This is a very special rebuild project that we had the pleasure of being involved with – the rebuild of one of Christchurch’s earliest churches that was sadly damaged beyond repair following the Canterbury earthquakes. The new church was designed by Tennent Brown Architects, and winner of NZIA Canterbury Architecture Award 2023. Chaplin Crooks Architects supported Tennent Brown Architects by undertaking construction observation tasks during the construction period, and facilitating the preservation and reuse of heritage materials recovered from the original building.
The site is located to the south of the Avon River, just beyond the ‘red zone’ established following the earthquakes. The parish has been established on this site since 1857, first in a cob church, which was gradually replaced via a series of Benjamin Mountfort-designed additions in stone. It was this stone church that was lost in the earthquakes.
A feature of the new design is the incorporation of historic items that were able to be salvaged from the earthquake-damaged church. These include stencil-panted timberwork, a large totara post, stonework panels, glazed crosses from the ridge tiles, wall tile panelling and two sets of stained-glass windows dating from the 1870s and the 1970s. We worked closely with many local craftspeople to preserve and protect these valuable artefacts that are such an important part of the parish’s history on this site.
A special moment in this project was three stained glass windows dating from 1974 that were made by Roy Miller of Miller Studios who was the great uncle of Chaplin Crooks Architects director Greg Miller. These now feature prominently in the worship space.
Overall this was a unique and very special project for us to have been involved with.
Photographer: Andy Spain