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After the demolition
