History of Saint Albans Anglican Church

History of our church building.

- In October 1884 the vestry of the Holy Sepulchre parish was notified that there was an allotment available on Mt Roskill Rd (now Dominion Rd).
· In 1885 James Paice donated the land where the original wooden part of the church was built in two months at a cost of five hundred pounds.
· In 1886 the timber nave was built in time for the opening of the General Synod on February 13, 1886, at which Bishop Harper officiated . Arthur Wilson, the architect, designed it in the Gothic revival style then current .Only the nave of his proposed design was built, the transepts and chancel were to be added later.
· In1886 Rev E J Philips became the first appointed in a clergy that had belonged to the Holy Sepulchre for many years. He established a night school for which he built a small building (now the hall) at his own cost.
· In 1887 the New Zealand economy experienced a downturn and the parish could no longer pay Mr Philips a stipend . After him there was no resident clergyman, adding little stability to the church. · In 1890 St Alban’s became part of the United Parishes of St Barnabas and St Alban’s but was still not autonomous.
· In 1895 the Ladies Guild, through innovative fundraising efforts, acquired a new carpet, altar rails, chairs and other church furniture. Specific projects like the " harmonium fund" and a "building fund " were also established.
· In 1904 December Rev Henry Barnard Wingfield was appointed priest . An architect in private life, he designed a Maori church at Te Kapa, St Peter’s Te Kopuru, St Bede’s Otorahanga and St Alban’s Waingaro. He had other plans than following Wilson’s concept of a gothic revival church built of wood: he embarked on a design for a Romanesque church in brick. Hence the peculiar fusion you see in Alban’s Church today. Unfortunately, all this was a costly undertaking . The wonderful furniture was contributed by people in the parish. The windows, 14 coloured lead lights, an altar rail of polished kauri supported by heavy brass standards, the brass cross on the altar, the prayer desk and the carpet and tiles for the chancel all were donated by people in the parish.
· In Sept 1907, when New Zealand was granted Dominion status, Mt Roskill Rd became Dominion Rd, changing St Alban’s address too.
· In 1909, with Wingfield as Vicar, St Alban’s became a separate parish.
· In 1912 , 28th May a new brick portion of the church was dedicated.
· In 1915, March a mission chapel named after St Chad was opened in Sandringham, a mission district of St Alban’s . An organ was purchased and they had communion once a month.
· In 1918, the horrific effects of the war hit the church and the church organist and some choir members enlisted. In 1918 three men of the St Albans’ scouts were killed in action, and the scout leader, Mr L Reid, returned wounded.
· In 1922 the memorial tower was finally built, the delay being caused by the financial problems that continuted to plague the church in the post-war years. It was intended as a "Monument of Thanksgiving for Victory and Peace." It couldn’t be built in 1919 for lack of finance. The 4000 pound amount required was clearly impossible, so it wasn’t started until March 1922 .
· In 1922 Miss Jackson was the first woman elected to the St Alban’s vestry.
· On April 24 1924 the tower was completed and the bishop dedicated it on October 14.

Hall

Coming to the different parts of the church , the parish hall has a long history . At his own cost, Rev EJ Philips built the first parish hall in 1886 as a night school for the young men of the district. In 1923 the building was enlarged and one year later electricity was laid on. During the 1950’s the kitchen was improved, gas heating installed and the floor reblocked. The arrangement whereby the education board rented the hall during the first world war ended soon after the war. Of course , we musn’t forget the ladies of the parish and St Albans Ladies‘ and Girls‘ Guild whose enthusiasm and hardwork in fundraising brought great results.

Furniture

The homely feeling and sense of spiritual presence you feel in this church might be due to our memorials in furniture. Charmingly done up, the oldest is the fine carved lectern installed by the parishioners in memory of Rev Charles Cockerton who ministered during 1888 . The stained glass windows above the altar are from the beginning of the first world war. At the end of the war the altar, the credence table and bishop’s chair in the sanctuary , the processional cross, the litany desk and the clergy stalls in the chancel also became memorials . After the depression and World War II the sanctuary fabric was changed, as were the old wooden benches replaced with the existing pews. Parishioners donated pews, and the plaques on them tell you which ones are memorials. Recorded bells were installed following the retirement of the Rev A Greenwood after a ministry at St Albans’ of 30 years. The entrance doors to the nave were erected in memory of Mr Atkinson , a warden and vestryman in the parish for many years. Even the brass vases, altar candlesticks and the silver and brass baptismal ewers bear memorial inscriptions. When St George’s in Kingsland closed in the 1960’s, St Albans was given some of its furniture. From St Thomas ‘ church, Freemans Bay we got the riddel posts topped by cherubs and the brass sanctuary lamp .

Vicarage

Vicarage history goes back to when Rev H B Wingfield was appointed in 1904. Number 37 Brixton Rd was rented from Mr JW Blackwell for just one pound a week as a vicarage. In 1920, with a view to providing a permanent vicarage for St Alban’s Church, No 37 Brixton Road was bought from Mr Blackwell for just 1300 pounds, of which he himself donated 100. By the end of Father Greenwood’s 30-year term as vicar the place was in poor condition. 1500 pounds were spent on its repair, the verandahs and chimneys were removed, and improvements were made to the service areas including the re-lining of all the rooms. In 1996, a new townhouse down a right-of-way near the church was purchased to be our vicarage. The former vicarage is now once again a private family home.

Organ

Church history and New Zealand’s musical history — our organ has entered both. The second oldest tracker action organ in the country, it was bought in 1873 for St Mary’s in Parnell by Bishop Selwyn and dates back to 1860. It is now operated by an electric motor but was originally pumped by hand using a lever still attached to the side of the organ. When water mains were installed, this system was replaced by a double piston water engine. Generally, pipe organs should be reconditioned every 60 years. But the St Alban’s organ never had a major overhaul until 1986, when fundraising from highly successful Centennial concerts and an anonymous donation of $15,000 made its repair possible.