NEW CATHEDRAL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 47, 25 February 1937, Page 9

NEW CATHEDRAL.

HORTON BEQUEST.

NO DEFINITE DECISION.

DETAXU BEHTG DISCUSSED.

Xo definite decision has been reached ( by the St. Mary's Cathedral committee i and the General Trust Board of thn 2 Auckland diocese regarding the detail* for the erection of a new Anglican ( cathedral for which the late Miss M. T. 1 Horton left a bequest of £67,000. The will was subject to certain conditions, and these were defined by Mr. Justice « Smith in a Supreme Court judgment 1 delivered in November. * One of the important legal points j involved was the cite on which the new ( cathedral could be built. Until this and < other intricate points were determined ; by the Court little or no progress could j be made. A meeting of the Trust Board ] and the committee was held yesterday. < The secretary of the board, Archdeacon ' W. J. Simpkin, stated this morning that j no statement was available for publication- It is. understood another meeting ! will be held in a few days. Conditions of Will. In specifying the site, Miss Horton laid it down that it should be built "upon the site originally selected, and now occupied by the Parnell Tennis Courts and the adjoining houses between euch courts and St. Stephen's Avenue." Mr. Justice Smith held that the cathedral might be erected on any part ofj the site that might be selected by the 1 General Trust Board. The judgment; held, further, that in order that, the beque&t should not lapse the following three conditions made by Miss Horton had to be complies with: That the design for a building be accepted within neven. years from the date of death;

that the building be commenced within ten years of the date of death; and that! the trustees of the will should be satisfied at the end of ten years that the building would be properly carried on to its completed etate. It was decided last year that a competition for designs for the new cathedral be open to members of the New Zealand Institute of Architects and also members of the Royal Institute ofj British Architects resident in Great Britain and Australia. Assessors would be appointed for judging the competition. The question of style was discussed, and it was resolved to instruct the architectural adviser, Mr. F. L. Moody, to inform the architectural profession that while no particular style was laid down it was hoped that the design would follow the design of traditional ecclesiastical architecture. St. Matthew's Bells. A tower is included in traditional ecclesiastical architecture, and, although the tower would probably be the final addition to the new structure, this raises the question of the future of the wellknown peal of bells at St. Matthew's Church, which belong to St. Mary's Cathedral and were loaned by Bishop Xeligan in about 1903 to St. Matthew's. The bells were rung in St. Matthew's tower by members of the St. Matthew's Bell-ringing Society up to the outbreak of the war, and although they are now only chimed, have by tradition and sentiment become an integral part of the church. , Fears are expressed by old parishioners of St. Matthew's that St. Mary's may later ask for their return for use in the new cathedral. The bells were originally cast for the great Crystal Palace exhibition in Hyde Park in 1851, and were later presented . to the Church of England in ' There was no tower for the bells, and they were placed in a frame a few feet i above the ground in the wooden steeple i of Bishopscourt, St. Stephen's Avenue, , where they could be chimed but not rung. About 1905, when the new St. iMatthew's was consecrated, they were to St. Matthew's. It i 3 understood that a year's notice must be given tjif the bells are claimed bv the Parnell 51 authorities.

There has been a movement for several years among the former bell-ringers of &t. Matthew's to have the bells repaired and pealing reintroduced. The [matter has been discussed 4»y tb*. £>£~

Matthew's vestry on occasions, but no action has been taken. The value of the bells is at least £1000, it is stated, and the cost of repairs, such as new bells and the cleaning of the bells andi tower, is estimated at £50 or £60. Danger of Ruination. The danger of the bells being ruined was mentioned this morning by Mr. J.j F. Colegrovc, a member of the old St. J Matthew's Bell-ringing Society. He explained that the ropes had been taken off the wheels and fixed to the clappers, so that the choir boys could chime hymn tunes on Sundays. This, according to authoritative writers on the subject, would have an adverse effect on the (bells. Mr. Colegrove said that were permission granted for reconditioning and using the bells for ringing there would be no difficulty in obtaining a team of bell-ringers. Although bell-ringing was a highly-skilled art, there were a number of the old ringers in Auckland, and they "kept their hands in" by practising on a set of 36 hand bells, which they had purchased years ago for that purpose. It was a great misfortune that the bells were lying idle, save for the chiming.