Holy Trinity Church, Port Chalmers

Story

Holy Trinity Church is an Anglican church in Port Chalmers, New Zealand. The church building is constructed in volcanic stone and has some fine stained glass, and is listed as a Category I Historic Place. With St Barnabas Church, Warrington, Holy Trinity Church is part of the Port Chalmers-Warrington Parish of the Anglican Diocese of Dunedin, New Zealand.Early historyThe foundation stone of the Holy Trinity Church was laid on 7 June 1871 by the Bishop of Dunedin who spoke at the event in front of four to five hundred people, and again in the evening at the Masonic Hall. The laying of the foundation stone was the Bishop's first official action in Dunedin. The ceremony took place at about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and was a well-prepared event:"From an early hour bunting was displayed from private houses and others in honour of the occasion. The school children belonging to the Church, with their teachers, assembled at the Masonic Hall, the present place of worship... as also did the Ancient Order of Foresters... and members of the M.U.I.O.O.F. Lodge... the children, with flags and banners waving, taking precedence." The stone used in the construction of the building was obtained at the Port. The church was designed to hold 220 people, and estimated to cost between ₤1100 and ₤1200 to build. In February 1874 the contractor, Mr. Bauchop, who was working towards completing the flooring and roofing, noted that the original plan had been to roof in shingle but that this had been changed to slate both for its durability, and for its better match to the building style. The building was not completed until 28 April 1874, the Bishop of Dunedin on this occasion speaking to a congregation of 300, and congratulating Port Chalmers on its fifth place of worship,